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The Three Spiritual Laws
Written by Peter Youngren on February 7, 2007How are we saved, and what is the means of our salvation? Amazingly, much confusion exists among evangelical and charismatic Christians on this topic. A recent issue of Christianity Today heralded an increased acceptance of Calvinism, which prompted me to read a couple of books on this subject. Well, now I am even more convinced of the need to address the subject of salvation.
Take your time reading this blog, and ask yourself how this fits in with your life, your experiences, but most of all how it fits in with the Word of God.
Spiritual Law #1 – Remission: Believe that Jesus cancelled your sins.
In order to be saved a person must hear about the remission (cancellation, putting away) of sins that occurred at the cross (Luke 24:47, Romans 10:15). Jesus’ blood became the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). Every person’s sins were put away with one sacrifice. We have no choice in this matter, it happened before we were born; it is a completed work by Christ alone. God is not angry at man’s sins anymore, because His righteous anger against human sin fell on Jesus. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). This is an accomplished fact for every atheist, agnostic, or believer. Now here is the important point often missed; what happened at the cross is of crucial importance for salvation, in fact without it there is no salvation, but it is not enough. Paul says that if Jesus is not risen we are still in our sins. Hearing of the remittance of human sin is good news to all people who struggle to get rid of their sin (which is all religions), and having heard it people may now believe it.Notice, I didn’t include anything about acknowledging that you are a sinner. This part is self-evident. If I am not a sinner then there was no need for the remission of my sins to occur. The moment I say that I believe Christ died for my sins I acknowledge that I am a sinner.
Spiritual Law #2 – Repentance: Turn from trusting your own ability and good works.
The word “repentance” means “turn-around”. What exactly are we turning from? Some have suggested that we must individually repent of all the sins we have committed. I say that is not possible. Many cannot even remember all the sins they have done, and furthermore there are sins of omission and sins of commission. In the practical sense, some were too drunk to recall which individual sins they committed. No, repentance is turning from dead works (Hebrews 6:1). This is different from evil works; murder, adultery, fornication, stealing etc. Our will power is often not strong enough to turn from sin, that’s why we need Jesus. We do however have the ability to repent of dead works. Dead works are human efforts to please God and to make right the wrongs we have done; prayer, church attendance, giving, fasting, meditations or pilgrimages could all come under this heading. Whatever is done in an effort to satisfy God’s righteous and holy nature is dead works, because God is only pleased by the righteous, spotless, sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Repentance therefore is turning from self-reliance, self-righteousness and self-effort, and instead looking 100% at what Jesus Christ has done, He is the only foundation and only reason why we are acceptable to God.
Spiritual Law #3 – Regeneration; God supernaturally imparts the righteousness of Jesus Christ in you.
Jesus said you must be born again (John 3:3). The apostle Paul writes, the only thing that matters is if we are new creations in Christ (Galatians 6:15). Jesus rose from the dead and we have risen with Him into a new life. We must receive His life; he who has Jesus has life. If Jesus is not risen we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17), meaning that the cross is a pre-requisite for salvation, but the cross alone is not enough to save us. We must have the new life supernaturally imputed by God to everyone who believes, and once the new life is in us it empowers us to put away evil works like slander, adultery or lying. One Scripture verse that summarizes this message powerfully is Romans 5:10, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Notice:
1) The reconciliation to God occurred by Jesus’ death for every person.
2) God will do a supernatural work, imputing His righteousness into everyone who believes and
confesses Jesus as Lord.
This has become a long blog, in fact too long, and yet much more needs to be said. Give me your thoughts so far.
Peter Youngren
Christina
It has been my experience growing up that I needed to repent of all my sins before I could come to God - and if I didn’t repent fully then there would be a hindrance for me to receive a blessing from God that I had been praying for. I was also taught in my church growing up that the more I am involved in prayer groups, fasting, spiritual warfare etc then the more spiritual I was and therefore God was pleased with me. These past few years I have seen how false that teaching was, and how my effort cannot gain me any ground with God. I love how Pastor Peter talks in this blog about ‘dead works’ and how God is only pleased with the spotless sacrifice of Jesus; Jesus is the reason why we are acceptable to God. This frees us from religious burdens and enables us to do ‘good works’ out of love for what Jesus has done.
Jeffrey Teo
Dear Pastor Peter,
Also recently there have been books written that born again Christians can lose their salvation & go to hell.
If you can lose your salvation by demerits or earn your salvation by merits,then you become your own saviour!
Another school of thought is that you have to persevere and endure to the end in order to be genuinely saved.If that is the case ,then you will not know if you are genuine saved until the end of your life.This leads to the absurd conclusion that a man can believe in Jesus without knowing whether he has believed in Christ!
Most of the verses on salvation says,‘Believe and you will be saved!‘It did not say ,‘Endure and you will be saved.Believing you will endure not Endure to believe.
1 Jn 5:4-5 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world,and this is the victory that overcomes the world-our faith.
1 Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace HIMSELF sanctify you completely,and may your spirit,soul and body be preserved without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Nothing can separate us from His love for us!
A person who is genuinely saved cannot be unsaved!
A person who is born again cannot be unborned!
If by the 1st Adam all became sinners HOW MUCH MORE by the 2nd Adam will those who believe in Jesus and received His gift of righteousness be saved eternally!
God’s love is unconditional.(Agape)And His promises are unconditional in the new covenant based on better promises that we received by grace through faith.We can have a wrong perspective of God’s love which is conditional.And say that nothing can separate us from the love of God but we can separate ourselves from God.Whom God has placed in Jesus hand no one including ourselves can move out of His big hand.Jn 10:28-29
The older brother in Lk 15:29 thought that he had to earned his father’s love and approval.
We are saved by grace alone apart from works.Ep 2:8-9,Tit 3:5, Rom 4:5,Rom 11:6
Good works & good behaviour then is a result and fruit of salvation.Not requirement or root of salvation.Right believing will lead to right living!Right being will lead to right doing!
Jn 1:12 But as many as received Him ,to them He gave the right to become..‘And once a son always a son!
A long reply to your long blog pastor!
Have a grace filled week.
Jeff
Beena Thomas
Its funny you wrote about this on your blog because it always bothered me when preachers went about getting unbeleivers to confess their sins in what is traditionally called the sinners prayer to salvation. paul writes clearly in Romans 10: 9,10- ’ That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus ( ie his lordship over your life and not conefessing of your every sin )and beleive in your heart that God had raised him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one beleives unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’ This 2 versus includes all the 3 spiritual laws that you mentioned about.
This is one of the preliminary ways I evaluate a preacher and I was so glad when I heard you the first time leading a sinner to salvation. Right on as per the scripture!! It was amazing when the scripture of 2 cor 5: 19,20 was opened to us and it revolutionised our approach towards unbeleivers as it dawned upon us that the whole world was already reconciled and we were ministers of reconciliation and the scripture in John that the only sin that God will hold against mankind will be not beleiving in his son Jesus—Halleluyah!! Cleared up all the wrong judgemental attitude that we had.
My personal experience of salvation though was not a step from my end. Though I was born in a Hindu family I had this deep deep yearning to find meaning in life and was hungry for God. Without going in to the journey of it all, our Lord bombarded into me lock stock and barrel one beautiful night of Oct 22/ 1995 eleven years ago in a prayer meeting when a chritian just came up to me and layed hands on me while praying in tongues. That settled it for me as my search stopped and I knew I had met My Lord. It was only the next day somebody handed me a new testament bible and I devoured it cover to cover. Till then nobody had told me about the steps to get saved but I guess the Lord knew my heart. Needless to say the most critical and best decision of my life without doubts has been to go for that prayer meeting on the invitaion of my friend . THANK THE GOOD LORD FOR friends like her. God bless her for being obedient.
Daniel
Pastor Peter,
Thank you for taking the time to explain the 3 spiritual laws. These laws fit perfectly with the topic we are currently discussing in our home group—‘New Testament Foundations for Life and Ministry’.
There is so much being taught and written about in Christianity that conflicts with an understanding of the foundation doctrines.
The foundation doctrines include doctrine about Jesus and what He accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection—‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 3:11).
Also, the six foundation doctrines of Hebrews 6:1-2, which includes repentance from dead works and faith toward God. Faith toward God requires an understanding of His unconditional love, and His grace and mercy.
My 30+ years experience with churches, ministries, and Christian colleges is that the foundation doctrines, if taught at all, are soon forgotten when other things are taught. When they are taught it’s often without an understanding of God’s love and grace, and lacking a revelation of the finished work of Jesus through the cross—His death, burial, and resurrection.
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you (Romans 6:17).
As with your blog, much more could be said. It’s so important how people get started. It would have saved me much confusion, grief, and many trips around the mountain of dead works in the wilderness had someone helped me lay the foundations of the New Testament when I got started as a believer.
Thank you for putting us in remembrance of the 3 spiritual laws in your blog—and thank you for making it simple! The 3 spiritual laws along with the rest of the New Testament foundations get us started correctly and keep us from going astray from our fellowship with the Godhead. Then we can do as it says in Prov. 19:27—‘Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causeth] to err from the words of knowledge.’
Psa 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Don. heinemann
wow wow peter . i throughly enjoyed your blog the three pricuples of salvation. i could dance for joy this morning . hallelujh. again i say hallelujh. Don.
Hagere
Pastor Peter, Thank you Very much for ’ Happy Valentaine’s Day from the FATHER’ Card. it has made my day. allthough, I live in bakcsilliden state ( out of fellowship) at this point in my life It is allways great to hear you speak the truth. I will never forget as long as I live the sermon that you have deliverd in October 1995 on thankisgiving Day the title of the sermon was ’ Secure in GOD’S LOVE’ 12 years later that sermon still fresh in my mind. Thank very much
Hagere
Jeffrey Teo
ust a thought that came to me Pastor while I was looking up the Bible on the word ‘Everlasting!’
We have an everlasting foundation because we have an everlasting salvation based on an everlasting covenantdue to His everlasting love!
See Prov 10:25,Is 45:17,Heb 13:20,Jer 31:3
When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, God accepts.And once God accepts you ,He’ll never reject you!The question is not whether you will leave God and lose your salvation once you are saved.The question is whether God will leave you?And the answer is ,‘NEVER!’
‘Never will I leave you or forsake you!‘Heb 13:5
If God never leaves you,then you can never leave Him.His stuck on you!That’s why 1 Cor 6:11 says that you have been BOUGHT!Bought with a price.The price of God’s dear Son!
GLORY!
Jeff
Steven Marandola
there are 2 forms of repentance one is repentance from sin.I think you are missing this one.There are lists of sins in Gal. ICor6 Rev and other places…those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.yOU ARE CONFUISNG OBEDIANCE WITH WORKS Jesus said if you love me you will obey my commands THEN my Father will love you and we will make our home with you….In John and IJohn what is you response to these verses?
Hagere
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.( Change of thinking or mind)
2 peter 3:9
Dear Friends! God is a good God. If he has changed my way of thinking, he can Change any one else’s way of thinking.
Trust in Him!!!
NJUKI CHARLES
~ Karatina
This is The whole truth, it makes FAITH IN Jesus real and true, it gives one the freedom God intended by sending His son.
God bless you, let the ‘GOSPEL’ touch many.
randy
~ carstairs ab
the finished work of the cross is done and that we must repent is clear we must also remain in repentance as the word of God and the holy Spirit sanctify you Jesus does it all you must remain or return to repentance with our faith firmly placed in the blood that was shed for you and I
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Comments:
Celeste Colbourne
Pastor Peter, your blog reminds me all too well of my own dead works. I was baptised at 9 and then spent 40 years walking away from Jesus, denying that He is real, and looking for God in all the wrong places. I thought I was a ‘good person’ always volunteering and helping out wherever I could, but it always left a feeling of fakery and a 2 dimensional spirit. Taste of cardboard in my mouth. When I had the opportunity to really accept Christ as my Savior the repentance from my ‘life’ became a reality. Buddhism couldn’t fix it, wicca couldn’t fix it, New Age was a sham, instead making me sick with the most bizzare things. Accepting Jesus brought me healing, salvation, and the rivers of living water that are more and more prevalent in my life today. Jesus IS the answer! Only coming to Jesus can change the broken-ness of a life, and my life has been mended, healed and made whole by saying YES! Looking at this change from the world’s perspective says that I’m a robot and am just doing what I’m told. Looking at it from the inside says, ‘More Jesus!’ Holy Spirit come. I spent a while wondering what others would think, but the pull away from what was ugly and broken, and unfixable (and I was Ms. fixit)towards what was beautiful and peaceful was overwhelming. I allowed myself to be overwhelmed (by the Holy Spirit) and saw that I was only being shown the Truth. What a blessing to learn the truth and rest in Him. He has allowed this truth now to pour through my new life into the lives of others and I’m seeing changes in them that they can’t manufacture on their own. Only Jesus on the inside, reconciling us to the Father can make these changes. I could have walked away from the discomfort of the changes in my life, going back to what was easy, and bore no fruit, but the encouragement I received from the Word of God and the people that now surrounded me with His love kept me going ahead, not looking back, except to speak prayers of forgiveness. Each day is such a blessing. My son recently left me a voice mail, ‘Happy God day, Mom’, he said. Every day is God day. ‘This is the day that the Lord hath made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.’ Rejoice!