Ever have someone on Facebook or social media ask you to show by Scripture HOW a person is saved by Christ? Many believers know the truth and can state the truth that we are saved by BELIEF ALONE – NOT OF WORKS – on Christ’s finished work on the cross. But when Scripture references are being asked about every point of how a person is saved, it can get complicated. Especially when you only have a few minutes in your day to respond in a way to benefit the person asking. Maybe you just do not respond, knowing you cannot follow through with the person at this specific moment you read the question.
I have written this text below as a way of answering the question quickly, yet thoroughly, with Scripture references provided. Copy it. Paste it into your Mobile phone Text Editor or NotePad. When this happens, copy and paste it into a reply. It takes less than 1 minute to share the Gospel with Scripture References.
May it help you in your sharing of the Gospel to others seeking the truth.
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BELIEVE on the FINISHED work of Jesus, the Christ, God in the flesh, who was born by the Virgin Mary and lived life 100% without any sin in thought nor deed (2 Corinthians 5:21). He went to the cross to pay for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2), the ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice for the our sins (Hebrews 10:10), “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;’ (Colossians 2:14 KJV).
This Salvation through belief on Christ alone is a GIFT FROM GOD – it is NOT EARNED! (Eph. 2:8-9). God offers every person this GIFT to be received OR rejected by our free will. It is a choice WE make.
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
Salvation is BY BELIEF on Christ and His finished work (John 19:30) on the cross ALONE – NOT BY good works, nor being a good person, nor Ten Commandments following, nor attending church, nor water baptism, nor any religious ritual. (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, John 3:14-18, John 6:39-40, Acts13:38-39, Romans 8:2, Philippians 3:9, Romans 4:4-5, Galatians 2:16-21, 2 Corinthians 3:7-9, Romans 3:20, Romans 5:20, 1 Corinthians 15:56, Romans 3:19-28… the list goes on and on)
FROM THE VERY moment of BELIEF on Christ alone for Salvation and our justification with God (Ephesians 1:13-14) the Holy Spirit indwells us and this is what happened to us:
+ We were CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST in the Spirit (Galatians 2:20)
+ We DIED WITH CHRIST AND WAS BURIED WITH CHRIST in Baptism in the Spirit (Colossians 2:12, Romans 6:4)
+ We ROSE AGAIN A NEW CREATION WITH AND IN CHRIST in the Spirit (Colossians 2:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
+ We are right now, in present tense, COMPLETE IN CHRIST in the Spirit (Colossians 2:10)
+ We Have Been Made, by God, the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST in the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
+ We are FREE from God’s Wrath, have PEACE WITH GOD (Romans 5) having been saved by God’s GRACE through believe on Christ crucified (Romans 5, Hebrews 10:10, Ephesians 2:8-9)
LIFE AFTER SALVATION BY GOD’s GRACE …
Once saved by belief on Christ, regardless of our emotions and feeling about it, we believe what the Bible tells us and who we actually now are in Christ. Under the indwelling guidance of the Holy Spirit, we READ the Word of God to change our MIND about our beliefs based on the truth of God’s Word (Romans 12). Beholding Christ, we CHANGE OUR MIND by God’s Word (the Bible Greek definition of the English word REPENT is ‘change your mind’).
We replace wrong belief in the MIND with God’s truth. We start to believe right more and more over time (Walking by the Spirit of God who we now are IN THE SPIRIT; our sanctification process. WE LIVE AS WE BELIEVE and right believing IN THE MIND leads to right Godly living outwardly. Perfectly? No. Increasingly? Yes. It is an ongoing process. We were saved in an instant from the moment of BELIEF on Christ alone and His finished work on the cross – OUR JUSTIFICATION and SALVATION, and God’s starts changing us as we believe the truth more and more (OUR SANCTIFICATION).
Warning: Some mix how we are justified with our sanctification. They mix LAW FOLLOWING with GOD’s GRACE. They mix our performance with God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul warns us NOT TO DO THAT. The Galatians had some teaching this heresy and this is how He addressed them about it:
“O FOOLISH GALATIANS, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey THE TRUTH, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing OF FAITH? 3 Are ye so FOOLISH? having begun IN THE SPIRIT, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5 He therefore that ministereth to you THE SPIRIT, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing OF FAITH? 6 Even as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and it was ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Galatians 3: 1-6 KJV)
“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified BY THE LAW; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE. 5 For we THROUGH THE SPIRIT wait for the hope of RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH.” (Galatians 5:4-5 KJV)
Salvation is by FAITH ALONE. As we learn more of God’s Word – the truth – we live more and more as we believe outwardly. In this way, God works through us. Believers do good works – YES! But it is not FOR SALVATION nor to KEEP being saved. It is an inward change in the mind that moves outwardly UNTO GOOD WORKS (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Excerpt From:
https://seekknockfind.org/2019/07/07/sharing-salvation-on-social-media/
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