Salvation

Many Christians seem to believe varying ideas about salvation. Some believe salvation is received through baptism as a baby, while others believe salvation is received through mere words of a formulated prayer. Others might believe they will get into heaven because they attended church services, served in a church or even cast out demons. However, we must find out what the scriptures say.

Scripture says

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 ESV

The reality is…

If we are sincere in our confession and our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, there should be evidence of that belief in our lives. In Matthew 7 Jesus says, not everyone who calls me Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven. We must search the scriptures to find out the will of the Father to ensure our lives are pleasing to Him in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21 ESV

The scripture tells us to examine and test ourselves.

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 ESV

In Matthew 7 Jesus tells us how to know what kind of tree we are. He says we can tell by the fruit of the tree. He says we can recognize people by their fruit.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Matthew 7:15-20 ESV

Now we need to look at the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. We need to examine and test ourselves to see if we are producing fruit that only comes from the Holy Spirit?

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:16-25 ESV

What is Pleasing to the Father?

21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.  23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.  24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 3:21-24 ESV

We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ and love one another, just as Jesus commanded us. According to 1 John 3:24, if we keep his commandments, God abides in us through his Holy Spirit.

How do We abide in Him?

7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. 11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! 13-16 This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. 17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20-21 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
1 John 4:7-21 MSG

What is Love?

We must learn what God’s description of love is. If we do not understand His view on love, we will never please Him. God is a God of love, but He is not a God of tolerance. He expects His children to love the way He says to love. We do not get to love just any way we want to love. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us God’s definition of love.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV

We see in 1 John 4:21 the two commandments that Jesus gives in Matthew 22:36-40. 

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:36-40 ESV 

According to Matthew 22:40, everything God spoke as law and spoke through the Prophets, depends on love. If that is the case, we must learn to understand God's view of love, instead of our own view or the current culture’s view of love. Since God is love and everything God does is love, we require the Holy Spirit to teach us how to love as God loves.

How Can We Love?

We must learn the scripture by studying the Word and seek His guidance in order to apply these two commandments of love to every life situation. We must trust in His wisdom as we walk out our salvation.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 ESV

Ask Him to help you love others, those that are easy to love and those that are difficult to love. 

32 If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. 33 If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. 34 If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. 35 "I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never - I promise - regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. 36 Our Father is kind; you be kind. 37 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults - unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. 38 Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." 
Luke 6:32-38 MSG

Our Challenge To You

We leave you with a challenge to read the Holy Scriptures for yourself and understand what the Word of God says about salvation as your foundation of truth. The Bible clearly indicates that we must obey the will of the Father and that the Father’s will is for us to believe in his Son, Jesus, and to love people.

Spend time digging into the Bible and prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes in every situation in your life. Ask for spiritual wisdom and understanding on the true meaning of love according to his Word.

Walking It Out - A Personal Testimony

Through my own process of learning about love, I looked up the word hate in the dictionary. I was not aware of any feeling of hate towards anyone however, I was shocked to see that hate also meant recoil. To recoil from someone is an act of hate. This caused me to reevaluate my life and my understanding of the word hate. I pray this will do the same for you.