In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And He created man in His own image, not physical image of course, for God is a Spirit. However, He created man with a spirit, and with the ability to think, act, and make decisions independently. He gave us a will of our own and the freedom to use or misuse that will. And it didn't take long in Eden, with Satan's help, for man to disobey, and thereby acquire the knowledge of good and evil. Of course, along with that knowledge came accountability for our knowing of right and wrong. Man had sinned, and all mankind was affected and infected.
Rebellion against God is sin. Disobedience is sin. All unrighteousness is sin. The Word tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Also, we learn that the wages of sin is death. However, in the Garden of Eden, Satan told Eve, "You will not surely die." He lied. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. We all know this, yet we still listen.
We don't understand why God didn't just create people who were incapable of sinning. But, of course, if we were not capable of independent thought and action, we would not be in God's image or part of His family. Who wants to be a Barbie, Raggedy Ann, or robot, anyway? It is idiotically stupid to try to second guess God. God is way past our capacity to comprehend. His understanding is unsearchable. However, we can learn about Him as revealed in His Word. And it is in this Word that we learn what is expected of us, and how God has solved our sinful dilemma.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus, the sinless Son of God became the sacrificial Lamb, volunteering for the assignment. He died that we might live; the pure for the impure.
Jesus died an agonizing death on the cross to save us from our sins. This was specifically done for undeserving sinners. We do not, and cannot, understand about the necessity for blood sacrifices; or why the Son of God had to die for vile, evil, worthless sinners. But, of course, "God so loved the world...." That is why.
And so this great salvation was made available to all ("whosoever will") and not just to some special social, religious, political, or ethnic group. However, we cannot acquire our salvation online or by proxy. Neither is it given as a door prize or as a bonus for scoring points in the do-gooder organization. Church membership does not provide salvation. There is only one way to get it. We must each accept this great gift personally, along with the responsibility and opportunity that goes with it.
Our ticket has already been purchased at an unbelievable cost, and is reserved in our name. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it. And we can only get it by appearing personally at the throne of grace and identifying ourselves as unworthy (Jake Von Canon, sinner; or whoever, sinner). No one is going to tackle us and cram it in our pocket. However, we would be well advised to travel light when going to board the Heavenly Express. When we go for our boarding pass, too much worldly baggage and/or residue of SELF will sound the alarm... big time.
We are not going to be saved from our sin until, or unless, we realize and recognize that we are sinners; and rue, regret, and repent of it. We must also believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died for us, rose again, and has the power and desire to forgive and save us. Repentance is validated by faith. Without faith, no one can please God. Before we can come to our Savior, we must first believe that He is our Savior. This is something that we must do on our own. We must accept Jesus as our Savior, and we must accept His forgiveness for our sins. Absolutely no one else can do it for us. But once our guilt has been lifted, and the sin stains have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, the feeling is fantastic. The relief and excitement is indescribable. However, it is at this point that we realize that a bed of roses has thorns. Satan is going to attack! Euphoria is confronted by the reality of the evil one.
We have an adversary, a cunning, capable, vicious, evil, unscrupulous, and powerful enemy who never sleeps. Satan targets the saved, not the rest of the world, because he already has them. If you haven't been beset by a myriad of problems, better check it out. Your salvation is questionable. We are absolutely no match for Satan on our own. However, we have an Advocate, Guide, and Friend. If it were not for the Holy Spirit, we would never make it. We are in a war... the battle between good and evil. We have become soldiers of the cross. We can surrender, go A.W.O.L. ... or fight the good fight of faith. How goes the battle?
Those who have not received the anointing of the Holy Spirit may have been forgiven, but they have not been "saved," and cannot survive this wicked world on their own, period. The continual help, support, guidance, and encouragement of the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for human survival against the powers of darkness in this present evil world. We cannot make it on our own.
There are those who believe and teach a doctrine known generally as "Once Saved, Always Saved" or "Eternal Security." Although this might sound good to many, it is not supported by the Word of God. Calvary brought us salvation, forgiveness, justification, and deliverance from our load of sin. However, it did not take us out of this body of flesh or remove us from Satan's worldly realm. And it absolutely did not give us license to sin.
The Word charges us to "keep the faith." Why would we have to keep it, if we couldn't lose it? We are encouraged to help backsliders return to God. Why do they need help returning if they couldn't have left in the first place? Jesus chastises the church at Ephesus for leaving their first love and calls attention to how far they have fallen. Then He tells them to repent (or else).
Peter says, "If they have escaped from the corruption of the world by knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse at the end than at the beginning."
Over and over, the Word tells us to be overcomers. We are encouraged to persevere and to endure. "He who endures to the end shall be saved." The Word also says, "If we sin 'willfully' after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no sacrifice for our sin." We are told of the washed sow that returned to the mire. The old mud had been washed away, but the new mud was just as dirty. Yes, we can certainly turn away, even angels rebelled.
We cannot save ourselves... and never could. But no one else can accept our salvation for us, and neither can anyone else steal it from us, unless we fail to diligently protect it. However, it will be a struggle. Satan hates the saved, and will attack us in every conceivable manner, both directly and subtly. He is a master of using every worldly trick to his advantage... lies; confusion; fear; public opinion; political correctness; financial problems; social stigmas; peer pressure; doubts; family problems; sickness; religious rites, rules, and rigamarole; so-called "friends;" plus every aspect of human nature: as in, pride, vanity, ego, lust, jealousy, greed, laziness, and all the rest. Few of us have the integrity of Job, but we do have the same kind of "friends" and exactly the same enemy. We must have help. We cannot make it on our own.
Even though we have become a new creation, this new creature still lives in the same flesh of the old one. Therefore it becomes essential that we receive the earnest deposit of the Holy Spirit as our guarantee of salvation. And it is through the active assistance, guidance, help, encouragement, and sometimes, direct intervention, by the Spirit of God that we can survive. If you lack the Spirit of God, you lack a heavenly reservation or destination. The names written in the Lamb's Book of Life have not been copied off of some denomination membership roll, not even an "Always Saved" church. Think about it.
Even the Apostle Paul had a real difficult time controlling this body of flesh, not doing the good that he wanted to do, but the evil that he didn't want to do. Paul stated that, "The carnal mind is enmity against God: For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. He goes on to say, "They that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." That seems pretty plain.
We are in a war; a horribly vicious war with eternal consequences. And we already know who wins this war. The only question that remains is this, which side will you be on?
