What is Salvation?
Salvation means to be saved from our sins by the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we become saved? The Bible tells us how we become saved. A person gets saved when he/she hears the word of God and gets convicted by the word. In other words, they experience "Godly sorrow" through that word, this "Godly sorrow" then leads to repentance.2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation...."
You may ask, what then is repentance? Repentance is turning away from something and turning towards the opposite of that thing. Jesus himself preached repentance.
Matt.3:2 "And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." John the Baptist preached repentance, Peter also preached repentance
Acts 2:38 (King James Version) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
In light of this, in order for us to be saved, we must repent from our sins and turn towards God. God is Holy and Holiness is the opposite of sin. When we repent and turn towards God does that mean we then become perfect and do not sin anymore? No. It only means that we acknowledged our sins, confessed them and are determined to forsake them and are willing to turn towards God so He can help us live free of our past life. Turning towards God means that we will now be sanctified, separated unto God. God gives us the grace for our sanctification, but we must join together by co-operating with Him through the power of that grace.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 (New King James Version) "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."
We have a part to play in our sanctification. I know a lot of Christians think God’s grace means that we no longer have a part to play in our salvation, that we no longer have to do anything at all. This is however not what the scripture teaches us.
Repentance always comes before salvation. It is never the other way around. A person who has not come to the place of repentance cannot claim to be saved.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (New King James Version) " Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."
God bless you. Amen
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