Soteriology: Christian Doctrine, #7

By Modise Tlharesagae

TWO-FOLD SALVATION

The most important thing about being saved is that salvation is a two fold process; not an instant event. That is if one part is done and one left out, then one is not fully saved. So, these are the two parts of salvation that follows hearing the word:

1. Sinner's prayer of confession; to accept Christ as Lord and saviour.

2. Water Baptism in to; The Father , The Son and The Holy Spirit.

1. Prayer of confession

Usually in the secular world people think that anyone can lead anyone to salvation but it is not so. In the three accounts where Christ sends for the great commission to be fulfilled. Not to advertise coming of the kingdom as before His death by sending the apostles and then the seventy; when He sends to fulfill the great commission He only sends his apostles only. All the three accounts where he sends the apostles in to the great commission it is the apostle and the apostles only who sends to do the finished work of salvation and he keeps repeating the importance of the word and the importance of baptism.

Matthew 28:17-20 KJV And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15-16 KJV And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 1:2-9 KJV Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

In the above three accounts Christ talks to His desciples about the needed preparation and the mission to be fulfilled. To teach them and to baptize the masses. The key thing being, they should be taught so that they may make an informed choice to say, "I receive Jesus as my Lord and saviour". So, the prayer of confession is the first step one takes of their salvation. But this first step should be recieved because one had heard about the finished work of the cross. They should experience the revitalization before they give their lives in.They should not just see a miracle or hear a song and be moved by pleasurism; but the truth as is born of Christ, should reach them before they give their lives to Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Modise Tlharesagae
• Release date: Mar 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224560394

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PROLOGUE

The Good News or the Gospel is the faithful saying that the Lord Jesus Christ died for us and so have opened a door way for the redemption of our souls and we need to come to the forgiveness of our sins and to the new life. That is the definition of the Greek word translated the gospel: εὐαγγέλιον euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on) which means; a good message , or still the same word in regard to the message of the cross means; the good news of redemption through Jesus (i.e. the gospel of Jesus ), still simply called the good news.

Euaggelion carries the emphasis of a good message not a condemnation. It thus says like the Lord Jesus Christ, I take no account of your past but go and sin no more. That is the good news not a message about your past and your inferiority but the good news that your past is already forgiven long ago upon the cross.

ROMANS 5:10 KJV For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

We thus are not just reconciled with God by the gift of Jesus Christ’s life but we are also saved from the fall that was cast upon us by the first Adam.

The euaggelion carries the emphasis also so closely bound to the word evangel, which means the good news too, but euaggelion is the words of the beautiful feet, the good news that seeks the reconciliation of God and man, that Christ died so that we may live. He died so that we may be partakers of the kingdom of God. He died so that we may be born again as sons of God, reconciled to our Creator once and for all.

Being born again, is sourced of two Greek words gennao and anothen, which is an emphasis of repetition of birth, but not from this world, from above, putting in consideration that the naturally used word in the Greek language for again is palin. We thus understand the use of the word anothen instead of palin. The word: γεννάω gennao (annunciation: ghen-nah'-o) which means a procreation by a father, and still also means to regenerate (to be reborn in a new different form). The second word anothen means to be born anew from above, by linage from the first. Ἄνωθεν anothen (annunciation: an'-o-then). Meaning we are continuously born, but from above as the one who was born first. The design of salvation is we are all born in the form of Christ, as sons of God and as co-heirs and rulers with Him. But the emphasis of the rebirth is the regeneration, that we are regenerated from the former self in to Christ.

NB: So gennao palin and gennao anothen mean two real different things. For we are born anew from above not just again. Meaning our being born again gives us a new form, the form of the first fruits who is above and seated