A Double Portion

I have been thinking about how blessed I am to be gaining deeper insights about the gospel of grace — the milk, salvation of the spirit, and the free gift of eternal life, plus the gospel of the kingdom — the meat, salvation of the soul, and the reward of entrance into the Millennial Kingdom; knowledge that I consider to be my “earthly” double portion.

Had my eyes and ears not been opened to see and hear the gospel of the kingdom, I would have spent the remainder of my Sundays in a Laodicean church, hearing subtle variations of the same message week after week.

I would have continued to struggle wearily under weight of this world without any real encouragement or the lasting comfort of our blessed hope, which is the visible and earthly return of our Lord Christ Jesus.

I would not have been warned that the hour is growing very late and that I need to be in the Word and resting in God every day, allowing Him to work through me to produce works of gold and silver — and not self-driven works of hay and stubble — so that when I stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, I have a chance to receive the reward of salvation of my soul, my heavenly double portion.

I would have continued to believe that all Christians are the bride of Christ, that we are all overcomers, and that we will all receive the same inheritance.

I would have been one of the five foolish virgins, awakened from my slumber at the midnight hour, begging the five wise virgins to give me some of their oil before the door was shut forever. I would not have understood that I must buy that oil for myself by studying Scripture from beginning to end, learning more about the Bridegroom and the things that I must bind and loose if I hope to be found worthy enough to become His bride.

Through the parables in Matthew, Jesus tells me that if I am a wise and faithful servant who provides meat in due season, and if I am faithful over a few things, I can become a ruler over many things in the Millennial Kingdom. It is hard to imagine.

I think it would be humbling enough just to gain entrance into the kingdom and feel His presence from behind, like the woman who touched his garments in Mark 5:21-34.  

Jesus Will Appear a Second Time

Have you ever had a passage in Scripture confound you?  What I mean by this is that no matter how many times you read the passage, or ask others to explain it, it still does not make sense.

For me, one of those passages used to be Hebrews 9:28.  Here are three different translations:

So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (NIV)

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (KJV)

So also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many,  to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin  but to bring salvation. (NET)

There is no doubt from these translations that Christ Jesus will return a second time (hallelujah!).  It is also clear that He is not coming to bear the sin of the world, which He already did for us so lovingly on the cross at Calgary.

We can also exposit from this passage that there is a salvation that He will bring to those who look for His second appearing.  This salvation must be different from the salvation that we receive when we believe in Jesus Christ, which assures us of eternal life and is something that can never be taken away.

Context is everything when studying Scripture, and I believe the verse that appears before Hebrews 9:28 sheds light on the writer’s meaning.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, (NIV)

The writer is referring to the judgment seat of Christ.  We read in
2 Corinthians 5:10:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

It appears that the salvation that the writer of Hebrews is referring to is a future salvation — salvation of the soul.  Salvation of the spirit is a free gift that is not based on our works (lest we should boast) and assures us of eternal life.  I believe this future salvation that Jesus brings without sin refers to the rewards that believers who look for His second appearing will (or will not) receive when they stand before Him at the judgment seat (see Revelation 2:10, 1 Peter 5:2-4, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 4:8, and 1 Corinthians 9:25-27).  I also believe this future salvation determines whether we will rule and reign with Christ during His Millennial Kingdom (see Romans 8:17, 2 Peter 3:8, Revelation 20:4).

Peter’s words refer to salvation of the soul being future in 1 Peter 1:3-9:

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (NIV, emphasis added)

Judgment Day

Judgment day is coming and I am not talking about those who are unsaved, as one might expect.  No, judgment day is coming for all Christians when we will stand before the Lord and account for our works as believers.

Will our works withstand the test of fire as gold, silver, and precious stones or will they be burned up as wood, hay, and stubble?  Will we experience loss or receive rewards?

In his book, "He That Hath Ears," Gary T. Whipple writes that wood represents the world and hay is cut down grass, which represents the flesh. Stubble is an emblem of Satan. Gold is an emblem of deity (the Father), silver is an emblem of redemption (the Son), and precious stones are an emblem of power (the Holy Spirit).

Where does your heart lie?  
What motivates you each day?  
What idols have taken precedence over your life?  
Whom do you toil for?
Whose will are you following?  

I ask these questions knowing full well that I often fall short on many accounts.  Some days I am a wise virgin.  Other days I foolishly neglect to stock up on oil.  Or remain cautiously silent when I should be shouting "People get ready... Jesus is coming."

Time is short.  What shall we do with it?  

Seek first His kingdom.

I Never Knew You

Lately I have been thinking about what author David Biven terms “the difficult words of Jesus” (if you are interested in Hebraic gems that help illuminate the Gospels, read his book).  I am talking about Scripture passages that people tend to gloss over because they cannot make sense of them.

Matthew 7:21-23 is an example.  Jesus says:

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  ²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Some commentaries suggest that this passage refers to Christians who were never really saved, which I believe is blaspheme!  For Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us: 

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

Once a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved they cannot become unsaved, can they?  That would imply that Jesus “took His free gift back.”  Others state that Jesus was talking to unbelievers.  But unbelievers would never utter the words, “Lord, Lord.” 

The reason this passages does not line up for many is because it refers to soul salvation, not spirit salvation.  When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the free gift of spirit salvation and eternal life.  What we do with this gift determines whether we will receive a reward (Revelation 22:12) when we stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ or loss. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

If our works are deemed to be of gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3:10-15), we will receive a reward, which I believe is the salvation of our soul that Paul writes of in Philippians 2:12 (another “difficult” Scripture passage):

¹²Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  ¹³For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (KJV)

Here Paul must be talking about soul salvation, which we do need to work out with fear and trembling before we appear before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  I believe what is at stake is whether we will rule and reign with Christ during His 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom (Romans 8:17, 2 Peter 3:8, Revelation 20:4).  The types in Scripture (see my earlier post on Entering the Land) suggest that believers who do not receive soul salvation will be on the outside looking in.  They will have eternal life, but will not be able to enter the Millennial Kingdom.

 

When you are able to distinguish between spirit salvation (the free gift) and soul salvation (a reward based upon our works), then Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23 finally begin to make sense. 

Quoteworthy: Reward

"But even a casual study of the Word of God reveals that a new horizon now opens on the redeemed soul.  If life is by faith, reward is consequent on works done after faith.  For Scripture regards each saved soul as a runner racing, an athlete wrestling, a warrior fighting, a farmer sowing, a mason building, a fugitive flying, a besieger storming; and all this strenuous intensity rests on a fundamental of revelation —" that God is, and that He is a Rewarder " (Heb. 11:6).  "With many disciples the eyes are yet blinded to this mystery of rewards, which is an open mystery of the Word.  It must be an imputed righteousness whereby we enter; but having thus entered by faith, our works determine our relative rank, place, reward" (Dr. A. T. Pierson).  Calvin, though seeing this truth but dimly, has packed into a sentence the Scripture doctrine of reward :—" There is no nconsistency in saying that God rewards good works, provided we understand that, nevertheless, men obtain eternal life gratuitously."

Nor is there any doubt that this is a truth for the Church of God.  "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each [disciple] according as his work is" (Rev. 22:12).  To whom is this said?  I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things (or the churches."  Too often, as Dr. A. J. Gordon says, "just as the Legalist resents the doctrine that good works can have no part in effecting our forgiveness, so the Evangelical recoils from the idea that they can constitute any ground for our recompense."  But Paul says :—" He that planteth and he that watereth are one "— in standing and redemption —"but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labour "1 Cor. 3:8), So also he balances the double-edged recompense.  "Servants, obey…knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. For" — on the other hand —" he that doeth wrong shall received again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons" Col. 3:24  It is thus a that concerns us.  In the words of Dr. Eadie :—"The Christian doctrine of reward is too often lost sight of or kept in abeyance, as if it were not perfectly consistent with the freest bestowment of heavenly glory."

From "The Judgment Seat of Christ" by D.M Panton

Tested Against Body, Soul, and Spirit

While studying the book of Matthew, I came upon an interesting commentary by the late Ray Stedman.  He wrote about the three parts or levels of man — body, soul, and spirit — and that Jesus was tested against all three by Satan.

The Body — Matthew 4:1-4:

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus had not eaten for 40 days and nights and He must have been starving.  Stedman questions whether we would have had such fortitude? 

The Soul — Matthew 4:5-7:

⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”  ⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Here Satan tries to attack by appealing to Jesus’ ego and pride.  Jesus proved Himself true and steadfast.  I shudder when I think of the times when Satan has appealed to my ego and pride — and how easily I was deceived.

The Spirit — Matthew 4:8-11:

⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Here Stedman writes that the spirit is always looking for something to worship.  That the spirit of man craves to find someone or something to idolize and follow.  Perhaps this explains why so many believers today are being deceived by false prophets and man-driven church leaders.

Instead of hearing about kingdom truths, and “seeking first the kingdom,” church pews are overflowing with people who are hearing about having their best lives now.  And instead of learning about what it means to store up treasures in heaven, believers are hearing sermons about getting out of debt!

What is so heartbreaking is that they have no idea that their greatest debt will be the incredible loss that they will suffer when they come before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Quoteworthy: From A to Z

 

The current world in which we live is under the dominion of Satan and his angels, it was given to Satan (Luke 4:6) and he will keep it until Christ takes it (Rev. 11:17).

Eph 6:12

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV)

However, the world [Gk oikoumene - (empire, domain)] to come will be run by Jesus Christ and His co-heirs (those that overcome at the Judgment Seat, and being saved does not guarantee one will overcome [Rev. 2, 3]).

Heb 2:5

5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. (KJV)

The Scripture refers to Satan as ‘the god of this world’ :

2 Cor 4:4

4 In whom the god of this world [Gk. aion - age] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)

After Lucifer’s fall, God made man to replace him and his angels as the provincial ruler of this earth (Heb. 2:5-9).

Gen 1:26, 28

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (KJV)

 

Satan sought to disqualify man at Eden (and he succeeded), and ruined the restored earth and remained its incumbent ruler, though rebel capacity:

Gen 3:1-5

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (KJV)

Though Satan succeeded and caused man to die spiritually (be disqualified); God has made provision to restore man to that place where he can realize his purpose:

Eph 2:1-2

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (KJV)

When one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and becomes saved, it’s his spirit that is saved:

Eph 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (KJV)

It is at the point of ‘spirit salvation’ that the distinction is made of the tri-partite being that man is; spirit, soul, and body:

Heb 4:12

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (KJV)

The spirit is that part of man that connects him to God, now saved — which is on the basis of Christ’s finished work on Calvary:

Eph 2:9

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (KJV)

Titus 3:5

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (KJV)

The soul is that part of man associated with the natural. It is the seat of a person’s emotions, feelings, and desires pertaining to his man-conscious existence. The Christian still has an unregenerated soul living alongside his regenerated spirit:

1 Cor 1:18

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish [lit. them that are perishing] foolishness; but unto us which are saved [lit. us which are being saved] it is the power of God. (KJV)

The salvation of our souls, unlike that of our spirits; is realized at the end of our faith, the soul is currently “being saved” as seen in 1 Cor. 1:18.

1 Peter 1:3-5, 9

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (KJV)

The Christian at the Judgment Seat of Christ, will either ‘overcome’ or ‘be overcome’; as seen in the warnings given to all seven Churches of Revelation chapters two and three. The Church at Laodicea (the one depicting the current state in which the Church currently exists), is warned against ‘nakedness’:

Rev 3:18

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (KJV)

The clothing of the Christian (fine linen, clean and white), is [lit. ‘the righteous acts of the saints‘]:

Rev 19:7-8

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (KJV)

The Christian that does not overcome at the Judgment Seat, who is not clothed or whose raiment is not white; will ‘suffer loss’.

1 Cor 3:14-15

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss [Gk. zemioo - to injure or experience detriment]: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire [lit. ‘through fire’]. (KJV)

Our Lord, in praying for His own said:

John 17:14-15

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world: 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (KJV)

The word ‘world’ is a translation of the Gk. kosmou, — orderly arrangement, the world system; in which the Church currently has to coexist but should not be influenced by. The Church, however, to our shame, has taken on worldliness to the extent where it’s difficult to make distinctions between them at times — the orderly arrangement:

2 Cor 6:17-18

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (KJV)

God expects Christians to constantly seek to live holy lives or we will be castaway [disapproved] at the Judgment Seat:

1 Cor 9:27

27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (KJV)

Or we could be rejected:

2 Cor 5:8-9

8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (KJV)

Christ in addressing His disciples expressed the same warning:

Matt 16:26

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (KJV)

Mark 8:35-37

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (KJV)

Luke 9:23-25

 23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? (KJV)

Jesus was actually saying to His disciples, “you can loose your souls”. (The Gk word translated “soul” is the same one translated “life” psuche).

Remember it’s the salvation of the spirit that is realized when one believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, the soul is ‘being saved’ and determined at the end of our faith (1 Peter 1:9).

Acts 16:30-31

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (KJV)

The writer of the Hebrews says:

Heb 2:1-3

1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (KJV)

The “great salvation” is the salvation of the soul, which relates to “the world [lit. the age to come] to come” of verse five:

Heb 2:5

5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. (KJV)

The Christian that looses his or her soul at the Judgment Seat, will be denied the ‘rest’ that remains for the people of God, castaway, overcome, and will have negative impact on his inclusion in the kingdom for a thousand years:

Heb 4:1, 6, 9, 11

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (KJV)

Jesus taught kingdom exclusion in the parables of the “friend” in improper garment in Matthew 22:1-14; the “virgins” of Matthew 25:1-13; and corresponding parables. Like the Jews during the time of Jesus’ first coming who were over looking the suffering that Christ had to undergo prior to His reign; so the Church today is over looking the Millennial Kingdom (1000 year reign of Christ) which precedes the eternal ages or the Day of God:

Rev 20:6

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (KJV)

Christians are not taught that “the inheritance” that’s awaiting the people of God, is not the same as the “Heaven” of the Bible. Heaven is not an ‘inheritance’ (it is derived on the basis of one’s believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved), but only those in the ‘family’ can be eligible to receive inheritance. That is what Jesus was referring to when He told Nicodemus that he had to be born again before they can even discuss “the kingdom”:**

John 3:3

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (KJV)

It was in that same passage He said, “you have to walk holy to inherit the kingdom:

John 3:5

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Paul in his epistle to the Galatians Christians gave a list of things that would exclude them from ‘inheriting’ the kingdom:

Gal 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Unfortunately, Christians often do these things. Does that mean they won’t go to Heaven? It’s not in reference to Heaven, but to the inheritance — rest.

** The term “born again” is incorrectly used to describe one’s becoming saved. To be more accurate, when one becomes saved, he is “born from above” and not “born again.” It is the Jewish people that were ‘born before’ — born out of Egypt, by water and the Spirit — that had to come to a place of repentance (being born again) so they can be included in the inheritance that was first given to them, that they subsequently rejected (Matt. 21:43). 

The term “born again” is used only three times in Scripture (John 3:3, 7; 1 Pet. 1:23) and all three are in reference to Jews (who were already born out of Egypt by the water of the Red Sea).

A similar error is perpetuated in Christian circles by what has become known as “soul winning.” The way it’s taught is surely not the Scriptural teaching on the subject. Soul-winning has erroneously been equated with reaching the unsaved with the message of the gospel of grace; and few Christians, viewing soul-winning in this manner, seem to even give the matter a second thought.

Books have been written on soul-winning, Bible colleges and seminaries teach courses on soul-winning, and soul-winning conferences are held by those same institutions and by various Churches. But, among these groups, almost without exception, soul-winning is viewed from a non-Scriptural perspective.

Soul winning in Scripture has to do with the saving of the soul/life of those who are already saved, whether Israelites in the Old Testament or Christians in the New. When it comes to the saving or loosing of the soul/life in this respect, solely from a Scriptural standpoint, the unsaved are not in view.

What then is soul-winning? And why is there so much confusion on this subject today? The questions are interrelated, and Scripture is quite clear concerning the answers to both.

Soul-winning, having to do with those who are already saved, is seen connected with a kingdom in both Testaments. In the Old, this kingdom was an existing kingdom (the O.T. theocracy); and in the New, this kingdom is seen as the coming kingdom (the coming Kingdom of Christ).

Thus, it is no wonder that corruption and confusion have marked the proclamation of this message throughout Man’s Day. Satan, the present ruler in the kingdom — ruling from a heavenly sphere through the Gentile nations on earth (cf. Dan. 10:13-20; Luke 4:5, 6; Eph. 6:12) — knows that the ultimate outworking of that contained in the message surrounding the salvation of the soul will bring about the end to his rule.

Accordingly, Satan has done all within his power, over millenniums of time, to destroy this message and with tremendous success, to the point where most Christians know nothing about this truth. And exactly how well he succeeded can be seen on practically every hand in Christendom today (cf. Matt. 13:31-33; Luke 18:8; Rev. 3:14-21).

Written by Pastor Al Williams (reprinted with permission).

Salvation of the Spirit

Have you ever been haunted by a verse in Scripture?  What I mean by that is when you come across a verse that doesn’t seem to make any sense, and you repeatedly ask others to explain it, but their answers baffle you even more.  You pray, search, and hope that one day God will finally reveal the meaning to you.

For me, one of those verses was Philippians 2:12:

¹²Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

How could I work out my salvation?  Wasn't it a free gift?  As I studied Scripture, I came across another passage that challenged everything that I had been told about salvation.   

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,⁴To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: ⁷That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: ⁸Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: ⁹Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9) 

What was this salvation ready to be revealed in the last time?  And if I was already saved, how could salvation of my soul be the end result of my faith?

The reason that no one could explain these verses to my satisfaction was because they were associating them with salvation of the spirit, the free gift that we receive by God’s grace alone when we believe in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, which marks the beginning of our faith.

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Let me clear: when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior, we are assured of eternal life, something that we can never lose or have taken away from us.  

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16)

Spirit salvation, however, is just the beginning of an ongoing process and it holds the promise of so much more!  To fully grasp this, we need to first understand the nature of man in relation to the nature of God.  

Genesis 1:26 states: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. 

The Hebrew word for God that is used here is 'elohiym, and it is a plural noun.  Right from the beginning of Scripture we see that God is a trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

Scripture also says that man was made in God’s image and after His likeness.  1 Thessalonians 5:23 tells us that man’s nature is also three-fold: spirit, soul, and body:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Next time: Salvation of the soul.