The following blog post contains notes and application questions from our September 16, 2018 message, The 7: Salvation. This message is part of our series, "The 7." See other messages in this series.
Summary
What is Salvation? Why do we have salvation? How do we get salvation? Can we lose salvation? How do we know salvation is truly ours? As we continue our series, “The 7,” Todd Wagner teaches us on the doctrine of salvation, answering those five questions and more.
Key Takeaways
Watermark’s Belief Statement – Salvation
We believe salvation is a sovereign gift of God and is received by man through personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin. We believe man is justified by grace through faith apart from works (Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:4-5 & 2:8-10). We believe that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation and that no one is saved apart from a conscious and personal decision to trust in Christ as his or her one and only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10). We believe all true believers elect of God, once saved, are kept secure in Christ forever (Romans 8:1, 29-30, 38-39; John 10:27-30).
What is Salvation?
- Justification: freedom from the penalty of sin
- Sanctification: freedom from the power of sin
- Glorification: freedom from the presence of sin
- One sign of maturity is the ability to reproduce. If you are reproducing, you will have a bunch of immature people. If you have a bunch of immature people they will act immaturely. One sign of a healthy church is immature people.
Why do we have salvation?
- It is God’s gift of grace…He sovereignly provides it.
- The Bible has no problem with the supposed tension between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.
- God doesn’t reject anyone who comes to Him, but no one will come to Him without God choosing them.
- We serve a gracious God, a God who pursues. A God who saves, rescues. A God who is reckless in His love. Salvation has always been a work of God that man responds to in faith.
How do we get salvation?
- By faith. We trust in the history of God.
- The Bible is not a moral rule book...it is a revelation of God’s dealing with men from the beginning and from the beginning man was saved by faith. We had faith that God was good and that it was evil to doubt that.
- It is possible to know you are saved.
- It is possible to think you are saved but you are not.
- If you think you are saved but you are not attentive to the Word of God it should concern you.
- We don’t work for our salvation, but those who are saved work out their salvation because they are saved.
- The gospel doesn’t change your flesh…it gives you the power to not live according to it.
Can we lose salvation?
- No!
- If you could lose your salvation, it would mean you have a lousy Shepherd.
- Is Jesus your Shepherd?
How do we know salvation is truly ours?
- You are not saved by what you do, but if you are saved what you do is different.
- We are saved by grace through faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.
- There is a world of difference between a said faith and a saving faith.
- Beware you don’t have a demonic faith instead of a dynamic faith.
- It is a good thing to possess an accurate theology, but it is unsatisfactory unless that good theology possesses you
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- Have you ever received the free gift of salvation through Christ? If so, are you confident—10 out of 10 confident—that you are saved? Spend time in the suggested Scriptures below, and memorize 1 John 5:11-13.
- As you are becoming more like Jesus through the process of sanctification, where are you most prone to still allow the power of sin to manifest itself in your life? Share this with your community group and ask them for accountability in crucifying your flesh and fighting that sin.
- Do you like when people share good news with you? A good restaurant or good sale? Go share the good news of the gospel—the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Christ—with someone in the next seven days.
Mentioned or Recommended Resources
- Suggested Scripture Study: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 6:23, 5:8; 2 Corinthians 8:9, 5:21; John 5:24; 1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Matthew 11:25-29; John 1:11-13; Acts 2:38-39; 1 John 5:11-13; John 10:27-29; Romans 8:38-39; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:4-5, 2:8-10; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 8:1,29-30,38-39; John 10:27-30
- What We Believe At Watermark