THE SALVATION PUZZLE 2

I want to continue my study on the "salvation puzzle." These are more of the puzzle pieces that are required in order to be totally and completely saved. If you missed the first two piece and the introduction then please look for it on this blog site. God bless you in your continued study.

Thirdly, is the piece found in Ephesians 2:8. This verse must be understood again as only a piece of the puzzle and not the entire salvation puzzle. Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Grace no doubt saves us through a working faith (Ephesians 2:10). So many people want to only read this one verse and none other. In fact there is more in this very chapter that discusses how one gets to the point of grace. So you would do a great benefit to yourself to read the first seven verses of Ephesians 2.

Now back to the salvation puzzle. I find still another piece in James 1:21, "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." Do you see the saving piece? That piece is "the word saves." So up to this point I have four pieces that are required in order to complete this life altering puzzle. What I am trying to do here is share with you only the pieces to this puzzle. I hope that you will study further and understand the meaning of each piece and how to follow them.

Again, back to the search. Our next piece is called "doctrine saves." Now where in the Bible does it say that doctrine saves me? Lets turn to 1 Timothy 4:16. Paul instructing Timothy writes, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." You must continue in the doctrine that you were taught in order to be saved. This is not just any doctrine. This is not the Catholic doctrine, the Baptist doctrine or the Methodist doctrine. This is the doctrine we find in the word of God. I must submit to the doctrine of Christ in order to have salvation.

There are still more pieces to be found. And the one that we search out and find is called the "gospel saves" piece. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, Paul writes, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you - unless you believed in vain." Do you see? Paul said that the gospel saves us. But what is that gospel that saves? In the next two verses of 1 Corinthians 15 it is outlined for us, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." So the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now who can argue that point.

We are getting closer to the puzzle finding completion. I go in the puzzle box, the word of God, and pull out another piece. This one is called the "repentance saves" piece. Jesus said, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Jesus repeats this statement in Luke 13:5. I cannot expect to gain salvation unless I am willing to repent or make an absolute effort to turn from all the worldly stuff I did in the past. In other words, I need to literally die to the world. Death is a separation. When one dies physically he/she is separated from the spirit (James 2:26). I must also be willing to make right, when possible, that which I have done wrong. If I stole, then try to return what was taken. Now, if I have done something that cannot be righted then I must have the godly sorrow for what I have committed.

The next piece is called "confession saves." In Romans 10:9, Paul writes, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." This is the confession that Philip commanded the eunuch to utter in Acts 8:37, "Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."' This is such an amazing acknowledgement of the believer's understanding of the Christ and that He rose from the grave.

Now to the most difficult piece to place in the salvation puzzle. This is not to say that it is difficult for the honest believing heart, but for the majority of the religious world. This piece is called "baptism saves." So many will try to stop me here and say that there is no verse in the Bible that requires baptism. But they would be severely wrong. The most plain and straight forward verse is found in 1 Peter 3:21, "There is also an antitype which now saves us - baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Clearly Peter says that baptism saves us. He does not say that baptism alone saves but that baptism is a saving piece. Another verse would be where Jesus said, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." Again another verse that clearly teaches that baptism saves us. Galatians 3:27 tells us that the way "into" Christ or to "put on" Christ is through baptism.

So we come to the end of the box. But wait! As I look into the box I see a final piece of the puzzle. It is called the "faithful life saves" piece. Revelation 2:10, "...Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." This is a piece that some would like to forget about. Some would like to end salvation at the belief stage, or repentance stage, maybe the confession stage or even the baptism stage. But the Salvation Puzzle needs that one last piece to be complete.

The question is posed to you, "Do you have your Salvation Puzzle put together or are you missing pieces?" This is the true way to minister your message.