No!   You Are Not Saved Yet!

Are you saved?   Or, are you being saved?   You can't have it both ways.   The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:18 and in 2 Corinthians 2:15, that they were " being saved ".   He told the Church at Ephesus in Ephesians 2:5,8 that they " have been saved ".   But, one highly respected Bible translator, the author of the only popular interlinear translation of the Greek received text, the text behind the King James family of Bibles, translated those sections in Ephesians 2 as " being saved ", not " have been saved."   So, which is it?   Are you being saved, or have you been saved?

Careless Bible teachers frequently ignore the statements to the Corinthians that they were " being saved ", and concentrated on Ephesians 2.   This is the kind of teaching that is typical of " babes in Christ ".

The writer to the Hebrews, whom I firmly believe was the Apostle Paul, wrote in Hebrews 6, " Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. "

In his list of things that had been discussed, we see repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.   Most Bible teachers never get beyond these things, and neglect the commandments of Jesus.

What do you, a mature teacher, do when confronted with a potential conflict between scripture verses?   You go back and search the scriptures, again.   It won't be long, before you find the answer to these questions.

In ( 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 ) we find the Apostle dealing with a situation in the Corinthian church, where one of their members was having an immoral relationship with his step mother.   This was his directive as to how the Corinthians should deal with this matter:   " In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. "   When does he say that his spirit may be saved?   IN THE DAY OF THE LORD JESUS ( judgment ).

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome ( Romans 13:11 ) " And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is NEARER THAN WHEN WE FIRST BELIEVED. "   Here is another clear indication that salvation is not finalized until judgment.

Many websites have what they call God's plan for salvation.   Unfortunately what they tell you is some act that you must perform to become saved.   God's plan of salvation is found in John 3:1-8.   God's plan is that a man be born again, or more correctly, born from above.

Don't forget that the book of John was originally written in Greek, not English.   The Greek word, often incorrectly translated as " again ", is ανωθεν , which means from above.   The context proves, that in this case, it means BORN FROM ABOVE, not simply born again physically, as Nicodemus thought.

You don't have to search very far to find people, who claim to be saved, and some will even tell you a date, when they think they were saved.   That is not what Jesus taught.   He preached the kingdom of God, and taught that people needed to be born from above, in other words, God is the author of salvation, not the preacher or priest, or evangelist.   Most of these people show by their works, that they are not Christians.   They haven't even experienced the new birth yet.   YOU WILL NEVER FIND ANYWHERE IN SCRIPTURE, WHERE IT IS RECORDED THAT SOMEONE SAID, " I WAS SAVED. "   Yet professing Christians commonly say this, today!

" Saved " can have four different meanings.   It can mean saved from the effects of a natural calamity as in Acts 16:30.   It can mean protected or defended, as in Luke 1:71.   It can mean healed, as it does in Luke 7:50.   And, saved can mean saved in the eternal sense,- saved from hell and judgment, as it does in John 3:16 and a number of other places in scripture, where it virtually always indicates SAVED IN THE FUTURE,- AT THE JUDGMENT.   Words like will, and shall, indicate that these verses are talking about being saved in the future , when one really needs to be saved, not in the present, when there is no real imminent danger, or threat.

Sometimes, a member of the clergy will tell a person that they are saved.   You will not find this kind of talk in scripture.   You are not saved, or born again, by works, but if you have been born from above by the Spirit of God, as Jesus taught that we must, your works and your lifestyle will show it.

The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, " ...by grace, you have been saved ( or perhaps are being saved ) through faith, and that, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, LEST ANYONE SHOULD BOAST. "

If you think that you are saved, and all set, consider these two verses:

" And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is NEARER THAN WHEN WE FIRST BELIEVED. "
Romans 13:11

If your salvation is nearer now, than when you first believed, it should be obvious that your salvation is not finished at the moment you first believe, as many teach.   Christ's work is finished, but yours isn't!   It is this belief that a person is already saved, and can't lose it, that causes people to ignore God, and live a life of pleasure and selfishness, rather than a life of serving God.   Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to his young disciple:

2 Timothy 4:7
" I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. "   When was his fight finished?   When he knew that he was about to be martyred.

To those who say that salvation is simple or easy,- " just say a prayer, or just believe ", Jesus says ( Matthew 7:13-15 ) " Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.   Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.   Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep�s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. "

There are 28 verses in the New Testament where it says " shall be saved ", or " will be saved ", IN THE FUTURE TENSE!   You should not think of your self as having been saved.   You can, and should, repent, believe, and seek to be born-again ( born from above ) now.   You can't be saved until you are in jeopardy of something.   That something is death, or judgment at the Rapture, or the Judgment seat of Christ.   You are not completely saved until death or judgment.   THE NEW BIRTH IS THE BEGINNING.   SALVATION IS THE DESIRED ENDING.

This explains why so many so called Christians are not living the way Christians should live.   Not only are they not saved,- they haven't even been born again!   We are talking about New Covenant salvation here.   This was not possible until the one called Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins on the cross.   He is called in scripture the " mediator of the New Covenant ".   He was in the form of God, but He humbled himself, and took on human flesh.

Refer to Philippians 2:5-11:

" Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.   And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.   Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. "

Salvation is a process.   It is NOT A PROCESS BY WHICH WE DO WORKS TO GET SAVED.   It is a PROCESS, BY WHICH GOD WORKS IN US, first by giving us the new birth, or born-again experience, and then by guiding us, and helping us along the difficult pathway.   We need His help and His guidance on a daily basis.   We do not obey Him to " get saved ".   The new heart and new spirit, which God puts within us, make us delight in serving Him.

Let's look again at what the Bible says:

" For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us, WHO ARE BEING SAVED, it is the power of God. "
1 Corinthians 1:18

" For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those, WHO ARE BEING SAVED, and among those, who are perishing. "
2 Corinthians 2:15

Many teachers quote verses such as:

" ... whoever calls on the name of the LORD SHALL BE SAVED, "
( Future tense, not present! )
Acts 2:21

And:

" Sirs, what must I do to be saved? "   So they said, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you WILL BE SAVED, you and your household. "
( Future tense, not present! )
Acts 16:30-31

There are some 28 scripture references like this in which the tense is not past or present.   It is future!   Many teachers ignore this and teach a present day salvation experience, rather than a present day born again experience.

The Bible says," By their fruits, you shall know them. "   Many, who boast that they are saved, show by their conduct, that they surely are not either saved or born again.   Many sincere christians mistakenly and tragically, call their friends, children, or other family members " saved " on the basis of a sinner's prayer, or other act, when their lifestyles are living proof, that they have not yet been born-again ( born from above ).

There is a test in First Corinthians 6.   This was written to Christians!

" Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?   Do not be deceived.   Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.   And such were some of you.   But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. "
1 Corinthians 5:9-11

Are those, kinds of conduct, things that you used to do, or things that you are still doing?   If those are things that you are still doing,- I don't care who told you that you were saved.   You are lost and headed for hell.

There is another test in the book of Galatians.   Hear what Paul says:

" I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.   For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.   But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.   Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:   adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH THINGS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. "
Galatians 5:16-21

No, you are not saved, or born-again, by works.   But if you are truly born-again, your desires and your actions, will show yourself and others, that you are truly different, than you were before.   If you have been truly born-again, you have become a new creation.

There are many professing christians, who are living sinful lifestyles just like the unbelievers.   I know individuals, who tell people that they were " saved " on such and such a date, yet they show daily, by their lifestyles, that they are just as lost as ever, and headed for hell.

Scripture says that God looks at the heart of a person.   We are told,
" There is none righteous, no not one."   And," All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."   How foolish it is for police officers, and prosecutors, and judges, and others in authority, to be thinking in terms of good people and bad people!   All people are bad, until God changes their hearts!   For a person to be truly born-again, God has to change the heart, and give the person a new human spirit.

There is no magic formula for this, but I believe that the person, who shows God that he/she really wants a new heart, will receive it.   That is how the new covenant is described in the old. ( Jeremiah 31:31-33 & Ezekiel 11:17-20 )

When people are living together as man and wife, without being married, that is called fornication.   God calls that a sin!   Only sex between married people, a man and his wife, is permitted by God.   Any other sex is sin, and if not repented of, will send a person to hell!   The Bible says so!

So, how can you receive that new heart and human spirit that God wants to give you?   How do you become a new creation?   It is not by going through some ceremony.

Get by yourself alone, somewhere that only God can hear you.   Tell Him that you want to surrender control of your old life, and all of your sin.   Ask Him to give you a heart to do things His way, and to serve Him.   Ask Him to give you the new life that He wants to give you.   Ask Him to make you the kind of person that He wants you to be.

If you haven't done this, or still don't know how, we would like to help you become truly born-again, and demonstrate it by your lifestyle, so that you will be more confident about your future.   Click the Contact Us link below, and tell us about your situation.

Our Sunday AM services are being held at the Mexico Beach Civic Center.   In accordance with federal laws, we have permission to use this heated, and air conditioned, facility on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM central time.   We begin with a short time of greeting and fellowship and then TJ leads us in worship.   After the service we have holy communion, a time when people can request prayer, especially for healing, and sometimes, a pot luck luncheon.

The Mexico Beach Civic Center is located at 105 N. 31st Street.   It is the white building with the dark green roof, which is just behind that new Mexico Beach restaurant, Mango Marley's.   It is behind Parker Realty, and is on the northeast side of Rte 98.   It is about 7/10 mile south of the Mexico Beach Welcome Center.   For a map showing the location of the Mexico Beach Civic Center, click below the photo:

Mexico Beach Civic Center

Map of Civic Center Area

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Check out this page:     Jesus Is Coming Soon!