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NASB | Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace--His undeserved favor and mercy--you have been saved from God's judgment). [Rom 6:1-10] |
Bible Question:
Thanks, gentlemen. I love illustrations. Jesus used them all the time (parables). Of course, our illustrations never completely portray spiritual truth but they can be very helpful. But if salvation is a 3-part process, how can we preach and teach that people can be saved before they die? To use the plank illustration, what if, on the way to shore, the person being saved decides to bail out? Was he truly saved? Or what if, while in the vehicle of the church, he sins? The church is notorious for shooting their wounded and I have seen many leave the church as a result. Are these people still saved? If the culmination of our salvation is not experienced until we are 'home', then how can we assure anyone that they will make it? Wouldn't we do better to tell people that there is no way to be absolutely sure that they are saved until the process is complete? If this interpretation is correct, how can any of us be sure? Many people are probably saved from the plank. And many more are in church. But the only way to know if you are in the arms of God is to experience it and, by that time, it's too late. You may have been in the wrong church and this 'vehicle' has delivered you to the wrong shore! What do you think? |
Bible Answer: Dear Bill, Your questions are valid, especially to those who have little faith that God is bigger than *our* understanding of salvation. The only way I could attempt to explain that would be to say that what God starts, He will finish. As I said, from His lofty vantage, salvation is a single event. This illustration was simply to expound on the path to Christ, not to take it apart. On the other hand, the explanation that salvation is a 'done deal' the moment we publicly 'accept Christ' is just a open to skepticism. I guess the answer is to discern the attitude of the hearer, and explain as the Spirit of God leads. Frankly, I like my version better. It gives God complete sovereignty, while explaining the things we perceive as creatures bound by location and time. I am certain that there is no power that can come between the receipt of the Gospel and 'Home,' and that the Holy Spirit can handle any storms that assail us on the way. (we will NEVER be delivered to the 'wrong shore!') Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus, charis |