THEME: Understanding Salvation: Inheriting Incorruptible Nature
LESSON: Four
TOPIC: The Usefulness of Salvation (Using The New Man To Live) – Part 1
TEXT: Titus 2:11; Hebrews 5:13; Colossians 3:8-15; Ephesians 4:1-3; Ephesians 2:10
MEMORY TRACK:
In our last lesson, it was emphasized that God’s greatness is not primarily about God’s vastness nor His immense power to do the unthinkable; rather, God’s GREATNESS IN SCRIPTURES IS MEASURED IN HIS SALVATION ESSENCE AND NATURE, which also is His Image – that He desires to give man. We saw that God wants to give us His created image (Genesis 1:27; Colossians 1:27 – Small Salvation) and His made image (Genesis 1:26; Hebrews 2:3 – Great Salvation). We also learnt that by salvation we inherit God, we are saved from becoming carnal, we are sealed from the wrath to come, and we choose our lot – our eternal dwelling places and estates.
Is Salvation Really Useful? 1 Corinthians 15:32
One may ask, are the mysteries and revelation of Christ (small salvation) and the Father (Great Salvation) useful, usable, workable, livable? Or are they just things we are meant to know with our minds alone? Ephesians 4:20-24. This question begs answers, especially when asked from the sincerity of one’s heart. In the next couple of lessons in this series of Understanding Salvation: Inheriting God, we will be considering how to use both the Christ salvation and God’s salvation for to come into being saved in our souls, Hallelujah!
To understand the usefulness of Salvation, we must first appreciate the impact of death (small and great – Revelation 20:12) in man and man’s world. As believers, we should also ask: what damage did sin do to us? What consequences did it leave in our beings, particularly our souls? And how can we use the doctrine/message of the gospel to be free? Knowing these would chart pathways towards understanding and appreciating the usefulness of salvation.
Some Impacts of Death in Man (Romans 5:12)
Satan, and later his cohorts, as a result of man’s disobedience (eating the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), did the following to begin with:
- Killed man’s spirit (Genesis 2:16-17);
- Began the process of killing and destroying man’s soul by growing the old man in man’s soul (Romans 5:12-13; Genesis 2:15-17); and
- Trained man’s body to begin to know to COMMIT SIN OR DO WORKS OF THE FLESH (Galatians 5:17).
In summary, Satan and his cohorts succeeded in putting the old man/man of sin (man that produces sin), both in what one lives for and character/lifestyle. So, the problem of man is first THE OLD MAN OR FLESH.
Effectiveness of Salvation in Removing the Old Man
The question then is: how do we use salvation that is in Christ Jesus to remove the old man?
Below are some very important points to note for anyone who wants to align with the scriptures to be free from the nature and character of the old man through the proper use of the principles of the doctrine of Christ:
- Let this mind be in you, that WE ARE CALLED TO COME AND DO WORKS, even after the new birth (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14). So many teachings, though intended to do good in the lives of God’s people, end up setting up wrong molds in the minds of many believers by telling saints that we are not really required to do any work, which in turn makes us irresponsible and not so receptive to “the call to do works” as is required by the Lord Jesus (Philippians 2:12).
- Being sincere and humble enough in admitting and acknowledging that we have a sin problem in our souls, in our lives (Matthew 9:12-13; 1st Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 12:10).
- Salvation is purely a work of Grace, initiated and championed by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14; Romans 8:1-2; Ephesians 4:20-21; Hebrews 12:5-11; Matthew 4:1). Using salvation principles or the life of Christ for the saving of our soul is not intended to originate from us. TRUTH BE TOLD, WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES! The same Holy Ghost who executed the saving of our spirits instantaneously (Ephesians 2:4-9) is the same person heaven has ordained to initiate and lead us into knowing how to use Christ for the salvation of our souls. This is being said so we do not fall into human works (out of a good heart and intention) (1 Samuel 15:22), which, being graceless, will work no salvation (Titus 2:11-13; James 1:20)
Conclusion
The above is being noted and taught upon the premise that we already have some grasp of the gospel or precepts of the message of Christ (Isaiah 28:10, 13-14). The precepts of Christ are materials that must have been received in the soul of the believer first, after which they can then be used to remove the old man in our souls.