Chapter 1

SALVATION

Salvation is a miracle. All people are born as unsaved sinners from our common ancestor, the first Adam who sinned, and through him sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all people. Consequently all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. If anyone claims to be without sin, they are not saved; God's word is not in them (1). Unsaved sinners are separated from God. Unchanged in their sin, they are not people of God. As such, they will perish when they die in God's judgment and wrath (2). Being spiritually saved, means to be changed by a miracle of God into an everlasting child of God in Christ (3). The way this is accomplished is for the elect to be effectually drawn to the Father through the preaching of the good news (gospel) of Christ (4). Through the gift of faith, given by the Father to His elect, they will definitely choose the good news of salvation in Christ (5). The good news is that Christ died for many specific people that He knew beforehand would definitely choose Him. He bought actual people through the ransom of the cross in certain redemption, in the covering of actual people in definite atonement, and through the absorption of God's wrath in their stead, in actual propitiation (6). Christ rose from the dead three days later as the life giving Savior, and living fulfillment of the payment, atonement, and propitiation for the sins of the people He saves (7). All who turn (repent) to Christ, by turning (repenting) from the unsaved existence, demonstrated in turning (repenting) from the curse of the deception of sin, by grace through faith are saved (8). In the miracle of salvation, all that God saves are called saints, which means they are the ones God set apart (sanctified, made holy) in his miracle of salvation (9). In the miracle of salvation, God, in His setting apart work, transfers the elect out of the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of His beloved Son (10). In the miracle of salvation, Christ is both Lord, and Savior. As Lord, He is the ruler who saves. As Savior, He is the Savior who rules (11). In the miracle of salvation, all that God saves are the body of Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. The body of Christ is the church of the New Covenant (The called out and gathered ones in Christ). Christ is in saved people. Saved people are in Christ (12). Saved people find their identification with the first born heir, which is Christ, the last Adam, and so are joint heirs with their Savior and King sitting at the right hand of the Father positionally in Him, where He sits actually as Himself (13). In the miracle of salvation, saved people are God's holy temple of the Holy Spirit (14). In the miracle of salvation, the miracle of everlasting life, is everlasting--starting with the miracle and continuing in the miracle forever. In the miracle of salvation, eternal spiritual salvation can not be lost, walked away from, or taken away. The miracle of salvation is not reversible (15).

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FOOTNOTES:
1) Romans 5:12, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10
2) Matthew 7:21-23, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Hebrews 9:27
3) 2 Corinthians 5:14-19, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:5-6
4) Romans 10:8b-17, 1 Corinthians 1:21
5) 1 Corinthians 2:14, Acts 16:14, Acts 18:27, Philippians 1:29, 2 Peter 1:1, Romans 12:3, Hebrews 12:2, John 6:29, all John 6
6) Specific people Ephesians 1-2, John 6, Romans 8-9, Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18, many Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, all of the many 1 Timothy 2:6; purchase Hebrews 9:15, Acts 20:28, Revelation 5:9, Galatians 3:13, Galatians 4:5, Titus 2:13-14, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Corinthians 7:23, atonement Romans 4:7, propitiation Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2. 1 John 4:10
7) Romans 4:25, Romans 7:4, Romans 8:34, 1 Corinthians 15:3-21
8) Acts 9:35, Acts 11:18-21, Acts 14:15, Acts 15:19, Acts 17:30, Act 20:21, Acts 26:18-20, 2 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Hebrews 6:1
9) Acts 9:13, Acts 26:10, sanctified, GK. hagios Acts 26:18, Romans 1:7 Romans 8:27, Romans 16:2, 16:15, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:1-3, 14:33, Ephesians 1:18, 2:19, 3:18, 4:12, 5:3, Hebrews 10:10, 14, Colossians 1:12, holy GK. hagios brothers Hebrews 6:1, sanctified GK. hagios brothers Colossians 1:2
10) Colossians 1:13
11) Romans 10:9-10, Philippians 3:20, Titus 1:4, 2 Peter 1:11, 2:20, 3:2, 3:18
12) 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 3:6, 4:12, Colossians 1:24, 3:15, Romans 6:11, Romans 8:1-2, Romans 12:5, 16:3. 16:5, 16:7,16:9, 16:10, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1:30, 15:22, 2 Corinthians 1:21, 5:17, Galatians 1:22, 2:4, 3:28, 5:6, 6:15, Ephesians 2:6-7, 2:10, 2:13, 3:6, Philippians 1:1, Christ in the Christian Colossians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 4:10, Galatians 2:20
13) Galatians 4:1-7, Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:10-14, 1:18, 5:5, Colossians 1:12
14) 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:14-16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 1:19-22
15) These statements are proven out in the rest of this book.