Human Effort In Salvation?

[Aquila]

I believe in Predestination according to foreknowledge. Whom God foreknew... He predestined. This means, God has known who would and would not ultimately believe and obey the Gospel. It is those who have been predestined (or pre-ordained) to be saved.

Now, that doesn't mean that God essentially knew who would "save themselves" by choosing to believe and obey the Gospel. You see, I also believe in Prevenient Grace. Prevenient grace is the work of God's own Spirit in the life of the sinner. I believe there are two distinct works of grace in Prevenient Grace. First, God's Spirit may begin drawing their attention to spiritual things. God may begin to bring conviction over sin and sinful habits. God may begin to bring thoughts and questions about Jesus to surface of their minds. This is an "inner grace" that operates before salvation. Second, God arranges a moment in time to hear the preached Word. This Word can be composed of Scripture, teaching, prophesying, or a Word of Knowledge, or all of these things. This is a "outter grace". When the "inner grace" is activated by the "outter grace" true conviction for sin and a desire to be saved is activated. One CANNOT come to God without both the inner and outer workings of grace. Now the convicted sinner has had all spiritual and mental barriers removed... and he or she may freely accept and believe the Gospel.

I do believe that this Prevenient Grace can be resisted. Prevenient Grace is indeed... an undeserved grace.

When one comes to believe the Bible I believe they must experience what I call "conversion". Conversion is believing in the Gospel (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) and then applying that Gospel. That Gospel is applied through repenting of sin, being water baptized (born of water), and filled with the Holy Ghost (being born of Spirit).

Conversion brings several other doctrinal experiences into play. By believing in the Gospel (having faith in the cross and resurrection of Christ) one experiences Justification. Justification is an imputed spiritual state wherein the convert is reckoned to be perfectly sinless before God on Christ’s account. This allows the convert to approach the throne of grace to confess and repent of sin. When one confesses and repents of sin, they not only turn from sin but they also turn towards God. The first step of obedience is water baptism. So, initial repentance and water baptism are inseparably linked. This is the first step along the road to Sanctification. Sanctification is obedience leading to Christlikeness. Next the convert receives the Holy Ghost. Upon receiving the Holy Ghost the converts spirit becomes one spirit with the Lord’s Spirit. This brings spiritual Regeneration. Having experienced Justification, Sanctification, and Regeneration the new saint of God can claim Adoption. NOW they are a child of God.

Sanctification continues throughout the Christians life as they grow in knowledge and grace. As they grow in knowledge and grace they will become more and more Christlike. When the saint of God sins they must remember something important. A believer is not a sinner who is made a saint by occasional grace. A believer is a saint who is beset by occasional sin. This means that sin cannot remain a lifestyle of the saint of God. A saint of God will have no peace until they confess and repent of their sins. If one disregards God and continues in sin they are in “rebellion”. God will begin by increasing conviction. If this is resisted the backslidden believer might sin to the point of their conscience being seared. Now conviction will not work. At this point God may send chastening judgments. If unheeded… God will turn the believer over to a reprobate mind and said believer become apostate will be lost. And here’s the terrifying element… once one becomes a reprobate apostate… they cannot be saved again.

Just as sanctification is a process… so too is losing one’s salvation. A person has to literally set themselves against God to lose their salvation. If they heed conviction or even God’s chastening judgments… they will be saved. Remember, even under chastening, the backslidden believer is a child of God. Because God only chastens His children.

As stated before, sanctification is the life long journey into Christlikeness. A person may not attain absolute perfection in this life. What I mean is that a saint may not be entirely “sinless”. However, the saint of God will increasingly “sin less” as they learn to approach the throne of grace for both forgiveness and spiritual strength. Like any son or daughter, as they grow in sanctification they will increasingly reflect the likeness of their father, Christ.

In the end, the saint of God will experience what is known as Glorification. Glorification will take place when the Lord Jesus returns. Those who have died will be raised from the dead in a Glorified state. Those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will be changed, in the twinkling of an eye into their Glorified state. In this glorified state the saint of God will experience the fullness of sinless Christlikeness.