Greg Laurie, Chuck Smith Jr., Brian Broderson and others are APOSTATES. Fallen Away II Thess. 2:1-3 What is salvation? Well, before one can be saved, it would be important to know why you are in need of salvation in the first place. Many Christians tell someone to just “accept” Jesus Christ and repeat a phrase and move their lips to become saved to have eternal life. But it is a bit more than that to understand [1]. God in heaven, who is declared the God of gods, told Moses His name is I AM WHO IS [2]. This God, who’s name is rendered Yahweh (YHWH), is the Creator of all things. His ways are righteous and He is holy, set apart from His creation [3]. And He created us to have fellowship with Him and to share in His inheritance [4]. However, we are separated from Him by our sin [5]. The unrighteous deeds we do before Him separate us from His holiness [6]. We inherited that sinful nature from the first man Adam [7]. Therefore we need to be made right again. And the God of this world, Satan, has blinded our eyes and discourages us from God’s holiness to become right [8]. We have been born into corruptness. And our corrupt nature cannot enter heaven, and cannot simply be justified on our own by a holy just God [9]. It results in a penalty and requires a payment. The proper payment is death [10]. But Yahweh God has grace for His creation. He showed man the malady of sin through illustration of what was necessary to atone for it. Blood shed was required [11]. So in His plan He prepared men’s hearts by showing a temporary atonement through the law. But being only temporary, it required a permanent atonement that was equivalent to the penalty. Those rituals would be used to foreshadow His completed covenant, which would need to be a holy sacrifice [12]. It would be a coming Messiah that was God Himself in the form of flesh [13]. That covenant was to bring the law to be a tutor to Christ, His anointed. That One would come as the Messiah and be the atonement by His very name. God the Father begot His Son Jesus Christ to be the atonement for man by becoming man. The name of Him is Jesus, which in Hebrew is Yahshua (Yeshua in some renderings), which in Hebrew means “I AM who SAVES.” God so loved the world (us in the world) that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him and puts their whole trust in Him would not perish, but would have everlasting life [14]. While we were unjust in our human nature, God sent a provision in which He would pay the price and redeem (deliver) us from the power of that sin. He sent His son Jesus, who would be led to the slaughter to become the final satisfying sacrifice for sin. He faced the cross, a penalty for the unrighteous, though no unrighteousness was found in Him [15]. He was buried in a tomb, then was resurrected from the grave [16]. That proved He fulfilled the atonement for sin. Anyone trusting in Him who believes in His resurrection will be saved [17]. They will escape the death that perishes the soul for wickedness against God. But we cannot accept that provision in our sinful flesh. The Kingdom of God is in spirit. Therefore, we must be born from above to see the kingdom of God [18]. Otherwise we are blind to it and cannot even perceive it. The scriptures are clear that it is not good works that saves us. Since our best still falls short, God set up the provision of His Son as the means of believing unto salvation. Grace is given through faith, but not achieved by ourselves or by works. It is a gift of God for us to receive [19]. So God sent His Spirit to indwell in anyone who put their trust in His Son Jesus [20]. Salvation requires repentance – realizing one is a sinner against a holy God and is willing to repent, to change direction from sin. One can receive by grace what we do not deserve. Jesus allows us that access to the throne of God to be declared holy and have a relationship with God [21]. However, one must repent of sins and sinfulness to be willing to come to Him. One must believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. One must accept His sacrifice for our justification, confessing Him with their lips while believing in their heart that God raised Him from the grave. By His resurrection, it gave way for our resurrection unto new life [22]. A person becomes born from above (born again) by His spirit being renewed. He is a new creature and old things have passed away, and all things have become new [23]. Have you made that decision? Do you need assistance in what all this means? Contact me with any questions. And I hope to help you in your journey. In Christ Jesus the Messiah. notes: [1] Matthew 7;21; 15:8 [2] Exodus 3:14 [3] Psalm 99; Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1;16 [4] 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:5-10; Romans 8:17; Colossians 1:12 [5] Isaiah 59:2; [6] Romans 3; 1 John 5:17 [7] Genesis 3; 1 Corinthians 15:35 [8] 2 Corinthians 4:4 [9] 1 Corinthians 15 [10] Romans 6:23 [11] Hebrews 9;22 [12] Jeremiah 31:31-34 [13] Isaiah 7:14 [14] John 3:16 [15] Isaiah 53:3-12 [16] 1 Corinthians 15 [17] Romans 10:8-10 [18] John 3:3 [19] Ephesians 2:8,9 [20] 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:22 [21] Hebrews 4:16 [22] Romans 10:8,9 [23] Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17