Jesus Christ used parables to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven was like. This article represents a modern-day parable of the education system. As such systems of education are found in many countries, they are used to illustrate the Biblical truth about Salvation and how God expects His people to progress and mature from beginning (Initial Salvation) to the end (Final Salvation).
The scripture verse that underscores the message in this post is this:
“It is written in the prophets, And THEY[ALL truly 'born-again' Christians] shall be ALL TAUGHT[PERSONALLY] of God [the Father]. Every[truly 'born-again'] man[or woman] therefore that hath HEARD, and hath LEARNED of [God] THE FATHER, COMETH UNTO ME [Jesus—at the Rapture].” (John 6:45)
Every Christian commences their faith-journey when he or she first accepts Christ as their personal Savior. This symbolizes in the parable a young child commencing their education years in kindergarten.
Throughout the last two centuries of Christianity, the ‘gospel’ being preached centers upon Salvation through faith alone (Eph 2:9). However, this Faith Alone ‘gospel’ fails to address the need for any accompanying “works” mentioned in Eph 2:10 that the Apostle Paul said we were “…created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them“.
Similarly, the spiritual “fruit” (John 15:2) that God the Father regularly inspects from Christians represented as the “branches” grafted into Jesus “the Vine” (John 15:5) can only be produced from “works” (James 2:26) that fulfill God the Father’s will (Matt 12:50) . This is why God requires Christians to accept and implement Initial and Final Salvation, because ONLY Final Salvation accommodates both “faith” + “works” and the spiritual maturity that accompanies it.
Scripture verses that prove Final Salvation
Below are the key verses which prove that God requires His people to “ENDURE TO THE END to be Saved“:
“Receiving THE END OF YOUR FAITH, even THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.”
The five things ALL Christians MUST DO TO THE END of their faith journey to be Saved are these:
1. ENDURE TO THE END to be saved (Matt 10:22; Matt 24:13; Mark 13:13).
2. HOLD FAST THE HOPE of eternal life TO THE END (Heb 3:6).
3. HOLD THE BEGINNING OF OUR CONFIDENCE [obtained at Initial Salvation] steadfast TO THE END(or, Final Salvation – Heb 3:14).
4. SHOW THE SAME DILIGENCE to the full assurance of hope TO THE END (Heb 6:11).
5. OVERCOME AND KEEP CHRIST’S WORKS TO THE END (Rev 2:26).
With the above warnings established, I encourage you to to explore what Initial and Final Salvation represents, so that from this, you can “…work out your own Salvation in fear and trembling [to determine if your Salvation is secure or not].” (Phil 2:12)
Final Salvation
Final Salvation also relates to running the “race that God has set before us” (1 Cor 9:24 and Heb 12:1-2) that attracts a “prize” if completed. Failure to “run the race” means the Christian will not achieve Final Salvation.
To obtain an overview of the above chart, it is suggested you watch this video presentation prior to reading the information that follows.
Many preachers claim that if an unsaved person accepts Christ as their Savior, they have experienced the New Birth, or “born again”. However, can such a claim be justified in scripture?
I question this because of my own ‘New Birth’ experience (John 3:8). What happened was that God placed a “new heart” within me (Ezek 36:26). This experience allowed me to “see” the state of God’s kingdom inside the churches, which to me was horrific.
The highlighted section of the image below represents the various ‘organs’ of our bodies that we will be looking at in this series—in particular the HEART and how it impacts the MIND.
The Bible contains many strange statements that are not easily understood – especially warning of “walking in the spirit” and to not “walk in the flesh“.
Much research and questioning is often required to discover what these topics truly mean and the doctrines below closely associate with “walking in the Spirit“.
Holiness (Heb 12:14-16)
Sanctification (1 Thes 4:4)
Righteousness (Matt 5:20)
Truth (John 18:38)
Predestination (Rom 8:29)
Therefore, this article will endeavor to explain what “Walking in the Spirit” vs “Walking in the Flesh” means from the Bible’s perspective.
