Part 3 of 22 –

 Aspects 2 & 3 of God’s Salvation for Man

As we've seen, the first immediate aspect of God’s salvation from judgment and wrath flows from Christ's cross to every believer the very moment they first believe (Acts 16:31). They are then never to be lost.

But then there’s also a second aspect of Christian salvation, which is ongoing; to be followed by a third and final aspect of the believer’s salvation, which is… yet to come. These three (3) aspects of salvation may be seen as, 1) believers are immediately saved from judgment, 2) they then also are being saved (completed) in the renewal of their fallen soul’s mind, emotion, and will, and 3) they are yet to be saved in the receiving of their immortal spirit-body at His appearing – the rapture of “the church, which is His body.”

2.) Here below the Apostle Paul describes the second, ongoing, second aspect of the believer’s salvation as something that is “much more” (Rom 5:10b below) than “being reconciled to God” through “the death of His Son.” 

Romans 5:9-10 MUCH MORE then, BEING NOW justified by his blood, WE SHALL BE SAVED from (God’s day of) wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, MUCH MORE, BEING RECONCILED, WE SHALL BE SAVED (SOZO, MADE WHOLE, COMPLETE) BY HIS LIFE.

This “much more” is applicable and available to all believers because they also have at once, upon believing, been reconciled to God and become partakers of “…HIS (resurrected) LIFE (Rom 5:10b above).

“His life” is the “Spirit of life in Christ” (Rom 8:2a), which is the very “seed” (Gk. sperma) of God the Father. Similar to the life-provoking capability of a human father’s sperm, God’s Seed (Greek, sperma), “is Christ” who is “the Word” (Gal 3:16, 1Peter 1:23). The Christ-seed bears God the Father’s one life to Christ’s “many brethren” (Rom 8:29). The “Spirit of Christ” brings the very life and nature of the God-head into every rebirthed child of God…making them, organically, God’s literal children, born of God’s Spirit-loins. This “seeded life” of God by the Christ-seed indwelling the believer is the believer’s new and eternal life (John 3:16, 1John 5:11-12). Only Christ’s “life” (Zoe spirit life, John 1:3) is able to overcome sin and its resultant “sting of death” (1Cor 15:56a).

Christ is “… the LIFE” (John 14:6) and His Spirit is able to renew a believer’s soul (mind, emotion, will) with Christ’s proper mindset, emotion, and will. Christ’s LIFE renews the fallen, self-loving, soul of the believer “day by day” over their lifetime. 2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. This renewal is Gods work within the believer. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he (God) which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (the day of His appearing): Only Christ’s Spirit of LIFE is able to renew and sanctify our whole being, our “spirit, soul and body” (1Thes 5:23).

Romans 8:2 (AMP) For the law (operation) of the SPIRIT OF LIFE [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law (operation) of sin and of death.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (AMP) And may THE GOD OF PEACE HIMSELF SANCTIFY YOU THROUGH AND THROUGH [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may YOUR SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY be preserved sound and COMPLETE [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Both the first aspect of salvation, from judgment and “wrath,” and second, ongoing, aspect of soul-life renewal may be seen in Romans 5:9-10 (above). Most genuine Christians should know the truth of what we read in Romans 5:9; that it is by “the death of His Son” that they as believers are “reconciled” to God and saved from God’s wrath. Our salvation from perdition is solely dependent upon what God has done for us in sending His dear Son to be the innocent substitute sacrifice to pay the debt due for our sins. Christ died for our sins” (I Cor. 15:3). “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24). “(He) was made... lower than the angels... (so) that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:9). “As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many...” (Heb. 9:27, 28). Christ’s payment for “the sin of the world” accomplished at the cross, is credited to the believer’s account – now the believer’s account is “paid in full.” Acts 16:31 (AMP) And they (Paul and Barnabas) answered, Believe in (trust in) the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved

We need to understand and note what Paul is saying in Romans 5:10 (above). Here Paul goes on from verse 9 to explain something “MUCH MORE” than our reconciliation with God and salvation from God’s wrath through the death of His Son. Paul says “MUCH MOREwe shall (also) be SAVED (sozo, made whole, completed…in soul) THROUGH HIS [RESURRECTION] LIFE.”  This further work is not immediately completed, it’s something He goes on to do “in us,” by the renewal of our soul.

Yes, initially the believer’s spirit is immediately 100% regenerated, and also the believer is then baptized into Christ as His savior. Though our soul is immediately saved from perdition and God’s wrath, it is not renewed at our initial salvation. We still possess the same fallen mind, emotion, and independent self-will as we always had before our salvation. Every Christian needs to realize they are being saved by the renewal of their soul’s faculties throughout the remaining days of their lives upon the earth.

The word “saved” here does not refer to salvation from judgment – that was already dealt with. “Saved” here is the Greek, sozo, meaning to be “completed.” In one sense believers are completed and in another they are yet being completed. Looking closely at verse 10 we see the words SHALL BE saved (completed), speaking in the future tense.

The “much more” here is that believers are being “completed” in soul. Our “completion” comes to us first by believing to receive “Christ, who is our life” ( Col 3:4a) into us. We are immediately “completed” in that our spirit is completed by the addition of His Spirit into our spirit (1Cor 6:17, John 3:6). God gives us His “spirit without measure” (John 3:34, Rom 8:9-10). Upon believing we are “complete in Him” ( Col 2:9-10), by Christ’s spirit regenerating our spirit… our spirit is complete. Paul declares “the mystery” or God’s secret plan was to place “Christ in you” ( Col 1:27) from the moment of our believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9-10).

So first, believers are saved from God’s wrath due them and then also their “old man” was co-crucified with Christ (Rom 6:3, 6, 7:4) and we are also completed “in our spirit.” These points are accomplished fixed facts. But now we need to better see the second aspect; how we “shall be saved (completed).” This further work of “completion” goes even deeper than the first we have discussed. This further completion springs from that total deposit of Christ’s “Spirit of life” into the believer’s spirit.

As we’ve seen, our human spirit is immediately fully regenerated at the moment of our salvation when we receive His Spirit (Titus 3:5). But the phrase SHALL BE saved” speaks of the ongoing or continuing experience of God’s work in our soul. Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Concerning our soul’s condition, our “completion” is progressive. We all need completion in our soul-self that yet bears the marks, scars, and traits, of that Sin nature that had usurped and ruled us for so many years from birth. Only is the indwelling “life” of Christ that is able to complete us by renewing our sin-distorted soul via a “day by day” process of renewal (2Cor 4:16). God works in believers to complete” their salvation unto righteousness by the renewal of our soul’s mind, emotion, and will (Rom 12:2). Their soul-faculties are to be renewed to become coordinated with the mind, emotion, and will of the indwelling Lord Himself.

Thus, upon his believing, the believer’s life is “hid in Christ” ( Col 3:3) and he is clothed with Christ, whose righteousness is immediately accounted to him (2 Cor 5:21). The believer is immediately saved from judgment and wrath. The believer immediately receives the deposit of Christ’s eternal resurrected “Spirit of life” into his human spirit (1Cor 6:17, John 3:6). With that, God, now as Father, commences His further work of renewal of the believer’s soul (Philip 1:6, 2:13, 2Cor 4:16).

3.) Now we come to the third and final aspect or stage of salvation. The third aspect of our salvation is that one day our corruptible earthly physical body will be raised up “incorruptible”; either out of the grave, or sea, or wherever the molecules may be located if we had died physically, or we will be entirely caught up (raptured) alive at His appearing to meet the Lord in the clouds. (1 Thes 4:17). 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 … then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. In that moment we will posses a new spirit-body such as Jesus had after His resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The second aspect of our salvation, which is the renewal of our soul, is ongoing; while the third is the exchange of our earthly body for an incorruptible heavenly spirit-body, as Jesus had in His resurrection. This is yet to come.

Summarizing, we see that the 3-fold salvation of God addresses the three parts of man’s being.

  1. The believer’s spirit is 100% regenerated (Titus 3:5), born again of God’s Christ-seed.
  2. The believer’s soul is freed from Sin’s dominion (Rom 6:6-7) – free to be renewed with Christ’s resurrection LIFE.
  3. Every believer (one who trusts in Christ alone as their savior) will have his physical body raised to become an incorruptible spirit-body. His corruptible body will “in the twinkling of an eye (1Cor 15:52) be exchanged for one incorruptible at the time of their being “caught up (raptured)” (rapteur,” Latin Vulgate) “to meet the Lord in the air…” to “ever be with the Lord” (1Thes 4:17).  

Thus, God has provided for our full, 3-fold, salvation... spirit, soul, and body; and in that order. This is the ultimate fate of all the believing members of “the church, which is the body of Christ” (Eph 1:22b-23a).