Salvation Summaries

I am going through each book in the New Testament (again) and writing bullet point comments about how a person becomes a Christian and how a Christian should live.  The following notes are from the book of Galatians.

Summary

Many people believe that the way to heaven is from doing more good deeds than bad deeds, or by being a good person (I recently spoke with a taxi cab driver in Chicago who said this when I asked her if she thought she would go to heaven when she died). One way to judge whether your deeds are good or bad is to compare them to the 10 commandments and other laws of God.

The problem with this line of thinking, though, is that it’s not biblical.  Galatians and a number of New Testament books clearly show that a person will not become accepted by God, or righteous in His sight, by trying to obey His laws.  Why?  Because no one can consistently do this.  If you were to wrap up God’s laws into one command, it would be to love your neighbor as yourself (and your “neighbor” includes your family members, relatives, friends, neighbors, strangers and enemies). Do you do this each day?  No.  One purpose of God’s laws is to show us how sinful we are. Another is to lead us to the only way that we can become accepted by Him, which is by faith in Jesus.

So how is a person saved according to Galatians?  We can use Paul’s conversion as an example.  Paul was called by God, he heard and understood the gospel of Christ (Jesus loves us and died for us in order to forgive us from our sins), he died to his old way of life, he put his faith in and surrendered his life to Jesus, and now he lives to please Jesus rather than himself.

After you become a Christian, you are to live by faith and the Holy Spirit.  You can live by the Holy Spirit because you received the Holy Spirit when you became saved; non-Christians do not have the Holy Spirit and thus live for themselves rather than the Lord. Living by the Holy Spirit will keep you from practicing lifestyles that keep a person out of heaven (sexual immorality – which includes homosexuality, debauchery, orgies, selfish ambitions, etc.). It also gives you the ability to produce “fruit”: love, peace, joy, self control, etc.  Also, you are to do good to all people, but especially other believers. Last, you should be careful not to listen to false teaching, or anything that contradicts the gospel.

How a person is saved (and other verses relating to salvation)

• Trying to do what is right, in the form of obeying God’s laws (such as the 10 commandments) will not make you righteous, or get you to heaven. If the law could give you new life, you would be made right (righteous) with God by obeying it. Instead, it reveals your sinfulness (Gal 3:19, 24; 5:24, the sum of all of God’s laws is to love your neighbor as yourself, and no one does this) and was designed to lead you to Jesus Christ, for faith in Him is the only you can become righteous (Gal 3:19-25).

• Per Paul, you are cursed if you try to become righteous by obeying God’s laws. Jesus redeemed mankind from this curse by becoming a curse (a penalty received for condemnation) for us. It is only because of what Jesus did (crucified) that we can be redeemed (to release by paying a ransom). Through faith in Him, we become a Christian and receive the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:14)

• Part of Paul’s conversion to becoming a Christian is the same way people are converted today.
  • The part that does not apply is when Paul encountered Jesus while traveling (Jesus spoke audibly to Paul and appeared as a bright light that blinded him)
  • The parts that apply are below:
    • God called Paul (Gal 1:14)
    • Paul heard/received and understood God’s gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11-12).  The gospel is unique. Paul did not make it up; he received it by revelation from God (Gal 1:11-12). This is why the gospel has the power to save.
    • From understanding the gospel, Paul now knows that Jesus loved him (and man in general) and died or gave himself for Paul (and man) (Gal 2:20).  He also knows that salvation and being declared right with God is an act of God’s grace (Gal 2:21).  He understands that a person becomes justified or right with God (righteous) by faith in Jesus rather than from attempting to obey God’s laws (Gal 2:16).
    • Paul died to his old way of life of trying to get right with God by obeying God’s laws (Gal 2:19), for he now knows that this is impossible (Gal 2:16). In this sense he has been crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20).
    • God revealed Jesus to Paul (Gal 1:16). Paul believed God (Gal 3:5) and put his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior (Gal 2:16)
    • Paul now lives to please Jesus rather than himself (Gal 2:19-21).  He lives by faith (Gal 2:20).

• If you believe in God, the gospel, and have faith in the Lord (Jesus), you will be saved (Gal 3:9).Abraham is an example of someone who became saved, or righteous, after believing in God and His gospel (Gal 3:6-8), or having faith in God (Gal 3:9).

• You receive the Holy Spirit upon believing in the gospel  and having faith, rather than a reward for trying to obey His Old Testament laws (Gal 3:2,5, 14).

Characteristics of a Christian

• Faith in Jesus (Gal 3:6-8, 26), redeemed by Jesus (Gal 4:5), Jesus lives in you (Gal 2:20)
• Baptized into Christ and is clothed with Him (Gal 3:27)
• Crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24)
• Received God’s Holy Spirit (Gal 3:2, 5; 4:6)
• A son of God through faith in Jesus (Gal 3:26)
• Belongs to Jesus and is a true child of Abraham. The promises God made to Abraham now apply to you (Gal 3:29)
• Has a changed life (Gal 1:23)

How a Christian should live

• Be careful not to listen to or follow false teaching, especially anything that contradicts the gospel (Gal 1:6, 2:4).
  • Do any of the teachings of Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses contradict the gospel?
• Live by faith (Gal 3:11)
• Live by the Spirit so that you will not gratify the desires of your sinful nature (Gal 5:16).  The acts of a sinful nature are sexual immorality (this includes homosexuality, adultery, pre-marital sex, prostitution and bestiality), impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, etc.). Per Paul, anyone who LIVES like this will not go to heaven.
• The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in you: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)
• Serve one another in love (Gal 5:13)
• Do not become weary in doing good (Gal 6:9). Do good to all people, but especially believers (Gal 6:10)
• Carry each other’s burdens (Gal 6:2)
• Gently restore believers who have sinned (Gal 6:1)

Who God is

• He and Jesus called Paul to be an apostle of Jesus (Gal 1:1,15)
• Calls people for salvation (Gal 1:6)
• Sovereign. God “set apart” Paul from birth to be called and become an apostle (Gal 1:15). Thus, God knew in advance that Paul, who had persecuted Christians, would be converted to preach to them.

Who Jesus is

• Jesus and God called Paul to be an apostle of Jesus (Gal 1:1)
• Gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age (Gal 1:3-4)
  • Is our age today evil?
  • Who controls our age?
  • What is evil?  What does it look like?
• He is who the gospel is about (Gal 1:8)