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 2 Timothy.

Summary

God saves a person by His grace found in Jesus Christ.  To be saved, a person must come to a knowledge of the truth (about salvation) found in the gospel, and repent.  Unlike repentance found in other New Testament books, where a must decide to repent and then carry it out, repentance here seems to be something God does in a person.  Also, one verse seems to indicate that God has chosen who will be saved.

Once saved, the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and you can have assurance of your salvation. Also, you have the ability to determine if another person is saved.

As a Christian, you are to live for the Lord and not yourself. You are to flee lusts and wickedness, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. You are to be kind and patient with all, and gently correct those who are in error with regard to their understanding of Scripture.  For you to do this, you need to study your Bible.  Last, you need to realize that you may be persecuted as a Christian.

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

• God saves a person by His grace, found in Jesus, and not by anything a person does to deserve it (2 Tim 1:9).
• Salvation is found in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:10); the “promise of life” or eternal life is in Him (2 Tim 1:1)
• In other New Testament books, repentance is part of the “salvation process,” and seems to be something a person does on his or her initiative upon learning of one’s sinfulness and need of a savior (see Luke 13:5 for example).  However, in 2 Tim 2:25, God appears to play a role in whether a person repents.
• A “knowledge of the truth” as found in the gospel, is part of becoming saved (2 Tim 2:24, 3:7).  Paul tells Timothy “from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 3:15).  The gospel talks about how a person receives eternal life and gains immortality (2 Tim 1:10)
• There is one verse in 2 Timothy which indicates that God has chosen those who may obtain salvation  (2 Tim 2:10).

Characteristics of a Christian

• The Holy Spirit dwells in you (2 Tim 1:14)
• You can have assurance of his salvation:
  • Paul said: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Tim 4:7-8)
  • Paul said: … the Lord will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom (2 Tim 4:18)
  • Paul said: …for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (2 Tim 1:12).
• When you become a Christian, you spiritually participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection, which gives you a new life in Him (2 Tim 2:11).
• If you are a Christian, you can tell if another person is saved. Paul knew that Timothy was a Christian because he could “see” that Timothy had faith (2 Tim 1:5)

How a Christian should live

• Seek to please Jesus; you work for Him now
  • When you become a Christian, you become a soldier of Jesus, and your aim, from then, should be to please your commanding officer. You may well suffer hardship on account of your faith in Him (2 Tim 2:3, 4).
• Turn from wickedness
  • Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord (as their Lord) must turn away from wickedness (2 Tim 2:19)
• Paul urged Timothy to “flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22).
  • This sounds like good advice for Christians today.
• Paul told Timothy to be kind to all, patient when wronged, and with gentleness correct those who are in opposition to the gospel (2 Tim 2:24-25).
  • This also sounds like good advice for today’s Christian.
• Know Scripture
  • It is inspired by God and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
• Realize you may be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12)
• Vengeance is best left to God (2 Tim 4:14)

Who God is and what He is like

• Has a will or desire. It was His will that Paul be an apostle (2 Tim1:1)
• Is our Father (2 Tim 1:2)
• Knows those who are His, or who have become a Christian (2 Tim 2:19)
• Along with Jesus, will judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1)
• Giver of (spiritual) gifts (2 Tim 1:6)

Who Jesus is and what He is like

• Our Lord (2 Tim 1:2)
• Our Savior (2 Tim 1:10)
• Destroyed death (2 Tim 1:10)
• Existed before the beginning of time (2 Tim 1:10)
• Along with God the Father, will judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1)
• Rose from the dead (2 Tim 2:8)
• Descendant of (King) David (2 Tim 2:8)
• Jesus can “strengthen” a person (not clear if this is their faith, confidence, knowledge, etc.) as He did to Paul when Paul was preaching the gospel (2 Tim 4:17)
• Giver of mercy (2 Tim 1:16, 18)
• Grace is found in Him (2 Tim 2:1)

Other

• In the last days, people will (2 Tim 3:2-4):
  • love themselves and pleasure rather than God
  • love money
  • boast, be proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unforgiving, without love, slanderous, without self-control, rash, conceited, not love good
  • be brutal, treacherous
• In addition, in the last days people will:
  • “not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)
    • “Christians” who support gay marriage and homosexuality as taught by liberal theologians and the world would be examples of this.