Two sides of Salvation.

A man falls into a well and cannot escape.  He yells and yells until someone hears him.  The man who hears him lowers a ladder into the well.  The man who was trapped can now escape on the ladder.


You see, what the man in the well couldn't do for himself, another provided for him, but there was still an individual action that the man in the well must do in order to be saved.  He must use what was provided to him (ladder) in order to be saved from his dire situation (being stuck in the well).  Our salvation is the same way.  There are two sides to salvation!

1.  PROVIDING

Man started out in a state of innocence and chose to sin.  (Isa 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray) Now, Modernists teach that man started out as a viscous savage and has grown steadily better with the passing of time.  Granted, when you look at man he has progressed in technology and sophistication in the worldly aspect.  That same man, is spiraling downward

in the spiritual aspect.  Look at the morals of society today.  JESUS CAME AND SAW MAN ON A DOWNWARD SLIDE, NOT ON AN UPWARD GLIDE!

Here is a perfect example of what we are talking about. (Rom 1:22-32  ²²Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. ²⁵For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, ²⁷and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.²⁸And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; ³²and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.)  

After that one must agree with (Ps 8:4 What is man that You take thought of him)  

GOD WANTS ALL MEN TO BE SAVED

Satan may get man to turn his heart away from God but he will NEVER get God to keep his wrath on penitent man!  Man must first come to God through Christ (Jn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me")  

God is angry with the wicked everyday!  (Ps 7:11 God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked everyday.)  Although, he is willing to forgive them if they will repent and turn from their evil ways.  Jonah said it best when he said, (Jnh 4:2 ...for I knew you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity)  Keep in mind, Jonah wanted to withhold that that mercy from Nineveh.

Romans 11 shows that God dealt with Israel because of their unbelief but in repentance he would accept them.  He received the Gentiles as well.  He warns them of unbelief and says he won’t spare them for unbelief any more than he had the Israelites! 

If everything about salvation was merely God’s part, all would be saved, because what he has done for one person, he has done for all.  John 3:16 says God loves all.  Christ died for all  (1Ti  2:5,6  For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,⁶who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. )  Mk 16:15 says that salvation has been sent to all.

2.  PARTAKING

Man often confuses the “partaking” with the “providing”!  That is very evident in the teaching of baptism.  Many respond to baptism in this way, “JESUS SAVES; NOT BAPTISM”  They are ignorant to the thought of “PARTAKING”  Jesus saves in the respect of providing salvation, but baptism is a part of man’s partaking of salvation!  

Do you understand what I’m saying?  You see, I’m not pulling this stuff out of the sky.  I have scripture to support what I’m saying! (1Pe 3:21 corresponging to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ) 

 Now if someone says ““JESUS SAVES; NOT BAPTISM”  you tell them this, “Baptism cannot provide salvation, Christ does that, but it is a part of what a person must personally do if he is to have salvation!”

After we are baptized we are to walk in a new life.  Hence, being born again!  

(Rom 6:4 

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life)  

Walking in that newness of life is that final stage.  Meaning we must abide in Christ or remain faithful in order to partake of the salvation he has to offer.  

(Heb 3:14 

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,)

(Rom 8:1 

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus)

There are two sides to salvation.  God’s side and our side.  God has obviously fulfilled his part.  You can only have your sins taken away by being in Christ. 

GOD PROVIDES AND WE MUST PARTAKE!  HAVE YOU PARTAKEN?  HAS EVERYONE YOU KNOW PARTAKEN?