Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. – Phil 2:12
Accepting Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior does not mean you are walking in your full salvation.
I was taught that the moment I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I was “saved.” And I constantly hear this in the church.
The truth is that the date you gave your life to the Lord was just the beginning of a very specific and ordered process of elevation, cleansing and purifying. You must walk out this process until you have no more unclean fruit in your life and have kicked Satan out for good.
To be “saved” is actually a 7-part process through which we fully reflect Jesus upon the earth and manifest the fullness of our salvation. This word is actually sozo and it means to deliver or protect – heal, preserve, save (self), do well, and to be made whole.
While the process began when we accepted the Lord it is not complete until we manifest all seven aspets of salvation, then – and only then – are we saved. It was Jesus’ dying on the cross that completed the process of full salvation being yours. The Word says that he that endureth to the end shall be saved (see Matthew 10:22). It is not until we are purified in our hearts and cleansed from all uncleanliness that we are fully available to the Lord to be saved and then filled with His Holy Spirit.
So, no matter what it takes, continue walking with the Lord until you bring forth the fullness of your salvation because His reward is worth everything.
Love, Ericka
Hello Ericka!
Would you mind showing me where in the Bible the 7 step process (7 aspects of salvation) is mentioned? I have never heard of this.
“It is not until we are purified in our hearts and cleansed from all uncleanliness that we are fully available to the Lord to be saved and then filled with His Holy Spirit.” I am sorry but I have not heard of this either. You are basically writing that we first have to achive perfection and then we are worthy of the rest. What I know is that we will be perfected once we no longer live on this earth but dwell with the Creator and King of the Universe. Meanwhile on this earth we are called to be holy (set apart from this world) – not perfect – but to become mature Believers in Jesus, the Son of the Living God, by obeying His commandments and by walking in His ways (not the world’s ways). We are a new man in Jesus, the Messiah, however we all have some kind of sin still clinging to us that we need to be delivered of. A lot of people are unaware that the enemy of our soul is doing everything in his power to pull us back to where we came from – the world. Yes, we need God’s deliverance (a large part of Jesus’s ministry revolved around deliverance) from alcoholism, abuse, fornication, adultery, witchcraft, rebellion, hatred, idolatry, selfishness, greed, lack of love, depression, deception, anger, lethargy, and of many other things, because we can not deliver ourselves. What do you suggest to do while many of us are still in this “sinful state?”
If we are willing to let God deliver us from all the strongholds and bondages we are still experiencing (which can sometimes take years), then little by little, as we are in the process of being set free, we will begin to hear the Holy Spirit of God talk to us more and more, we will begin our process of transformation to become more and more like Jesus and be holy -set apart- by obeying His Word and walking in His ways. As long as we are on this sinful planet, we will occasionally fall, and hopefully get back up as many times as we need to (which sometimes does not seem so easy) but this continues until we finish the race and are leaving this earthly body behind to go to be with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. No, we do not achieve perfection while on this earth but we can become mature Believers.
So the formula could read: accept Jesus, the Messiah, turn your life over to Him, allow the Holy Spirit, which dwells within you after conversion, to convict you of the areas that need to be addressed so God can deliver you and put you on the path of rightousness –> obey His commandments and walk in His ways. And love Him with all you have!
Magda,
Thank you for your inquiry! I am happy to share more on this. I LOVE dialoguing about the deeper things of God and Heaven. I know it challenges the traditional teachings so many of us have received and it is critical that we understand this through scripture and the revelation of the Lord. I want to make sure I address everything you brought up so I may quote some of your words in my response below.
The seven aspects of salvation are found in the word sozo, which is the Greek translation of the word “saved” in the english language. When you look it up in Strong’s Concordance, you will see seven aspects:
1. Delivered
2. Protected
3. Healed
4. Preserved
5. Saved
6. Do Well
7. Be Made Whole.
Unfortunately, this is lost in the translation of the Bible into the English language. So, you have to go back to the Greek text to gain the full understanding. Sozo contains all 7 aspects of salvation. And to walk in the fullness of our salvation, we must embody all 7 aspects.
The word “perfected” actually means “complete or full of age.” This is what we would call mature. When you are fully mature in the Lord, you become complete in Him. Jesus actually left us the responsibility to become the perfected man (Matt 5:48; Ephesians 4: 12 – 13) not when we leave our bodies (die) but here upon the earth. He has left a path by which we can be free of all sin and any thing of the world right here upon the earth. In fact, it is the only way to truly do the works of Jesus and the greater works that we are called to do here upon the earth (John 14:12).
Our aim is not only to be a child of God (this happens when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior), but to become a son or sons of God, which happens once we are purified and heart and cleansed in our spirits (see John 1:12; Rom 8:14, Rom 8:19; Phil 2:15, Eph 4:12 – 13; 1 John 3:2). This happens once we truly believe.
According to the scripture, we are finally at a place of belief in our walk with the Lord when “these signs and wonders follow those who believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:17 – 18). Also, the word says that “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” What the scripture says belief is and what we perceive belief is are two different things. According to the word, it is not until we have the revelation of Jesus as Lord and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Romans 10:8). It does not say that we ARE saved.
This is one of the most misunderstood scriptures of all times. Once you have the revelation of this scripture, it actually illuminates that walking in the fullness of our salvation comes after we believe. Believing catapults us into the full revelation of who Jesus, The Father and the Holy Spirit are and we then walk in the full power, dominion and authority that is held in Jesus.
Yes, it has already been done. It was done the moment Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and I. The quest then becomes truly – and I do mean truly – believing and moving in His power upon the earth. Yes, it is done in Heaven and now it is up to you and I to bring it forth and manifest the Kingdom of Heaven upon the Earth. It happens through those in the Body of Christ who truly believe.
Becoming holy is the process of being perfected. Holy means “to be without mixture.” Once we are without mixture of anything other than the Spirit of the Lord inside of us, we become holy. By the time we get to this part of our walks with the Lord, there is no more darkness, anything unclean, of the world, works of the flesh or anything not of Jesus in us. That is when we walk in the fullness of our salvation and are manifesting our wholeness in Him. We literally only produce His fruits because there is nothing else in us.
Here is another key understanding – God gave us the power to be delivered. It is not something He takes back and does for us, it is something that we move into our authority, belief, power and dominion and realize that we already have. But, as Jesus, the disciples and the elders did in the scripture, we have to command it with the power He has placed in our tongues. And in order to do this, we have to have the revelation that Jesus is the name above all names and that Satan is subject to Him. When we stand and move in this power and belief, nothing can stand that is of darkness either in our temples (bodies) or in our lives in any way , shape or form. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebr 13:8) and the fullness of His power resides in us right now upon the earth. We do not have to wait until we pass on to experience the fullness or wholeness of His power.
When we become mature Christians, we realize that we become rocks on which Jesus builds His church (Eph 16:18). We become unshakeable and nothing of the world or dark forces can touch us or even move us (Matt 7:24) and then God will present us with the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven (Matt 16:19). In other words, we – from right here upon the earth – are given the power to move Heaven and Earth. That is how much power is in the name of Jesus. The challenge is that far too many of the Body of Christ really does not believe, we are still being moved by the things of the world and the works of the flesh.
By definition, the word “inherit” means to access and utilize while you are living. We are to inherit the Kingdom of God while we are alive upon the earth. The Word is clear about who inherits the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 4:22 – Eph 5:5;Galatians 5: 16 – 21; 1 Cor 6:9 – 10). So, we are not to wait to become perfected, we are to do while we are still upon the earth. The word says that until we are operating in His order – righteousness – and have no more works of the flesh (darkness) in us, God does not open up the full power of His Kingdom to us right here upon the earth.
Also by definition, to be “filled” with something means that there is nothing else but that substance present. To be truly be filled with the Holy Spirit means that there is nothing else BUT the Holy Spirit and the fullness of God inside of us. Therefore, we cannot produce any other fruits that those of holiness and wholeness. The Word tells us that you will know a spirit by the fruit it produces (Matt 7:16 – 20). Therefore, in truth, we cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit until we are holy, without mixture and have the presence of nothing else but the fullness of God in us. It sounds impossible, but through Christ, it is possible upon the earth. That is just how powerful He is when we operate in Him. When we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit, we are not necessary filled with the Holy Spirit until we move through all 7 aspects of salvation that was offered to us on the cross.
The most incredible thing to me is the Love of The Father. He loves us so much that He extends to us His grace and mercy and allows us to still experience Him, feel His love, operate under His anointing and experience some victory in our lives even while we still carry darkness. That is the most amazing thing to me! He could simply leave us entirely desolate if we don’t seek Him deep enough for Him to reveal His truth to us, but He loves us anyway. He still gives us access to His full salvation and power. That kind of love is mind-boggling.
I love your formula because it is really true. There is a process that Jesus left us to become mature, complete and perfected in Him.
We are powerless on our own, but through Christ, we gain access to the realm of the impossible right here upon the earth and are able to all thing through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). Nothing will be impossible with God (Matt 17:20; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37).
Magda, I pray that this helps you understand this in your heart. Please let me know if you have any more questions. I was born for the deep and I love seeking the secrets of Heaven and the gospel. I praise God for you! Have an incredible day!
In His Love, Ericka