This section is intended to give short, easy to remember Biblical answers to some of the most basic and important questions that people ask. Have a Bible close by so that you can look up the verses.
Why is Jesus Christ the Only Way to God?
What Happened to Me When I Was "Saved"?
As a Christian, Can I Ever Lose My Salvation?
Why do Christians Still Sin?
Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
How Can I Live the "Christian Life" as God Intended?
What is the Difference Between "Soul" and "Spirit"?
What is the "Grace of God"?
Are Christians Under the Law?
Are Christians Righteous?
How Can I Experience the Abundant Life of Jesus Christ?
Why is Jesus Christ the Only Way to God?
God is holy. All who are part of His family must be holy as well. Although as a believer you may not see yourself as being righteous, righteousness is what being "saved" is really all about. Your sins were forgiven on the Cross; that issue was resolved 2,000 years ago. But, salvation is more than forgiveness. You were born with a sinful heart and it must be replaced before you can be in the family of God. When you trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, God removes your old sinful heart (a.k.a."spirit" or "nature") and gives you a brand new, clean heart. Now a "clean vessel," the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) has a place in you where He can live. You are made righteous as the Holy Spirit joins you in your new heart to become one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17); you are righteous because He is righteous. In other words, you are made righteous because the Righteous One lives in you; and, you possess eternal life because Eternal Life now dwells in your heart. Since there is no other way to be made righteous, Jesus can be your only way to God.
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What Happens to Me When I Am "Saved"?
The term "salvation" is not the same as the forgiveness of your sins. Salvation is, as Jesus taught, being "born again." Being born again means that you are literally born again in your spirit; in other words, God actually removes your old sinful spirit and replaces it with a brand new, clean heart filled with the Holy Spirit. God makes you clean in your spirit so that the Holy Spirit can come to live in you to make you righteous. Thus, you are "born of the Spirit" and are now saved.
The forgiveness of your sins on the Cross was the necessary first step of grace that God took so that He could save you. But, the Cross did not forgive one sin, the eternal and unforgivable sin of unbelief. Because of that, you cannot be saved until you turn from unbelief to faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior. Being made righteous is what actually saves you since only the righteous can enter the Kingdom of God. Romans 6, and specifically verses 6, 7, 18, & 22, speak of how you are now free from sin in your born again spirit. In fact, you cannot sin in your new heart because the Holy Spirit in you cannot sin (1 John 3:9). But, you can and still do sin in your not yet redeemed mortal body (Romans 8:10). This is why you live by faith since only Christ in you can live the righteous life. In your own human strength, you do not have the capacity to live righteously, but Jesus in you can.
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As a Christian, Can I Ever Lose My Salvation?
No. Your born again spirit is redeemed fully and forever, joined as one to the Holy Spirit. You cannot sin in your new spirit because the Holy Spirit in you cannot sin. Therefore, there can never be a reason why you would ever lose your salvation. It is important to understand that only your born again spirit has been "saved" thus far. Your mortal body is not yet redeemed and can still sin; but your spirit is righteous. This is why your body will go to the grave, not heaven, when you die; but your righteous spirit will go to be with the Lord forever. In the future you will receive a righteous body to go along with your already redeemed and righteous spirit (Romans 8:23b).
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Why do Christians Still Sin?
The Bible teaches that all true believers are righteous children of God who live in mortal bodies that are still dead because of sin (Romans 8:10). Believers are spiritual perfection living in imperfect "houses" (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). This is why you can still sin but it is also the very reason you live by faith. Whereas you are in perfect union with Christ all the time in your born again spirit, you cannot live righteously through your own human strength. But, you can live righteously by following in faith the inner life of Christ as He lives His righteous life in you and does His good works through you.
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Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?
Yes and no. You are baptized with the Holy Spirit into Christ when you are saved - this happens to all believers. Physical baptism is a picture or symbol of the believer dying with Christ, being buried with Christ and being raised with Christ to new life in the spirit. Physical baptism is not what saves you; it is a teaching tool to understand the spiritual baptism in the Holy Spirit that does save you. Baptism is important, but it is essential that you understand the significance of what Christ did for you through His Cross and resurrection.
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How Can I Live the "Christian Life" as God Intended?
The Christian life is one of union and faith. In your redeemed spirit, you live in perfect union with the indwelling Christ all the time. This is because God gave you a new clean heart indwelled by Jesus Christ Himself (as the Holy Spirit). But, your outer mortal body and your human thoughts and emotions have not yet been redeemed (Romans 8:10 & Romans 8:23b). This is why you follow Christ in faith. You cannot live a righteous life by your own human strength. But, Jesus lives His righteous life in you and does His good works through you; you follow Him in faith.
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What is the Difference Between "Soul" and "Spirit"?
People often use the words "soul" and "spirit" interchangeably but they are not the same. Your inner spirit is your essential "person." Your spirit lives in the spiritual realm and is the part of you that God has redeemed thus far when He saved you. Your new born again spirit is eternal, secure, righteous and joined to the Holy Spirit as one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). You cannot sin in your new spirit because Jesus in you cannot sin (1 John 3:9).
Your mortal flesh is not yet redeemed. It consists of two parts: [1] your physical body and [2] your human soul. Your human soul is the immaterial expression of your physical body. Your thoughts and emotions are actually physiological processes that are created by your brain. Your body (mostly your brain) creates your soul; it is not something that is separate from your physical body. They are one unit; together they are the human "you," the material part of your human person and the immaterial part. Your soul is your personality or, as it is often defined, your "thoughts, will and emotions." Your mortal flesh is exactly the same as it was before you were saved - still dead because of sin (Romans 8:10). The Apostle Paul said that this "house" of yours will make you groan (2 Corinthians 5:2&4); it longs to be redeemed and righteous like your new, born again spirit. Even though your mortal body and soul can still sin, God is sanctifying this human part of you by the renewing of your mind through His Word (Romans 12:2, John 17:17 & 19).
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What is the "Grace of God"?
Even though "grace" technically means God's "unmerited favor," a much more meaningful way to understand grace is to recognize that God initiates and provides everything necessary for salvation, and He initiates and provides everything necessary to live the Christian life. The life of a believer is one of receiving in faith. God provides the means of salvation through the Cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ; you receive in faith the gift of righteousness in order to be saved. And, Jesus comes to live in you to be your power to live a righteous life. Jesus Christ, Himself, lives in you and does His good works through you. You receive His life, or abide in Him, by following His inner life in faith. In both salvation and in the life of faith, God has done it all; you receive what God has already done. An easy way to remember the real meaning of grace is, "God divinely initiates; you faithfully respond."
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Are Christians Under the Law?
No. Jesus Christ ended the Mosaic Law after He fulfilled it during His time on the earth. He replaced the Law with Himself. Now, being made righteous comes through Jesus Christ, not through trying to keep the Law. And, righteous living comes from the power of Christ in you, not by trying and failing to live righteously by your own human strength. Although it may seem counterintuitive at first, being under the Hebrew Law would lead to more sin, not less sin; this is because the power of sin is the Law (1 Corinthians 15:56). Although holy, the Law brought only judgment to the Jewish people because no one was ever able to keep the Law through their own works (human self effort). Because of this, the Law was never given to the Gentiles; in fact, Jesus replaced the Law before salvation was ever offered to the Gentiles.
So what is the believer's relationship to the Law today? The spirit of the Law, its representation of God's holiness, is eternal. But the doing of the Law was replaced by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. The Law under the Old Covenant was external, powered and accomplished by human self effort. God's "laws" under the New Covenant are internal, powered and accomplished by Jesus Christ who lives in the heart of every believer. The Old was weak because of human weakness; the New is perfect because of Jesus Christ. God moved His Law inside so that it could be lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit in you. (See 2 Corinthians 3:6-11; Galatians 3:12; Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 7:22, 8:13, 9:15, 10:9, 10:16.)
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Are Christians Righteous?
Yes, absolutely. Believers in Jesus Christ are made righteous in their spirit when they are born again. Upon faith in Christ as Savior, God takes out your old sinful spirit (a.k.a. "heart" or "nature") and replaces it with a brand new, clean heart. Because you are now a "clean vessel," the Holy Spirit has a place in you to live. His indwelling presence is what makes you righteous and what gives you eternal life. He is righteous, therefore you are righteous because He joins as one with you in your new heart. For the present time, your salvation is only spiritual; only your inner spirit has been born again and saved thus far. Your outer, mortal body has not yet been redeemed and is still dead because of sin; this is why you can still sin in your mortal flesh if you try to live life by your own human strength instead of living by faith. God will give you a new righteous body but that is still in the future (Romans 8:23b). (Also, see Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17,21; Ephesians 4:24; 2 Peter 1:4.)
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How Can I Experience the Abundant Life of Jesus Christ?
The abundant life of Jesus Christ is in your spirit, not in your human soul or in this physical world. You will never find the abundant life through people or possessions. This is understood since Jesus Himself and all the Apostles never experienced life with physical abundance. Rather, they lived a life of union abundance with God in their spirits. To the extent that you experience Christ in your spirit, you experience His abundant life. The abundant life is one of hearing the spiritual "voice" of God, understanding Scriptures with spiritual "eyes," having the "mind of Christ" and experiencing Christ's righteousness being lived out through you. These things exceed temporal experiences. The abundant life also consists of suffering and persecution; Christ experienced suffering and said that His followers will suffer as well.
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