Six Concepts of Salvation

There are six concepts the reader must hold firmly in mind if he would understand the Christian salvation:

The Christian redemption fundamentally is a hope for the future for saints who are undergoing tribulation, and who are being required to exercise much patience concerning their many hopes and desires that are being deferred. The idea that God has given Jesus to us so we may get what we want out of life in this world is of the False Prophet. It is true, rather, that we are required to lay down our life for the Gospel, to commit to Christ our hopes and dreams so He may bring them into fulfillment in His own time and manner—especially in the Day of His appearing.

The salvation that will be given to us at the appearing of Christ is the consequence of what we have become and have practiced in Christ. The currently expressed concept that what will happen to us in the Day of Christ is unrelated to our behavior in this world is false. It is a deception from the enemy of our souls. Grace does not operate to give to sinners the rewards of the righteous; rather, grace operates to make sinners righteous so God can reward them according to their righteous behavior. The belief that we shall be rewarded anyway, even though we have not served Christ as we should, is the terrible deception of our day.

The rewards assigned to the victorious saints are the breadth of salvation. They are the goal of the Divine redemption, the purpose of our election as saints (holy ones) of God.

Salvation has to do with what will happen to us on earth, not with our going to live forever in the spirit realm. Our treasures now are in Heaven, in the faithful keeping of Christ. When He comes He will bring our rewards with Him.

Since we, along with the elect Jews, are the true Israel of God, the true Kingdom of God, the only Seed of Abraham, the Body of Christ, our destiny can be found in the writings of the Hebrew Prophets. The idea that the Gentiles are saved to go to Heaven while the Jews are saved to rule on the earth is false. This misunderstanding has prevented the churches from seeing their destiny in the Prophets. If you want to know what you will be doing after the Lord returns, read the Book of Isaiah—and rejoice!

The majority of scriptural passages concerning the Kingdom of God have to do with the saints who press forward to receive their inheritance in Christ. The Prophets speak much of the righteousness that will be wrought in Zion, and of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Isaiah, Chapters 60 and 61 are especially rich in this respect. The destiny of those who lose their crown, who are saved by fire, is not described to the same extent.

The above concepts are essential to our understanding. When these are not grasped clearly, the Christian redemption becomes a confusing set of half-truths and fables.

We shall now set forth nine aspects of the glorious salvation God has promised to the victorious Christian—that which he will receive in the Day of the Lord.

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