Good morning,
What happens when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ? Instantly, their lives are changed.
How they are changed will be our focus for the next several weeks.
We will look at what happens when a sinner gets saved, in relation to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and between each other.
Some of the things that happen once a sinner is saved are as follows…
In Relation to God the Son
What happens when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ?
When a car is running, the moment the driver releases the clutch, many things happen, but perhaps all the driver knows is that the car is in motion. This is a good illustration of what happens in salvation for the Christian!
The most dangerous part of a believer’s life in Christ is when the car first gets in motion, because the Devil is very anxious to guide it the WRONG way & thus make the new Christian’s life ineffectual. Even though the sinner is saved & on his way to Heaven, the Devil wants to make him as ineffectual & fruitless as a child of God by getting him hooked onto some ‘hobbyhorse’ such as ‘Calvinism, baptismal regeneration, tongues & healing’ etc.
Some of the things that happen once a sinner is saved are as follows…
In Relation to God the Son
13) The sinner is ‘accepted in the beloved’ Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
14) The believer is baptized into Christ’s body by the Holy Spirit – 1Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. EVERY child, EVERY sinner who trusts Christ, is put into Christ’s body by the baptism of the Holy Spirit; Paul says in Gal 3v27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
15) When the sinner who trusts Christ is ‘accepted in the beloved’ (Eph 1v6) & is baptized into Christ’s body by the Holy Spirit, he is buried with Christ by ‘spiritual’ baptism – Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Col 3v3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Every believer in Jesus Christ is baptized by the Holy Ghost into Christ’s body! 1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Every child of God is baptized INTO Christ’s body; every saved sinner is buried with Christ.
16) The believer becomes a love gift to the Son from the Father – The Lord Jesus said in John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. Every saved sinner is a special love gift from the Father to His Son Jesus Christ
17) The moment you trust Christ as Savior, you are indwelt by Christ, & you are saved by Jesus Christ – Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 4v12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. You are indwelt by Jesus Christ the moment you trust Him for your salvation! Jesus said in speaking of these matters… John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
18) When a sinner trusts Jesus Christ, he possesses ETERNAL LIFE! John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
19) When the sinner trusts Jesus Christ, he has peace with God. Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Rom 5v1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: John 14v27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
20) He becomes a friend of God – John 15v15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
21) His name is recorded in Heaven – Luke 10v20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
22) He becomes a fellow laborer whose name is written in the book of Life – Phil 4v3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.
23) He becomes seated with Christ in Heavenly places – And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: In a sense, the Christian has already gone home to glory. – Eph2v6 His body is still down here, & he is in his body, ‘absent from the Lord & present in the body’. However, his spirit has been ‘born again’ & ‘regenerated’ by the Holy Spirit & joined to Christ’s Spirit – But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1 Cor 6v17). In this sense, he is at present seated with Jesus Christ ‘in heavenly places’
24) He receives a blessed hope – Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; (Titus 2v13) Notice, he does not hope he’s saved. He received the blessed hope, & the blessed hope is that Christ is coming to get us – Rev 22v20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
25) He comes into fellowship with the Trinity. John wrote… That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1v3
26) We gain a mansion in glory – In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14v2
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001
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