Three Tenses of Salvation 8/26/07

The Bible speaks of salvation as occurring at distinct times and in distinct manners. Blurring these distinction causes great confusion among some Christians.

The Bible speaks of salvation as occurring in the past. "We have been saved," said the apostle Paul. That same Bible speaks of salvation as occurring in the present. "We are being saved." Furthermore, the Bible speaks of salvation as a future even. "We shall be saved."

Which one of these is true? They are all in the Bible, so they must all be true.

I. SALVATION IN THE PAST TENSE

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2: 8-9

There are three things I would like for you to notice about this wonderful, past-tense salvation.

First, in the past we were saved from the penalty of sin. All of our sins, past, present, and future, were laid upon Him and He paid the penalty of sin -- which is death-- for us.

Second, in the past Jesus accomplished for us a finished work of salvation. You cannot add to what He has done. He paid the sin debt in full.

Many years ago I read the story of the conversion of a preacher down in South Louisiana. His name was L. R. Shelton. He was a preacher, but he was lost. He tried to resign from his church, but they would not let him. They loved him. They saw the possibility of God doing something great in his life. Instead they appointed a deacon to preach while the pastor got his heart right with God. This godly Cajun deacon was preaching his heart out one Sunday. He exposed all the things that people trust for salvation outside of Christ as false hopes. Not good works, not religion, not being baptized. Finally he said, in his Cajun dialect, "It's needer dis. It's needer dat. Christ died to save sinners. Are you a sinner?" It was then that L R. Shelton saw clearly that He was a sinner and Christ died for Him. It was a finished work, and all he had to do was believe.

When clothed in His brightness
Transported I rise
To Meet Him in clouds of the sky
His PERFECT SALVATION, His wonderful love
I'll shout with the millions on high
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of His love
And covers me there with his hand
And covers me there with his hand.

The third thing I would like for you to notice about this past tense salvation is that it is not by degrees. No one is saved more than another. The newest Christian is not less saved than the most mature saint. When God saves someone it is total. You will never be anymore saved than you are at this moment. If you give your life to Christ today you will not be any less or more saved than Billy Graham. It is, as we have seen, a perfect salvation.

II. THE PRESENT TENSE OF SALVATION

"For we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." 2 Cor. 2:15

This is not a contradiction. In the past we have been saved from the penalty of sin. But, there is still the power of sin that must be dealt with. The present tense of salvation is that aspect of salvation where God saves us from sins present power.

Sadly, many Christians never mature in their walk with the Lord. They forever remain babies.

Isn't it sad to see a person who was born retarded? They never fully mature. They miss out on so much of life. Well, it is sadder when a Christian who has been given a perfect salvation fails to realize all the potential that God has placed inside of them.

Paul warned us: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, hew will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." 2 Cor. 3:11-15

"Yet so as through fire." Or, better put, "by the skin of your teeth." I don't want to be saved by the skin of my teeth. I want to have a triumphant homegoing. I want to hear the Lord say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Don't you?

III. THE FUTURE TENSE OF SALVATION

As the past tense of salvation is deliverance from the penalty of sin, and the present tense is deliverance from the power of sin, so the future tense of salvation is deliverance from the presence of sin.

"For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:22-23

Why is it that we still physically die, even though Christ has paid for the penalty of our sin? It is because we are awaiting the redemption of our body. Why is it that we still grow old? We are awaiting the redemption of our body.

There are two avenues of entering the kingdom of heaven. I did not say that there are two ways of entering the kingdom of heaven. There is only one way, and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus said "I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life, and NO MAN comes to the Father except by Me." Nevertheless, there are two avenues of entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

The first is the avenue of death. Everyone since the time of Jesus has entered into heaven through the "valley of the shadow of death."

The second is the avenue of rapture. To be caught up in the skies like Enoch and Elijah.

Upon the Mount of Transfiguration we see the kingdom of God in miniature. There is Moses. He died on Mt. Nebo and was carried by the angels into Heaven. And there is Elijah. He didn't die, but ascended to Heaven on a chariot of fire.

I once heard a black preacher say that he wasn't looking for the undertaker; he was looking for the upper taker! Amen to that.

But here is an interesting thought. Charles Haddon Spurgeon was once asked about the rapture. In response he said a strange thing. He said that he didn't want to go to Heaven by rapture. He wanted to enter heaven by the avenue of death. Why? Two reasons: First, the Bible says that the dead in Christ shall rise first. And Second, He wanted to know the power of His resurrection. All of that he would miss if he entered heaven by rapture.

Here is a "so great salvation."
In the past -- saved from the penalty of sin
In the present -- saved from the power of sin
In the future -- saved from the very presence of sin.

Here is a gospel worth sharing. Tell others what Christ has done for you.
Here is a gospel worth living. I once heard a Sunday School teacher say that any gospel worth dying for is worth living for. And here is a gospel worth receiving. If you don't know Christ as your savior today, then today is your day to receive Him.


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