Church Camp Message 6 - Doctrine of Salvation

Rom 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ".

Salvation is:

T - Total depravity: by ourselves we cannot save ourselves. We are simply unable to do this, not by any amount of work that can be done. Rom 3:10-12. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Only God can save us. If He did not choose us, we would be eternality damned.

U - Unconditional election by God - God chose us because He alone decides to do so. There is nothing in us that would make God choose us. John 15:16 - God in His own will chose who to be saved. Eph 1:4-5 - God chose who to be saved before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of His will. What did we do to deserve the salvation? None, and for that we are privileged to be chosen.

L - Limited atonement - God must atone for our sins before we can be saved, for this is the law of God. 1 John 2:2 - Christ's death is the atonement for our sin. It is limited atonement because the atonement is only for those elected to salvation.

I - Irrisistable Grace - God's grace drews us towards Him, we cannot resist, for God will have His work done. John 6:44. We can never resist His calling to be saved. 

P - Persereverance/preservation of the Saints - we cannot lose our salvation, God will preserve us to the end, so long as we are truly saved. John 10:28. If we are saved in the hands of God, we are truly 100% saved, forever. 

With salvation, we know why we are here, how we are saved and where we are going.

The root of salvation is Justification - to declare someone not guilty. This justification comes by faith through God's grace, it is what saved us from eternal damnation. This is a one time act of God for the elect. 

The fruit of salvation is Sanctification - this is the process of making us more and more holy, like Him after we are saved. We do not become sinlessly perfect like him at the instant of salvation. It is a process over time as we study God's Word and be moulded towards being holy and understanding God. This is a continuous process as we journey with God on this earth. 

Beware of false gospels where anything else but God's grace is required for salvation. False gospel cannot save us, only the gift of God can. Good work cannot save. Good works come only from the being saved as the result of sanctification process of God.