| Author | Message | ||
| Rain Registered user Username: Rain Post Number: 78 Registered: 9-2011  |
I'm kind of ripping off Jrt's Holy Spirit thread idea, but it seemed like such a good format to use for the question I had today. When you were Adventist, what was your understanding of salvation and Jesus' role in salvation? As a Former, how do you now understand salvation and Jesus' role in salvation? I was reading the Bible and one of those programmed-into-me gut SDA reflexes to a verse hit me, where I instantly mentally responded to a verse about salvation with something along the lines of "Jesus died to uphold the law." Now I know that's not true since I believe the Old Covenant was done away with and we now have the New Covenant. When the thought hit my head I couldn't believe how automatic it was even though I didn't believe it. So, I started thinking, why did Jesus die? And then I wondered how you all understand his death now that you're out. | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 2734 Registered: 7-2007 |
When I was an Adventist, I thought that Jesus died to make it possible for me to be saved. I just had to make sure I used Jesus' strength to keep pushing out sin or I would be lost. As a Christian now, I know that Jesus did it all and that when a person accepts Him as their Savior, they're saved right THEN and all their sins, past, present and future are forgiven. I know that they're sealed with the Holy Spirit right then (Ephesians 1:13-14) and that He then starts working in the person's heart, but that's His work and we're not saved by it - it does though, show the world that we're Christian. | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 2735 Registered: 7-2007 |
I can certainly relate to those old habits though! I heard in a sermon once, that we're born legalists! And with that Adventist background, legalism keeps jumping up in my face! It's been over six years now, but it's hard to shake it all off... | ||
| Jrt Registered user Username: Jrt Post Number: 1242 Registered: 10-2008 |
Asurprise, THAT is EXACTLY how I, too, saw things ... Couldn't have said it better ... Jesus made it possible for me to be saved. Great Question! | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13880 Registered: 12-2003  |
Oh, wow, really great question. I understood it like Asurprise said it, too: Jesus made it possible for me to be saved. I realize that my understanding was a mishmash; I didn't really understand exactly what his death did. Oh, I would have said he came to pay the price for sin...he died to save me, He died for my sins...etc etc. I would have said all that. But it still boiled down to making it possible for me to keep the law. I understood Him to be my example for how to live so I would be saved. Now I understand that He was my complete Substitute: He didn't live to show me how to live so I could be saved. He came as my Substitute and took God's wrath for human sin. He paid the price God demanded for sin: death. His death is my complete substitute death if I believe Him. And His personal righteousness is what God credits to me. No, He doesn't place a robe of Christ's righteousness on me. He hides me IN HIMSELF and His own SELF is credited to my account. I heard Elyse Fitzpatrick say, in one of her teaching videos for her book Because He Loves Me, say something like this: The Father loves you so much that He is preparing you to marry His Son. Wow. Colleen | ||
| Mjcmcook Registered user Username: Mjcmcook Post Number: 573 Registered: 2-2011  |
Another way to write about GOD's Love is this~~~ GOD Loves me because~~~HE gave me HIS SON !~ That is enough! Because I have accepted the "Gift" of HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST, I am now HIS child~ HE has not left me an orphan in this cruel world! The HOLY SPIRIT "Lives" in me! I can now live in this world without "fear"~! ~mj~ | ||
| Jonvil Registered user Username: Jonvil Post Number: 661 Registered: 4-2007 |
"When you were Adventist, what was your understanding of salvation and Jesus' role in salvation?" Undefined, vague, amorphous, nebulous, hazy… "As a Former, how do you now understand salvation and Jesus' role in salvation?" RAZOR SHARP I am a sinner Saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone ANYTHING that does not support this I ignore Keeps things real simple | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13885 Registered: 12-2003 |
Yes! Colleen | ||
| Cloudwatcher Registered user Username: Cloudwatcher Post Number: 628 Registered: 5-2009  |
Here is the Adventist understanding of salvation (from Altar Call by Roy Gane): "By way of analogy, Christ put the money in the bank (by His death on the cross) and then He writes checks to people from that account (by His mediation, distributing the benefit). For us to receive the benefit of salvation, provision and distribution are both necessary. Christ put enough "money" in the bank to cover every human sin. There is enough to give everyone the opportunity to be saved. But what is the use of a huge bank account if nobody writes checks to those who want the money?" Today I understand that my debt is paid in full and I am completely and totally free. | ||
| Punababe808 Registered user Username: Punababe808 Post Number: 110 Registered: 4-2012 |
My SDA heritage taught me Jesus is my example. He lived a perfect sin feee life and His reward is eternal life with God the Father. As our example we can do likewise. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13889 Registered: 12-2003 |
Cloudwatcher, wow. What a skew Roy Gane perpetrates. I remember our pastor once saying in a sermon that Jesus took us from deeply in debt and paid our debt so we no longer owed for our sin. But Jesus didn't stop there; He put credit in our account. So we aren't just brought up to ground zero and debt-free; we are already wealthy, possessed of all His riches. Gane has Jesus putting credit in His own account...how ridiculous is that? --and then writing us "checks" when we need it. The reality is that Jesus gave His own self and His own inheritance and has put it in our accounts when we trust Him. Colleen |
