How many kinds of salvation are mentioned in the Bible? How are they explained?
There are at least six kinds of salvation mentioned in the Bible.
The first kind of salvation is eternal salvation before God, which we obtained the moment we believed in the Lord. This salvation involves our being delivered out of the judgment of sins, the curse of the law, the threat of death, the punishment of hell, and the power of Satan. Our trespasses have been forgiven, and we have been cleansed of our sins. We are justified, sanctified, and reconciled to God. This salvation also includes regeneration, receiving the eternal life of the Lord, the quickening of our spirit, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us. We receive this salvation entirely by the grace of God; it has nothing to do with our works. Ephesians 2:8 and 9 say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works that no one should boast.” Second Timothy 1:9 says, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages.” Titus 3:5 says, “Not out of works in righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 15:11 says, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus we are saved in the same way also as they are.”
This eternal salvation was accomplished by our Lord Jesus. He is our Savior who came to die for us on the cross and bore our sins (1 Pet. 2:24), redeemed us out of the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), and delivers us from the wrath which is coming (1 Thes. 1:10). By His death He destroyed the devil, who held the might of death (Heb. 2:14), and delivered us out of the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13) that we should not come into judgment, but pass out of death into life (John 5:24). By the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead, we are born again, given eternal life, and become the children of God (1 Pet. 1:3; John 12:24). By the ascension of the Lord Jesus, we are brought near to God the Father so that we and the Father can have fellowship in the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:12; 10:19-22), far above all the powers of darkness (Eph. 1:21). The Lord has accomplished all these matters. Our part is simply to believe and receive. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name” (John 1:12). “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek” (Rom. 1:16). “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).
This kind of salvation is eternal. Once a person is saved, he is saved forever. “And having been perfected, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9). Since the salvation that the Lord has accomplished for us is eternal, our salvation is also eternal.
We can find at least twelve aspects in the Bible which confirm the security of our salvation and the fact that we shall not perish once we are saved.
We have been made children of God and have received sonship not according to our condition but according to the predetermined will of God (Eph. 1:5). God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose (2 Tim. 1:9). Our condition may change, but God’s will never changes (Heb. 6:17). In eternity past, God determined that He would save us and not lose any of us (John 6:39). How then could we be saved and later unsaved? Our salvation is eternally secure in God’s unchangeable purpose.
Our election by God is neither accidental nor temporary. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). God chose us according to His purpose, not according to our works (Rom. 9:11). Furthermore, we did not chose the Lord, but He chose us (John 15:16). The Lord will never change. God’s calling is irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). Therefore, our salvation is eternally secure and will never be changed.
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