Introduction to Salvation Issues

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.  Matthew 25:21

Hello! God bless you this day!

My name is Glenn and I have been feeling the Holy Spirit lead me to get back to writing as I had in my younger days, but this time to focus on the topic of "salvation issues".

I am going to be writing about God, about scriptures, and about what has been weighing on my heart and been drawing me into prayer and keeping me there recently and I suspect into the future, or as long as He continues to bring this topic to me in our time together.

So what exactly are "Salvation Issues"?

The answer you would get entirely depends on who you talk to.  

Visit any Baptist Church in North America and talk to someone in leadership and chances are you will get an answer like, "In the Gospels (Mathew, Mark Luke, and John) you will find the way to salvation,"  In a nutshell what that means is, that is you believe that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, fully man and yet also fully God, that he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins, and you confess your sins and accept Him as your personal savior, and you will be saved.  

Much of my formative years were spent in a Baptist Church in Nova Scotia, Canada, and by the time I was 7 years old, I "knew the truth" of this.  To this day, I believe that this is a solid understanding of how you can get to heaven.  To most Baptist pastors in the US and Canada, this is THE one and only salvation issue.  

BUT...

I know that you are not supposed to start a sentence with "but", BUT in this case, the old adage rings true...  nothing before the "but" matters, so I want to be very clear about what I am about to say next as it is the whole reason for this blog, and the whole reason for the rest of my life as long as I continue to walk un the path that God has for me.  

So let me say it again...

BUT...  The Baptists are missing the mark, and in fairness, it isn't just the Baptists.  Just about every denomination that believes that this is the only "salvation issue" facing the world today misses the mark as well. 

I'll warn you.  I am not going to be pulling any punches with what I write in this blog.  I am going to be giving it to you as the Spirit gives it to me. The truth, as I understand it in the Scriptures. I may not fully understand everything I write, and I will be wrong sometimes, but this is not MY blog.  This Blog belongs to God, and my prayer is that what is shared here, is used to help save others, but also to strengthen and fortify those who are already saved, in their salvation. 

I say this before I drop my first bomb just so you are prepared for what is to come.  Truth cuts like a sword, but also like a surgeon's scalpel. Some things need lopping off completely, while others need the fine guidance of a skilled surgeon's hand. The Truth can do both... the determining factor of which we need is where we stand on the issues at hand.

The belief that praying sinner's prayer and that once you pray it, you are bound for heaven no matter what comes straight from the mind of Satan and the mouth of those who the enemy controls.  

Yes, I know that is harsh. but it has to be.  Maybe it makes you angry to hear, or defensive...or maybe you even feel hatred toward me for writing it.  That is OK, God has called me to tell the truth, not to make friends. I want you to recognize that feeling, identify it, name it. Then ask yourself why are you feeling it? Is it normal to feel that way becasue someone has a new-to-you idea or thought than you do? I have felt it myself many times as I have poured into scripture and teaching from those who are filled with the truth. Measure the emotion. 

Salvation is not just about confessing your sins and believing in God.  It is not about saying a sinner's prayer, thinking that effectually buckles your eternal life seatbelt.  The Baptists have it wrong.  In fact, I would argue that you don't even need to say the sinner's prayer to be saved.  

Salvation is about making it to the end, in obedience to God's instruction. It is about living a life of repentance, and seeking God's will, and following it for your WHOLE life.  

Salvation issues are ANYTHING that will deter you from successfully doing that. 

There are MANY.

That is what this blog is going to be about. 

What topics are there that either keep people from the truth by replacing God with "science", leaving them with an alternate explanation of who we are, and why we are here?  

Those are salvation issues.

What topics are there that derail believers, causing them to slide back into the ways of the world and not walk the path that God has for them? 

Those are salvation issues.

How many ways does the enemy attack believers and break their faith in God? 

Those are salvation issues.

Those are what this blog is going to be about.

I pray that God will bless me as I study and as I write.  

I pray that God will bless you as you follow and that the Holy Spirit will wield the truth like a sword or a scalpel, and that the truth will open your heart, and mind and life so you can have a closer walk with God, one that will lead you to your salvation. 

When your life here on this earth is complete, I pray that you will hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant:, as He ushers you in through the gates of heaven for eternity.

I pray that I will see you there someday.