My Favorite Salvation Verses in the Bible: Part One, by C.S.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life. —Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you The Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…

John 6:47

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes has everlasting life. —Jesus

Romans 1:16 

For I am not ashamed of The Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…

Ephesians 2:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

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.

Romans 10:9-10 NKJV …if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Matthew 26:28 

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Matthew 18:1-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! —Jesus

Mark 1:15

…believe in The Gospel. —Jesus

Mark 16:15-16

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach The Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. —Jesus

Luke 4:18 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach The Gospel to the poor… —Jesus

Luke 24:46-47 

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Repentance of their wrong belief that Jesus was not the Messiah (the Christ).)

John 1:29 New King James Version (NKJV)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:36 New King James Version (NKJV)

***He who believes in the Son HAS everlasting life***; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 5:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

***“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me HAS everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”*** —Jesus

John 6:28-40 New King James Version (NKJV)

28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:47-51 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from Heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” —Jesus

John 6:47-64 

47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” 

The Most Terrifying Horror in a Person: Resentment and Unforgiveness

There is something that I have noticed in people (and in myself, duh!*) that is, by far, the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. 

It is unforgiveness and resentment.

Doesn’t sound that bad, does it?

But it is: unforgiveness and resentment are enough to destroy your very soul. 

This is God-awful terrifying, and oppressive, and overwhelming.

This is the worst thing I can think of. 

I can think of three people from my life, all now dead, who were the most miserable people I have ever met (other than myself, years ago—the link to my story is below).

The one, a woman, I knew through working as a CNA. The deadness, anger, negativity, unforgiveness, and resentment in what little was left of her soul are beyond the power of my words to adequately describe. 

Once, I gave her a Bible, and she literally threw it in the trash right in front of me.

When I went to her funeral and saw her body in the casket, I am not trying to be funny, her personality did not seem to have changed. 

Her resentment and evil, her presence, was awful to experience.

Two other people, old men, were the most angry, negative, miserable people. Always resentment coming out of their mouths.

All three of these people seemed to have the attitude that they had never sinned against anyone, but that many other people had sinned against them.

And then, of course, my own suicidal depression, brought on by my anger and unforgiveness and extreme resentment against those who had grievously sinned against me.

I am NOT talking about theory here!

In Matthew 18:32-35, God Himself promises to send “torturers” on people who do not forgive other people of all sins.

I have personally experienced this torture. It was called extreme fear, terrifying anxiety, soul-crushing despair, indescribable pain, and suicidal depression.

Some of us fools think we can can set ourselves up as the supreme judge of other people and hold their sins against them, ignoring our own sins that God has forgiven us.

But God will torment unbelievers forever in Hell for their sins.

And God will judge saved believers at the Great White Throne Judgment the for bad things they did, including the sins of unforgiveness and resentment.

Anger leads to unforgiveness, unforgiveness leads to resentment, resentment leads to terrifying painful, soul-crushing, “mental illness.”

This is the worst fate a human being can have on this earth, psychologically and spiritually. 

Unforgiveness and resentment will grind your soul into Hell on Earth in screaming, suffocating horror far beyond the ability of your mind to now imagine.

A lot of times people think that others are negative, but really what they are is resentful and unforgiving.

Worldly people say that we need to “let go.” 

I don’t believe that. 

We need to forgive. 

Time heals no one. 

Only forgiveness heals the soul.

If we can’t forgive, then we need to go to God in Jesus Christ and get help through his Holy Spirit to forgive—because you cannot live without forgiving.

If you live in unforgiveness and resentment, the life that you live will be a burning seething Hell of torment, fear, anxiety, depression, and despair.

Unforgiveness and resentment in a person is awful beyond words to describe.

Only in forgiveness can you be healed and free.

Forgiveness is not divine only.

It is absolutely ~necessary~ for people to forgive, Christian or not, saved or not.

If you do not forgive, you cannot live and enjoy life.

I do not care one bit what anyone else has done to you. I don’t care how awful or painful or terrible it was: if you do not forgive them 100% and persistently, forgiving them over and over, continually, your life will be seething pile of burning soul wreckage FAR WORSE than the abuse done to you.

Unforgiveness and resentment eventually result in anger, fear, anxiety, depression, despair, and possibly suicide.

God, who has forgiven you 100% in Christ, will NOT allow you to peacefully and happily go around with resentment towards others, or even against any one person. See Matthew 18:32-35 and before.

If you forgive, you will have JOY, if you do not forgive, your life will be some level of HELL on earth.

I am 100% sure of this.

Forgive everyone of everything, everyday, no exceptions.

And have peace and joy.

May Jesus bless you with His love, and His total forgiveness, and His ongoing forgiveness.

Curtis Smale

* https://graceinsightandart.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/jesus-healed-me-of-suicidal-depression-instantly-and-permanently/

https://graceinsightandart.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/forgiveness-is-not-an-option-if-you-want-to-be-happy/

https://graceinsightandart.wordpress.com/2016/10/21/the-suffering-that-results-from-unforgiveness-by-c-s/

https://graceinsightandart.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/the-most-important-lesson-i-have-ever-learned-and-am-still-learning/

Don’t Live from Your Self, Live from Your New Self in Christ

If you are a believer in Christ, don’t live from your self—live from your new self in Christ. The loving, holy, righteous Spirit of Christ indwells you, and He Himself is your life and righteousness.

The Bible says that by God’s grace, the sinful nature selves of believers were crucified with Christ, and no longer live.

Our new self was raised pure and imperishable; ~unable to sin~; with Christ, the Only Son of God, in His resurrection.

Live by faith in who you are in Christ.

We are in Christ. Christ is in us. Though we are still in the flesh and can sin, we no longer have to sin. We can live by faith in who God says we are in Galatians 2:20.

Curtis Smale

The Two Most Important Aspects of Christianity: Irrevocable, Irreversible, Eternal Salvation through a Moment of Faith in Christ; and Practical Sanctification/Communion with God, in Christ.

 

1) Eternal Salvation: God’s forgiveness of all our sins, Heaven irrevocably guaranteed, eternal life, eternal security, everlasting connection with a loving God, and a new, holy, loving, righteous self, in Christ and also indwelled by Christ, are the free and loving gifts of Jesus.

We receive this free gift of God’s love in the moment of belief in Jesus, when we believe in the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel message, the Good News, is that Jesus, who is God and man, shed His blood and died on the cross for all of our sins (past, present, and future) according to the Scriptures, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures.

2) Practical Sanctification and Communion with God: living daily, in this life, by faith in the perfect and righteous person we have been made in Christ, as children of God our Heavenly Father, indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit, having died with Christ and having been raised to new life with Christ. This perfect, holy, and righteous new self is indwelled by Christ. We do not not believe in ourselves, but in Christ who Himself ~is~ the righteousness of those who believe in Him, by His grace.

In Practical Sanctification, in our present daily life, believers in Jesus, by faith, are ~living by faith in the new holy person we are, in Christ~ which is in union and complete dependence on Christ the Vine. Believers were made into holy persons in Christ by God in the very moment we were saved through faith in Jesus. When we live by this spiritual reality in Christ, we live the Christian life of communion and sanctification, in God.

In the natural sinful nature of the flesh, we are potentially as sinful, evil, and wretched as we ever were.

By God’s grace, we can daily live by faith in this new life in Christ.

I believe that Salvation in Christ and Practical Sanctification/Communion with God are the two most important truths of Christianity that should be focused on and made preeminent in order for people to have eternal salvation; and also for them to have true spiritual growth in the grace of Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us, to forgive us our sins and deliver us from our sin and evil and estrangement from God, to His goodness and love.

Curtis Smale

Why Some People Won’t Receive Love from Other People

Why some people are afraid of others’ Self-Disclosure. 

Why some people are repulsed by others giving them Forgiveness, Money, and Honesty. 

Why receiving Kindness, Compassion, Help, and Caring are scary for some people.

 

 

I awoke this morning with an insight into spiritual growth.

A few years back, I had this question about human behavior that I couldn’t answer.

I saw people who had things given to them from other people. Sincere kindness, compassion and love, and I saw them refusing it. I could hardly believe it. I couldn’t figure it out. What could be better than love? Were they were not accustomed to that sort of thing? Did they did not think it was sincere? Did they think there was another motive other than goodwill? I wasn’t sure.

Why would someone be afraid of love? I thought, maybe they see kindness as charity. They might like to think they are too self-sufficient for that kind of thing.

But here’s the insight I awoke with: some people are afraid of love because it might change them.

It’s the same principle as gift-giving. If you give a nice gift, the other person often says, “You shouldn’t have,” or, “I can’t accept this.”

Why do they do this? It’s because, in accepting a gift, they have entered into a love relationship with another person. 

They might wrongly feel obligated. They have, after all, been given a free gift. They are entering a relationship that might cause them to want to do acts of loving kindness in return. And that is a very uncomfortable feeling for many people.

Americans, especially, want to live by independence, laws, and not needing charity. But all love is charity. It is something we need. It is a free will action. Charity, here, meaning love, not giving to the poor.

Love has a strong tendency to change people for the better, unless they fight that tendency.

But what about self-disclosure and the other gifts? These might get the same counter-intuitive response, and for much the same reasons.

If someone takes money as a gift, they might question whether or not they have been generous in the past.

What if someone else is open? (About their struggles, faults, fears, experiences, doubts and sins). It does a couple of things. It might shatter a person’s view of other people’s “perfect” lives. It might remind them of the truth of their own faults and failings and struggles.

It might remind them that it would help them to be honest about their own humanity.

Bonus insight: This is the reason I love indie movies. There is something soul-satisfying or even noble, about admitting, or being forced to admit, the hard and unpleasant truth about oneself, which is often a feature in these movies.

This is one of the things I’ve seen lately. The wider scope of true Christian spirituality. It’s more than believing in Jesus for salvation. It’s more than being the child of God that you are in Christ, and living by His Spirit.

It’s also about being honest about the failings of the flesh that we need to dis-identify with daily (die to daily.) Believers died with Christ and are risen with Christ, Galatians 2:20.  A believer in Christ has a new self, a new identity, that we live in, and from, by God’s grace, and by faith. God loves us.

Two things I always wished for:

One, that spiritual growth would be automatic and effortless by the Holy Spirit.

And two, that we could hook up to Jesus by faith, by grace, in God’s Spirit, once and for all. And have His life flow through us, without interruption, forever.

I now see these things as spiritual fantasies (until we are with Jesus in glory, where they will be reality).

I also see them as the main reasons that many people are dead in the water when it comes to spiritual growth.

To disidentify with our sinful nature, we need to first admit and confess our sins, to God and to other believers we trust.

This is where spiritual growth occurs. When we confess our sins, the Spirit of Christ flows through us. This happens because His Spirit and His love are no longer blocked by the external mask that we are no longer wearing.

Otherwise, we end up becoming ever more fake. We wear our mask of hypocritical Christian perfection. We become the “hypocrites.” These are people that unbelieving visitors to, and former burned members of, Christian churches are always complaining about.

As we confess our sins and the reality of our life, we can drop the facade. We can throw away the “perfect” personal media storefront creation of ourselves, and be genuine.

Christianity offers the great gift of being real. We are not only the perfect person in Christ that we are by His declaration.

We also can become fearless in showing others what is still here, for now, in our flesh.

People love a before-and-after story. They love people to get up and explain how God completely changed them, 100%, from what they were before!

The story we are not quite as fond of is the real one: the fact that we still struggle and fail and sin.

Christianity has a built-in allowance for this all-pervasive human reality.

Jesus gave The Lord’s Prayer to the disciples to pray. It says, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It acknowledges the reality of our sinful human condition—while at the same time preaching our new reality in Christ—God is “Our Father.”

The New Testament counsels us to confess our faults to one another.

The way of the world is to mask personal faults, until there is a giant explosion of one kind or another.

The Bible says to confess our weaknesses so that the power of Christ might rest upon us.

This results in true spiritual growth.

Curtis Smale

Jesus Only Is Our Salvation

Believe in Jesus Christ, (who is God Himself incarnated as a man), for one moment:

In Him you also believed, after you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-15)

who shed His blood and died on the cross for the forgiveness of all your sins (past, present, and future), was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day, according to the Scriptures (1st Corinthians 15:1-4),

and you have eternal life and are saved from the punishment for your sins in Hell: permanently, irrevocably, and irreversibly. Believers are guaranteed to go to Heaven.

How do I know this? Please look at John 3:14 and 15. (The verse right before the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16.)

Jesus is telling the Old Testament story of Moses and the bronze serpent. (Numbers 21:4-9) The people bitten by the deadly snakes were told to simply look at the bronze snake, which was a type of Christ, and they were saved merely by that look.

Jesus did ~everything~ for our salvation.

You can believe in Jesus right now for eternal salvation.

God the Holy Spirit will help you to believe.

The Bible says that our good works count for nothing in salvation, zero: 

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. NKJV

 

Curtis Smale

 

 

 

Believing in Jesus and Believing the Gospel are the Same Thing. Anyone Who Believes in Jesus or the Gospel Has Eternal Life Forever and Irrevocably. Anyone Who Believes in Jesus or the Gospel Has Eternal Security. Eternal Life Is the Unavoidable RESULT of Believing in Jesus or Believing in the Gospel.

If a person believes the Gospel, they automatically believe in Christ, because the Gospel found in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 says that Christ is the one who died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures.

Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him has everlasting life, so everlasting life is an unavoidable result of believing in Jesus.

So it is absolutely nonsensical to say if you believe the Gospel that you’re not eternally saved, not born again, don’t have everlasting life.  

Believing the Gospel involves believing in Jesus, and the unavoidable result of believing in Jesus, according to Jesus, is that you are eternally saved.

Curtis Smale