Many people in the church today believe that all you have to do is claim salvation and heaven is guaranteed. Let's discover how God looks at this subject. His Word alone is Truth. He alone is the Author of our salvation.

Think back to the first two chapters of Genesis, back when God created the heavens on the earth, and then the climax of His creation was to create man in His image, perfect, flawless and sinless. That is very hard for me to wrap my mind around. At this beginning point of man’s life there was only one law, or instruction, that God gave to Adam to obey, and it is recorded in the 2nd chapter like this;

“The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." [Gen. 2:8-9; 2:15-17 NASB]

Seems simple enough to me. One instruction, outside of that Adam had total freedom and a very close relationship with God. God did not have to have a plethora of laws to control His creation because when God created man, he was created perfect, in God’s image. There was no sin in him. Isn’t that something we could live with today?

But look at the details, because it is very important for our understanding in our relationship with God today. In verse 17 God said “…but from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” That was full disclosure to Adam, nothing hidden, black and white. Contrary to professors of evolution, Adam wasn’t stupid. He didn’t evolve from “goo goo, gaa gaa” and a club as science wants us to believe. God gave Adam full communication skills, full use of his brain and ability to think, and God gave him the job of naming all the plants and animals. So Adam under-stood God’s instruction to not eat of that tree.

God in His love for us, gave us the details of that first sin against Him, so that we would have no excuse when we commit a sin of disobedience against His instructions today. Look at chapter three. The first seven verses describe how sin entered into the heart of man to bring us all of the heartache we have today. All sickness, all strife, all disease and all death were introduced because of that one sin that disobeyed that one instruction. Let’s look at those first seven verses so that we can bring the dynamics of God’s instructions forward to our life today;

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened…” [Gen. 3:1-7 NKJV]

In verse 3:1 above, Adam had eternal life, he had an unobstructed relationship with God. He had maximum security in God. Then along came the cunning deceiver, represented here as the ‘serpent’, or satan. In Adam’s day, there were no other humans so satan manifested himself through an animal. Today, satan is represented by the carnal man, the man given over to the cares of this world. Remember that Jesus said that we humans cannot serve two masters, we will serve either one or the other [Mat. 6.24]. and notice in that verse that there is no middle ground, Paul in Romans chapters 7 & 8 covered this in detail. But notice that the serpent was in the Garden of Eden, the perfect place for Adam to live. Today, false teachers come into the church body where the believer is supposed to have secure fellowship, to be built up and exhorted by other believers. So when I mention the ‘deceiver’ I am including false teachers that are in our midst today.

Notice also in verse Gen. 3:1 that the deceiver quoted verbatim God’s instruction in verse 2:17, and then twisted that instruction to sound as though it was optional, that God didn’t really mean what he said, and that ‘we’ have the freedom to modify God’s instructions for our own benefit. The deceiver tried the same trickery on Jesus when He was tempted by satan in the garden in Matthew chapter 4. The deceiver quoted scripture from the Old Testament verbatim and then with deceitful genius twisted the Truth to appear optional, something that had no consequence.

The deceiver, in reference to the gift of salvation will say, “You have said a prayer, you don’t need further training, disobedience will not separate you from God. You’re OK!” But God in His Mercy and Grace keeps warning, from cover to cover of His laws and instructions, to flee from even the appearance of sin, to be renewed in our mind, to ‘strive’ to make our calling and election sure. So let’s take a deeper look at…

I write this article in response to the increasing number of differing views on the topic of salvation. It has become apparent to me, that if these views are allowed to mature to their own reality, that further division will become more and more probable. Today fundamental bible churches are increasing in numbers and membership, and most of these people believe and want simply truth and a bible based theology that can give them a sense of security in their relationship with Jesus Christ. However, many of these people come from different denominations, all of which teach differing views of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and some even teach doctrines created by men as 'commands from God'

And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." [Mar_7:6-8 NASB].

It is common belief today that the beginning point of salvation is all that is required for eternal life, and what I want to examine is the question of "What is the relationship of obedience [within] that miracle of our re-birth?" This question goes beyond the ridiculous question of "Are you saved if you live in disobedience?" which is obviously, No!

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; [1Jn_1:6]NASB
And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. (1Jn_2:3-5)NLT

There are some extremists today that will say that nothing [including vile sinfulness] can keep you out of heaven once you have professed salvation, while other extremists claim that you are always walking on the precipice of losing your salvation. Plus, there are dozens of variations of what brings salvation and eternal life, from infant baptism to good works and moral living. So we want to look to scripture to try to give meaning and Truth to this question.

First - we need to understand what salvation does, and second, we need to understand how obedience augments our salvation.

1) What is salvation? To understand what salvation is, we have to put it in proper perspective because today it has become a term that has negative connotations from the world's perspective, and from within the church, this miracle has been reduced to a one-time event that has the promise of lasting for eternity, and many times does not include the repentance of sin or the involvement of the Holy Spirit calling one to restoration in Christ. In other words, salvation is not the call of God in a person's life, the conviction of sin and the process of [becoming] a new creation in and through the work of Jesus Christ, but simply a path to morality and heaven. The doctrine of sanctification has been so watered down that many believe that it simply means learning to become a good moral person and they are taught to rely on the 'point of salvation' rather than the process of salvation for their eternal life.

Salvation should be the most important event of every person's life. This event was planned for before God created us. He created us to be dependent on Him, and that He would be the provider of all that we need. Our only job description was that of being a good steward. But God knew, in advance, that we would attempt to reverse the roles, and try to become our own providers. God warned Adam & Eve that any disobedience was such an infringement against the nature of God, who knew no sin and could not sin, that the penalty would not only bring death and turmoil to all mankind, but that it would also separate all men from God. But He loved us, His creation, so much that He sent His only begotten Son to pay the required penalty by shedding His own blood for our redemption so that we could be restored back into fellowship with Him. It is a moment when a person is set free from the bondage of sin, he is made a new creation, given a new heart. This is the point in time when the person who is privileged to be called a 'child of the King of Kings' should be shouting with joy, telling everyone about his new life. Yet, many pulpits today tell a responder for salvation to hang his head and say a quiet prayer so no one will notice. "We don't want to embarrass you" is the advice.

The next step that new believers are encouraged to take is the opportunity of water baptism which is a very important symbolic act of public declaration of a new life and a new direction, but then very little is offered in the way of formal discipleship which is also required for the new believer to be able to overcome the attacks of satan and the struggles of the flesh, the old nature that will want to return to the enticements of the world. The topic of discipleship is discussed so rarely that many today do not know that it was mandated [not optional] by Jesus Christ Himself just prior to His ascension to the Throne of God, where He makes intercession for us 24 hours a day. He intercedes because He knows the struggles that rage in the heavenlies over the souls of believers.

It must be established that the point of salvation is not the end-all of our walk with Christ, it is only the beginning. The point of salvation gives us everything we need [the tools] for living a godly and obedient life.

This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. (2Pe_1:1-4 NLT)

Once we receive the 'tools', we are to put them to use [sanctification process] by growing in the Spirit, so that we can overcome the flesh and the evil powers that reside in the heavenlies [2Pe_1:5-11]. When we ignore the sanctification process, we are quenching the Spirit and living in disobedience. It shows that we do not understand the spiritual warfare that is taking place.

Paul says "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete." (2Co 10:3-6)NASB

Spiritual growth is NOT automatic. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit, working in our life, preparing us for good works which we were called to do from the beginning of time.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful [required] to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work. [2Ti_3:16-17] NLT

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. [Eph_2:10]NLT

We are to activate the work of the Holy Spirit by drinking in the inspired Word of God and by much prayer. Paul instructs us to: "Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith." (2Co_13:5)NLT

1b) How do we know we are saved? The assurance of our salvation is very easily determined when we test ourselves against scripture rather than the doctrines and assurances of men.

And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments. [1Jn_2:3] NLT

We know we love God's children if we love God and obey His commandments. Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. [1Jn_5:2-3]

"If you love Me, obey My commandments." [Joh_14:15]

Questions to ask ourselves: Are we growing in the Spirit [Sanctification process]? Is the person of Jesus Christ becoming more important day by day. Is our life displaying the fruit of the Spirit towards others and towards God? Do we hunger and thirst after righteousness [obedience]? Do we mourn over sin and the effects of sin. Are we being separated away from the worlds system and thinking on things above?

2) How does obedience augment our salvation?    [augment: add to; or, enlarge]

The Word of God, in many places, tells us that disobedience will keep us from 'entering into His rest and provision.

So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: "Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts." Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the One to whom we are accountable. So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Heb 4:6-16)

God's Word says that the story of the exodus of Israel from Egypt is to be our example, which is commented on in many of the books of our bible. (Heb. chapters 3 & 4; and 1 Cor. chapter 10)

The most straightforward documentation of how God will judge those who willingly mock and test Him through disobedience is located in Ezekiel chapter 33.

"Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, 'Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?' As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? "Son of man, give your people this message: The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked be-havior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. For instance, they might give back a debtor's security, return what they have stolen, and obey My life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live. "Your people are saying, 'The Lord isn't doing what's right,' but it is they who are not doing what's right. For again I say, when righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and turn to evil, they will die. But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. O people of Israel, you are saying, 'The Lord isn't doing what's right.' But I judge each of you according to your deeds." [Eze_33:10-20;ff]

While Christ calls us to obedience, we must understand that obedience canNOT come out of human, or, fleshly efforts. And while obedience is the key to our restoration back to God, we [learn] obedience only by submitting to God just as Christ did in Hebrews 5.

"While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who could rescue Him from death. And God heard His prayers because of His deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered." [Heb_5:7-8].

We can only fulfill Christ's commands as we sub-mit to Him and allow Him to strengthen us. EG:

Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [2Co_12:9] For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. [Php_4:13]

-While the point of salvation activates our walk with Christ, and gives us all the tools for living godly lives and the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, it is obedience that is the source of eternal salvation:

Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author, or source, of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; [Heb_5:8-9]KJV

As Matthew Henry's Commentary puts it:

By these His sufferings he was made perfect, and became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Heb_5:9. [1.] Christ by his sufferings was consecrated to his office, consecrated by his own blood. [2.] By his sufferings he consummated that part of his office which was to be performed on earth, making reconciliation for iniquity; and in this sense he is said to be made perfect, a perfect propitiation [or, atonement for our sins]. [3.] Hereby he has become the author of eternal salvation to men; he has by his sufferings purchased a full deliverance from sin and misery, and a full fruition of holiness and happiness for his people. Of this salvation he has given notice in the gospel; he has made a tender of it in the new covenant, and has sent the Spirit to enable men to accept this salvation. [4.] This salvation is actually bestowed on none but those who obey Christ. It is not sufficient that we have some doctrinal knowledge of Christ, or that we make a profession of faith in him, but we must hearken to his word, and obey him. He is exalted to be a Prince to rule us, as well as a Savior to deliver us; and he will be a Savior to none but to those whom he is a Prince, and who are willing that he should reign over them; the rest he will account his enemies, and treat them accordingly. But to those who obey him, devoting themselves to him, denying themselves, and taking up their cross, and following him, He will be the author, the grand cause of their salvation, and they shall own him as such forever.
[MATTHEW HENRY'S COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE]

John Calvin said that it is our persistence towards righteousness that proves our salvation.

The inverse of this truth in verse Heb. 5:9, is that [purposeful and continual] disobedience separates us from God. This is why [1Jn_1:9] is so important to the serious believer. Not only because we need forgiveness and cleansing from unrighteous actions, on a continual basis in order to overcome the flesh, but because the believer that learns to love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength, will mourn and loath his sin nature and will want to do everything possible to be an overcomer.

"So why do you keep calling Me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say? I will show you what it's like when someone comes to Me, listens to My teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will col-lapse into a heap of ruins." (Luk_6:46-49 NLT)

So, with just a little exploration into the Word of God, we find that our eternal life produced by salvation does indeed have a direct relationship to our obedience to His instructions.

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
2Co 13:6 As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. NLT