RESULTS OF SALVATION | VICTORY

1. Results of Salvation

a) People who are "saved" have received salvation. The word salvation tells many wonderful things that God supplies for those who accept Christ. Some of these are past and can never be changed again. Some are in the present time, going on day by day, 1 Peter 1:9. Others will come to pass in the future.

b) "Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time", 1 Peter 1:5.

c) For now, we will think about the present side of salvation, in another later, future salvation.

d) The word sanctify means to set apart for God. Since God is holy, sanctify can mean to make someone holy, or to make a person a saint. All believers are saints, Romans 1:7. They have been made holy, have been set apart for God by the Holy Spirit. But sanctification is something that goes day by day as well. The Lord who sanctifies and they who are being sanctified are all of one, Hebrews 2:11.

e) Sanctification is not only a thing of the present time. It is past, 1 Corinthians 6:11, and also will continue until Christ makes us perfect, Ephesians 5:26-27.

2. What is Victory?

a) Salvation in the past saved me from the punishment of sin.

b) Salvation at present saves me from the power of sin.

c) Salvation in the future will save me from the presence of sin.

d) Salvation day by day means I have victory over sin. The believer has three enemies: the world, the flesh and the  devil, Ephesians 2:2-3. These three try to lead him into sin.

e) The flesh is the desire of the natural man to sin, Galatians 5:17. Even when a person has been born again, he still has the flesh and will continue to have it as long as he remains in this world. It tries to make him sin through evil habits which he had before he was saved, Romans 7:5, and through desires, 1 Peter 2;11.

f) The world is also an enemy of the believer. By the world we mean the evil men who surround him day by day. All men, but especially young people think they must do the same things their friends do. Thus the world tempts by its example, 1 Peter 4:4.

g) Many people who sin try to make it look better by blaming Satan for tempting them to sin. Of course Satan cannot be everywhere at once and his main work is not trying to make believers fall into sin. If you want to know the reason for most of your sins, just look within your own heart.

h) Satan may keep busy mostly with false religion, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. He has armies of demons to do his will. His main plan is to put doubt and evil thoughts into men's minds, as seen in Genesis 3:1-5.

i) How can the weak believer meet such powerful enemies and gain the victory? The Bible tells us how:

@1. As to the world, we should not love it, but love the Father instead, 1 John 2:15, Colossians 3:2. "The world is crucified unto me and I unto the world", Galatians 6:14.

@2. They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, Galatians 5:24, and should not give it any opening to act, Romans 13:14. If we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh, Galatians 5:16.

@3. Fight back against the devil, and he will run away from you, James 4:7. Christ saw Satan fall from heaven, Luke 10:18. He will certainly be destroyed, Hebrews 2:14.