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Salvation is the Lord' s WorkMatthew 18:11: "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." Matthew 18:14: "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Matthew 24:22: "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved." Mark 2:10: "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." Mark 10:27: "But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." Luke 9:56: "For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." Luke 12:32: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 19:10 "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." John 3:14-17: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:18-21 "18He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." Compare to John 8:12: "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." " Also compare to John 9:15: "Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." " John 4:14: "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 5:21: "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." John 6:40: "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 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:47: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life." John 6:50-51: "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. John 6:68: "But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." " John 8:24: "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." John 10:9: "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 11:25: "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." " John 12:32: "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." John 12:47-48: "47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." From the Writings - The Lord' s Work of Salvation DP 257 Divine providence has for its end nothing else than reformation and thus salvation. This is its continual operation in each individual. And salvation cannot be achieved except by acknowledgment of the Lord's Divinity and confidence that the Lord accomplishes that salvation when a person lives according to His precepts. TCR 142. (2) THE DIVINE VIRTUE AND OPERATION, SIGNIFIED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, CONSIST, IN GENERAL, IN REFORMATION AND REGENERATION; AND FOLLOWING UPON THESE, RENEWAL, VIVIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION AND JUSTIFICATION; AND FOLLOWING UPON THESE AGAIN, PURIFICATION FROM EVILS AND REMISSION OF SINS; AND FINALLY, SALVATION. These are the virtues in their order which the Lord makes effective in those who believe on Him, and who adapt and prepare themselves to receive Him and become His dwelling place. This is brought about by means of Divine Truth, and in the case of Christians, by means of the Word, as this is the only means by which a man approaches the Lord, and into which the Lord enters. for, as was said above, the Lord is the Divine Truth itself, and whatever proceeds from Him is Divine Truth. It is, however, Divine Truth from good that is to be understood, and this is the same as faith from charity, for faith is nothing but truth, and charity is nothing but goodness. By means of Divine Truth from good, that is, by means of faith from charity, a man is reformed and regenerated; then renewed, quickened, sanctified and justified; and according as those virtues progress end develop, he is also purified from evils: and purification from these is the remission of sins. However, all these several operations of the Lord cannot here be explained in detail, for each requires its exposition to be confirmed from the Word and rationally illustrated; and this does not belong to our present subject. The reader is therefore referred to later parts of this work which treat in due order of Charity, Faith, Free Will, Repentance, Reformation and Regeneration. It should be known that the Lord without ceasing renders effective those saving graces in every man, for they are the steps to heaven, and the Lord wills the salvation of all men; thus the salvation of all is the end He has in view, and He who wills the end wills also the means. The Lord's Coming, His Redemption, and the Passion of the Cross, were all for the sake of man's salvation, Matt. xviii. 11; Luke xix. 10; and as man's salvation was, and eternally is, the end He has in view, it follows that the operations just mentioned are mediate ends, while salvation is the ultimate end. The Need to be Conjoined with the LordJohn 6:53-54: "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." John 6:57-58, 63: "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 heavennot as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever...63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." [emphasis added] John 12:32: "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." The Word of the Lord Teaches SalvationJohn 6:68: "But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." " John 12:47-48: "47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges himthe word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."
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