How to Teach Salvation

How to Teach Salvation Michael Thomas

The Necessity of Teaching Salvation

Experience has taught me the irreplaceable importance of this message. Many who identify as Christians do not truly understand salvation, nor do they possess a firm foundation to distinguish genuine salvation from mere religious affiliation.

Frequently, people equate salvation with baptism in water, which is a significant step but not a guarantee of salvation. True salvation involves being baptized in Christ Jesus, receiving the life of Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Without addressing key biblical truths, salvation can remain an abstract concept for listeners rather than a transformative experience.

Salvation Begins in the Garden: The Dilemma of Humanity The Importance of Oneness in the Body of Christ In today's society, many identify themselves by denominational labels: Oneness Christians, Trinitarians, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, and others. While these distinctions exist, they are man-made. The Bible reveals one unified Body of Christ—a spiritual organism—transcending denominational divisions. This understanding reframes our teaching of salvation beyond surface labels to the core truth of becoming one with Christ.

Genesis 3:2-4

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

To teach salvation effectively, we must root our message in the Bible’s narrative from the very beginning. Turn to Genesis chapter 3, where humanity encountered its first spiritual crisis.

The serpent’s words to Eve—“ye shall not surely die”—stand as the first antiChristian doctrine, promoting disobedience by denying its deadly consequences. This lie suggested that turning from God bore no ultimate penalty, introducing a spiritual blindness still prevalent today. The serpent’s distortion promised that by eating the forbidden fruit, humans would “be as gods, knowing good and evil.” While it is true their eyes were opened, this newfound awareness was a painful loss of innocence and a fall into spiritual darkness rather than holiness. Eve’s perception of the fruit changed after entertaining the serpent’s words, illustrating how deception alters our view of sin and leads to transgression. Humanity, therefore, was not simply lost physically, but spiritually—cut off from fellowship with God, no longer walking in the closeness enjoyed in Eden.

Genesis 2:7

And the LORD

God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

What Was Lost & What Was Gained at the Fall It is critical to understand that God did not breathe His Spirit into man when he was formed from the dust of the ground. The 'spirit' God breathed into Adam was the breath of life, otherwise known as wind, air, or oxygen, creating a living soul, but it was not the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:2 1

The Holy Spirit indwells believers, producing holiness and changing desires and behaviors. This indwelling Spirit empowers us to overcome sin and walk in the newness of life.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

To know means to perceive, to understand, and to experience. Eternal life is to know (perceive, understand, and experience) the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. But sin brought death and broke man's fellowship with the Father. Salvation brought us back into spiritual fellowship with God. Now we know God and we know Christ, and we are alive because of that knowledge.

Romans 6:1-2

1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Sin’s wages are death—both spiritual and physical. Yet, Christ’s death on the cross paid the ultimate price, satisfying the law and freeing us from sin’s dominion. Baptism into Christ symbolizes our union with His death and resurrection; it marks the end of our sentence as prisoners of sin.

This freedom is irrevocable. Just as a prisoner who has died cannot return to jail, believers have finished their sentence in sin.

We are no longer bound but are invited to live as new creations, walking in the light and power of the Holy Spirit.

Salvation & the End of Our Sentence

Romans 6 teaches that believers have died to sin, and thus cannot continue living in it.

When sin entered, humanity lost innocence and purity, replaced by darkness—a powerful dominion of sin and death. This darkness manifests in concupiscence, the strong desire or inclination to disobey God.

Salvation, therefore, addresses not only what was lost—innocence and fellowship with God—but also what was gained—the captivity of sin and the presence of spiritual death. To be truly saved means to be freed from this captivity by the power of God’s Spirit.

Ephesians 2:2

Whe

The Scriptures confirm that there is a spirit working within those who have not yet experienced salvation—the spirit of disobedience enslaving the soul.

However, once a person becomes a child of God, this spirit is removed through the work of salvation. Understanding the spirit as the controlling and dominant Keep reading >>>

Ephesians 2:2

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

The Spirit Working

Within Us part of our being, not a mere passenger alongside body and soul, helps clarify the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.

Walking in the Newness of Life

Keep reading >>> New believers may find their desires shifting profoundly—old temptations lose their appeal because the Holy Spirit produces new desires aligned with God’s holiness. This transformation is not by human willpower but by divine empowerment.

Salvation is not a process of struggling harder to be good, but a transformative experience where the Holy Spirit replaces darkness with light, bondage with liberty. This change affects thoughts, desires, and actions. When the Spirit fills us, we bear His fruit—love, kindness, patience, humility, and other godly attributes.

Honesty and Growth in the Christian Walk

It is essential to be honest with ourselves about our preferences and struggles. Sometimes believers remain drawn to sin despite salvation, a result of preferring darkness over light. Recognizing this preference and crying out for God’s grace and strength enables further growth and sanctification.

Walking in the Spirit means sin no longer tempts us as it once did. If we struggle with persistent temptation, it signals the need for deeper submission and influence of the Holy Spirit in our inner being. Keep reading >>>

Conclusion: Teaching Salvation with Clarity and Compassion

To teach salvation effectively, ministers must guide others through these foundational truths from Genesis to Romans, facing misconceptions and false doctrines with grace. Understanding the spiritual realities of death and new life in Christ equips us to minister with clarity, compassion, and conviction.

<<< E N D