THE OPERATION OF SALVATION

Sons Training Monday March 13, 2017

How to Study and Teach the Bible Lesson 12 THE OPERATION OF SALVATION

God has truly fellowshipped with us in His Word. Never take it for granted that the Lord is pouring out to you a revelation of His heart and mind. It is a great privilege to be able to hear from God. We have learned so much over the past lessons. The core of all the lessons so far is the teaching on the operation of salvation. It is imperative for the leaders in the Body of Christ to teach the same thing. The scriptures instruct us to have the same mind, heart and doctrine. The doctrine of Truth is the doctrine of Christ in the flesh which is more familiarly called the mystery of Christ. The mystery of Christ is at the core of the entire gospel. Let me correct myself; it is the gospel. It reveals the marvelous plan of God concerning His saints. It does us absolutely no harm to be redundant in this, furthermore, it is safe. Let us use this lesson to slowly review the fundamental principles of the mystery of Christ.

PREREQUISITE: FAITH

After Adam’s sin, the entire human race was sold under sin. All who were born were born in sin and shaped in iniquity. All flesh and all souls were bound in sin. The penalty of sin is death, which is eternal separation from God. However, man was made for God. God was in no way surprised that the devil chose to possess man with the spirit of iniquity. Consequently, He used satan’s decision to bring Himself some glory. The only way man could be spared from the sting of death is to be transformed from a sinful state. By this transformation, the wages of sin (death) would no longer be applicable. So God sent His Son Jesus into the world, who He suffered on a cross, becoming a propitiation for the sins of the entire world. His blood was shed for the sins of many. This blood, nearly 2000 years later holds its relevancy and power. Though He died, He also was resurrected. Now salvation is available to all men or in the words of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is at hand. To be saved, one must have faith in God.

Activity 1 - Find 3 scriptures that prove that faith is necessary to be saved.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Acts 16:31

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 19:4-6

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

All that is necessary for a saint to be saved is faith and self-denial. When both are present, God will then begin His operation of salvation, which though thorough, took place in the twinkling of an eye.

Stage 1 of the operation

PUTTING OFF THE OLD MAN/THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST

Colossians 2: 10,11

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

The first step in the operation is to put off the old man. The old man is a biblical terminology for the fleshy body of sin before salvation. The word ‘old’ means previous. The body of sin is considered old, because those who are saved walk in a new man, a new body that has been made righteous. To ‘put off’ means to take off or to remove. To achieve this, God removed the soul from the flesh. By this, I mean, God physically takes the soul outside of the flesh. And now the body without its spiritual parts within IS DEAD. Having died, it is now put off. But not only did the body die, but the soul died as well.

Question: What scriptures reveal to us that both the soul and the body die at the first stage of salvation?

There must be scripture

• proving the death of the soul
• proving the death of the flesh

He that is dead is free from sin (Romans 6:7).

The death of both soul and flesh has freed both from sin. Another term for ‘put off’ is ‘circumcise’. Circumcision is typically described as the removal of the foreskin of the male genitalia. In the Old Covenant the foreskin of the male was seen as unclean. This was a type and a shadow of what was to happen in the New Covenant. In the circumcision of Christ, the spirit of iniquity that is dwelling in the flesh is what is seen as unclean. By the circumcision of Christ, the spirit of iniquity is removed from the flesh. Thus, though both are dead, both are clean and acceptable unto God. The death of the flesh is explained by the circumcision of Christ. But what of the death of the soul? Recall that in the beginning, when man formed man he formed him from the dust of the ground. It was not until He blew the breath of life into Adam that Adam became a living soul. The soul needed the body to express itself, and without the body there can be no expression. It is no longer a ‘living soul’, but dead.

James 2:26

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Activity 2 - Find 3 scriptures that teach the doctrine of Putting off the Old Man or the Circumcision of Christ.

Scripture 1:

Romans 6:6

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Scripture 2:

Ephesians 4:22

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Scripture 3:

Colossians 3:9

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

STAGE 2:

THE CREATION OF THE NEW CREATURE

Putting off the old man is followed by the creation of the new creature. In this stage, God places the soul that was dead, into the Holy Spirit. Let’s not forget that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Life. Therefore, the physical positioning of the soul inside of the Holy Spirit, raises the soul from the dead. The soul positioned in Christ is called a new creature. The new creature is the soul merged in the Holy Spirit. This supplies the soul with an entirely new nature. The soul now experiences the emotions of Christ, because he is in Christ.

Activity 3 - Find 3 scriptures that teach the doctrine of the Creation of the New Creature.

Scripture 1:

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Scripture 2:

Colossians 3:3

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (My soul is the life of the body).

Scripture 3:

Romans 12:5

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (The body of Christ is in Christ).

STAGE 3:

THE CREATION OF THE NEW MAN

The final stage is the creation of the new man. This stage is where the new creature enters the flesh. Jesus chooses to go inside of the body that had died when we put off the old man. When He does this, His Spirit quickens the flesh alive. The body with the Spirit of Christ in it, is called the new man. It is important to note here that the soul is not in physical contact the flesh in this operation. Rather, it is hidden in God. The direct contact of the Spirit of God to the flesh is what allows the flesh to live. As it relates to the soul, he is hidden in God, and now expresses himself through the new man. It is here that we learn that the body cannot sin because of the seed of Christ remaining in it.

Activity 4 - Find 3 scriptures that teach the doctrine of the Creation of the New Man.

Scripture 1:

Ephesians 4:23,24

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Scripture 2:

Colossians 4:9,10

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Scripture 3:

Romans 6:4,5

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

LESSON REVIEW

The purpose of a teaching like this is to get the listeners to comprehend what happened to them at salvation. Many saints think that they sin because they still have an evil nature, and will always have it despite the Spirit of Christ living inside them. They believe that this is just the way things are, and the way things will remain as long as we are on the earth. Some believe their bodies are their enemies.

This explains why it is extremely necessary to show, by the scriptures, the holy nature of the sons. We used the scriptures, step by step to show the operation of salvation. At the end of this teaching the listeners should understand the sons of God can live holy 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The purpose of this is to bring them to an understanding that they can be holy even as Jesus was when He walked the earth. Why is this so? Because it is Christ living in them.

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE LEFT UNANSWERED AND IF ANSWERED, MAY ADD TOO MUCH TO THE LESSON. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE ESSENCE OF THE LESSON MAY BE LOST…..

After teaching a lesson like this, I expect the following questions/statements.

1. “If we are just like Jesus, why do we sin?”
2. “I find this hard to believe because Jesus did not have the ability to sin but we do”
3. “How do you explain when we sin without knowing it?”
4. “What is my responsibility as a son?” “If I am not in the flesh, why can I still feel my body?”