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            Soul salvation is the sole issue of eternal importance because our destiny hinges on the decisions we make regarding who we trust.  The writer says Hebrews 10:39 ”We are not of them who draw [drawing] back to perdition [are destroyed]; but of them that believe [believing] to the saving of the soul.”  The saving of the soul is a matter of not turning away in unbelief from a position of believing faith in the atonement sacrifice of Christ.

          Knowing that the wrath of God is coming on an unbelieving world, and knowing that the majority of people will be judged guilty, we must understand what soul salvation means.  Most people do not, or are not willing to meet God’s one requirement for escaping the flames—“that you should be believers in Him whom He has sent" John 6:29.

          The issue is far too important to go by opinion—only the Word of God can reveal the truth on this vital subject.  We must know what it means to be saved.  When we begin to trust God in faith, Satan becomes active with temptations, and with suggestions, to get us away from a position of faith.  Even after years of trusting God, the devil still attempts to get us away from that position of trust.

          Denominational church members often seem pleasant and prosperous, while we may be tried and tempted by the devil.  Satan suggests that we are not where we should be spiritually.  The truth is that Satan will fight anyone who is trusting God right, and leaves those alone who only profess to be a Christian—but are living like the world—not trusting God in faith for anything. 

Satan suggests that these professed believers are saved, and that obedient believers are not saved—by saying obedience is trying to earn soul salvation.  The truth is, if we are truly trusting God in faith, it will draw the fire of the devil.  Faith and obedience are always connected.  Ephesians 6:12 ”For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”  The sin nature wants to believe everything Satan suggests, and not believe anything God has written.

We must not be influenced by others, but conduct our life only by what God had written because the Christian life is an individual matter between us and God.  The Word means everything.  John 1:1 ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The Word represents God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit teaching us as One.

Many denominational church members have a false peace and false sense of security, because if they are not trusting God in true believing faith for the issues of this life, sudden destruction could result 1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 ”While they are saying ‘Peace and safety!’ then in a moment destruction falls upon them, like birth-pains on a woman who is with child; and escape there is none.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that daylight should surprise you like a thief; for all of you are sons of Light and sons of the day.  We belong neither to the night nor to darkness.”

          Every believing soul should realize that peace, protection, health, healing, and daily needs are blood-purchased rights to claim in faith and to enjoy in life.  We must deliberately place ourselves under the blood by faith.  Trials and temptations in life are part of trusting and believing God in faith.  The apostle visited many places for Acts 14:22 ”Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations [hardships] enter the kingdom of God.’"

Wherever we are spiritually, the devil will try to hinder and discourage.  Tests of faith are part of living by faith.  1 Peter 1:6 ”In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.”  When we meet trials according to the Word of God, we are holding fast to our faith on God.

Faith is refined by trials met scripturally, so these faith tests are far more valuable than the entire wealth of this world.  1 Peter 1:7 ”These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

A spiritual battle is waged every day to get our attention, our life, and finally our soul.  Satan is trying to hinder our faith and to discourage us from trusting God in faith.  He wants us to be in an unsaved position of not believing in faith and not trusting God for real-life issues.

All of God dealing with us is to give us Paradise, and all of Satan’s lies are to put us in Hell.  John 10:10 ”The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”  The devil will always oppose us in divine things, but he will not oppose us in worldly things.  His entire purpose is to have our faith dissolved by the time we pass into eternity.

God knows that if we believe in His Son, and place a trusting faith in His atonement sacrifice, we will be saved.  1 John 5:13 ”I write all this to you in order that you who believe in the Son of God may know for certain that you already have the Life of the Ages.”  Trusting God in believing faith is evidence that we believe in the Son of God for the forgiveness we need.

This life is a school with tests along the way, and God wants us to graduate.  The devil is determined that we not graduate by not being prepared, but God is working to have us be prepared by teaching and testing us in faith along the way.  The gift of forgiveness is free to anyone willing to trust Him in faith while they are here on earth.

We are prepared only through enduring faith in Christ.  Colossians 1:22-23 ”He has now, in His human body, reconciled to God by His death, to bring you, holy and faultless and irreproachable, into His presence; if, indeed, you are still firmly holding to faith as your foundation,”—and continuing to trust God in faith when tested or tried.

Soul salvation means seeing ourselves forgiven by believing faith in the atonement cleansing of Christ, and continuing to trust God by having His Spirit inspire us to do that.  The only reason we meet with temptations, is to have the opportunity to meet them scripturally.  After we have been tested “for a while” and have met them according to the Word, the “God of all grace,” will “perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” 1 Peter 5:10.

          The trials can be in various forms—a physical attack, a financial battle, an insulting co-worker, an unprovoked injustice, or a temptation to retaliate—but no matter what it is or how unfair it seems, we are not to resent it, but to place it before God.  We are told to Luke 6:35 “Love your enemies!  Do good to them!  Lend to them!  And don’t be concerned that they might not repay.  Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High.”

          God’s Word explains how to meet trials and temptations, because how we meet these things shows us if we are acting in faith or not.  Many people think they have salvation, but there is more to being saved than just saying words.  Being converted means being changed.  Matthew 18:3 “Verily I say to you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

          Outward things like baptism, singing hymns, giving to charity, Communion, and saying prayers have no merit in themselves, but “keeping God’s commands is what counts” 1 Corinthians 7:19.  It is what happens after our conversion that counts, and which shows whether we have salvation or not.

          There is a beginning, a learning process, and a perfecting of our faith in Christ.  There is a change in our thinking and a revolution of our living.  Unless we are transformed from trusting in anything and everything but God, and learn to depend on Him like a child depends on an adult for everything, we would not enter God’s kingdom.

          Human opinions and false teaching have things backwards concerning soul salvation.  The Bible places the test of being saved at the end of the Christian life, but false teaching places it at the beginning—OSAS.  James 1:12 ”Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test [been approved], he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

          The crown of life is eternal life—given to those who continue to trust God in faith through all trials and tests of faith.  Many think that being born again is a through ticket to heaven that can never be revoked, but the Bible does not teach that.  Hebrews 10:38-39 ”Now the just [righteous] shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.  But we are not of those who draw back to perdition [Webster loss of the soul in Hell], but of those who believe [believing] to the saving of the soul.”

          Soul salvation involves three things—there is a beginning when we repent and confess our sins to God and accept His Son as our Savior.  Next—which many religious groups do not teach and often oppose—is to commit our life totally to God as they did in the Bible, and to receive the Holy Spirit Who inspires faith to believe God.

          Step three is to actually live by faith in the living God everyday.  If we meet things as God says in His Word to meet them, we will be in a scriptural and trusting position on divine healing, finances, training children, protection, employment situations, and in all other circumstances.

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