Only ones

History has repeated itself. We are not the ‘only ones’ who will be saved by the Grace of God. We are not the ‘only ones’ whom Christ came to save. In the past, with the same set of Scriptures, the Jews (Pharisees & Sadducees) came up with all the ‘wrong’ teachings especially thinking that they are the ‘only ones’.

Today, Christianity has fallen into the same ‘deception’ and made the same mistake as the Jews of the past (whom they often ridicule). Christians think that they are the ‘only ones’ whom Christ came to save.

In short, the Jews thought that they were the ‘only ones’ whom God loved and wanted to save (‘salvation is of the Jews’) whilst the Christians have broaden God’s plan of salvation ‘a little’ by claiming that they are now the ‘only ones’ whom God loves and wants to save (‘Salvation is of the Christians’).

Both the Jews and Christians who hold to this line of thought are wrong and are against Christ. The Jewish error implies that ‘God is a racist’ (simply because you must be born into the Jewish race to be a Jew whom God loves/saves) while the Christian error implies that ‘God is dogmatic’ (because you must be in the ‘right denomination(s)’) and those who are ‘wrong’ will be ‘fried eternally’ in the ‘fire’ with ‘no chance’ of ‘salvation at all’.

As Clement of Alexandria echoed in the past, Christ saves ‘all’ (men or angels) but some with dignity and honour (believers) whilst others He converts through punishments (non – believers & apostate angels) implying that both sentences in the ‘Judgment’ (reward & punishment) are actually with the same One purpose of God, which is to ‘save the world’.

In the context of men, I’ll prove to you with ‘two verses’ that are very commonly erred:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8 – 9)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,” (Titus 2:11)

The first verse above (Ephesians 2:8 – 9) tells us that the ‘you’ (in context means ‘believers’) implying that Christians are saved by the ‘Grace of God’ through ‘faith’. They are saved through ‘faith’ simply because they are saved in this ‘temporal life’ itself ‘before they die’ and since they cannot/haven’t seen it, they receive the ‘salvation of their souls’ (which is the ‘end’ of their ‘faith’ – 1 Peter 1:9) by ‘faith’ (without seeing).

The second verse stated above (Titus 2:11) clearly states that ‘all men’ (whether believer or non-believer) will attain ‘salvation’ through the ‘Grace of God’ which we know is manifested through Christ Jesus alone.

In detail, ‘all men’ (not ‘some men’) will attain salvation (after judgment) by the ‘Grace of God’ but ‘believers’ attain it first (through faith – on earth itself – without ‘seeing’) whilst the non-believers (the rest) attain it (without faith) but rather just by ‘God’s Grace’ alone through Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, Amazing Grace!

Peter echoes mysteriously,

“for for this also to dead men was good news proclaimed, that they may be judged, indeed, according to men in the flesh, and may live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)

And Paul also does the same about the ‘spirit’ of man being ‘saved’ even after the flesh (body and soul) be destroyed by Satan (in hell):

“To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5)

Note that ‘deliver to Satan’ (literally) to ‘destroy flesh’ (literally) only happens in ‘hell’ (as Lord Jesus Himself said that, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)).

Note also that the ‘Judgment’ (the act of delivering one to Satan to be destroyed in the flesh at hell) is with the intent of ‘salvation’ (even in the verses above) signified by the ‘outcome’ that the person who suffers it, may have his ‘spirit’ alive (true existence – life itself) –  ‘live in the spirit according to God’

(1 Peter 4:6) or that ‘his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus’ (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Indeed, Amazing Grace!