The BIG Picture (Shorts)

QUESTION: Christians, did Paul teach that salvation is through faith in Messiah, not through works of the law as a means of justification while also emphasizing obedience as in upholding the Law which remains essential to faith: Romans 3:31 & Galatians 2:16? ANSWER: Paul’s teaching about salvation and the Law is simple, but it is also very important to understand clearly. He says in Galatians 2:16, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” This means that no one can be made right with God by keeping the Law. Salvation is not earned by what we do. It is given freely when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. Justification—being declared righteous before God—is by faith alone. But Paul also says in Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through fait...

In Romans 13:11, when Paul says “for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed,” he is referring to the future aspect of salvation—specifically, the completion of our redemption at Christ’s return. Three Phases of Salvation in Scripture To understand this verse, it helps to see salvation as having three tenses: Past – We were saved from the penalty of sin when we believed (Ephesians 2:8). Present – We are being saved from the power of sin as we walk in the Spirit (Philippians 2:12). Future – We shall be saved from the presence of sin when Christ returns, and we receive glorified bodies (Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21). Romans 13:11 points to this future salvation—the final deliverance of the believer at the rapture and the judgment seat of Christ, when our earthly walk ends and our heavenly inheritance begins. In light of contextual clarity, Paul is urging believers to wake up spiritually and live in light of the approaching day. The “night” of this present evil age is far s...

Philippians 2:12 declares, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” At first glance, this verse might sound like a call to earn salvation, but that’s not what this verse teaches. It’s about living out what Christ has already done for us. Paul begins with “wherefore,” pointing back to Christ’s example in Philippians 2:6-11. Jesus humbled Himself, obeyed unto death on the cross, and was exalted by God. Because of His finished work—not ours—we’re saved by faith in the gospel of His death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins (1Co 15:1-4). By faith, we are declared righteous and are at peace with God.  “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” – Romans 5:1-2 Salvation isn’t something ...

The blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross was the pinnacle of sacrifice and love and accomplished our redemption through the forgiveness of sins. Romans 4:25 confirms this absolute fact, Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.  But there is more to that verse than being delivered from our offenses by the propitiation (appeasement, satisfaction) of His blood. There is also the power of God which raised up Christ from the dead for our justification. Not only did His resurrection justify us, declaring or making us righteous in the sight of God, but that same power also became the source for our ability to walk in newness of life, Rom 6:4  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.   Many believers think of the death and resurrection of Christ as the work done by God's grace to sa...

A BEAUTIFUL SOCIAL MEDIA STATEMENT: The gospel tells us that we must believe that Jesus died for our sins. The actual process of salvation is performed by the Holy Spirit which includes the Word of God renewing our mind and bringing us to obedience of Christ. So, it truly is good news. SOMEONE’S RESPONSE: Ridiculous! Show me a verse that says that!! MY REPLY: The bible tells us to study it line upon line, here a little, and there a little, Isaiah 28:10. No one verse is going to divulge the entire salvation process which involves justification, sanctification and glorification. Thus, one has to read the Bible and learn these things as the verses, throughout many pages, connect and confirm each other. I can give you a starting point by referring you to 1Cor.15:1–4 and Eph.2:8–9. Then, from these verses, allow the scripture to lead you into more cross-references and it will start to build a clear picture of the process of salvation in Paul’s epistles. ______________ Please share these wit...

Anyone NOT born again of The Holy Spirit is NOT Saved - John 3:3, 5 Anyone Who Doesn't Have the Same Spirit as Jesus is NOT Saved - Romans 8:9 Anyone NOT Led by the Holy Spirit is NOT Saved - Romans 8:14 The above responses are typical of people who comment on doctrine and bible studies through ignorance and immaturity. God saves people because they believe in His Son, not because they are ‘led by the Spirit’. Being led by the Spirit is a product of studying the Word and getting it into your soul. To the extent that the Word of God is in you, is the extent that it flows out of you. When the Word flows out of you and influences your thoughts, behaviours, reactions and speech, then you are led by the Holy Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is the outflow of the Word of God within you. Nothing more, nothing less. Salvation occurs BEFORE being led by the Spirit. Salvation does not depend on being led by the Spirit. Details: https://thebigpicturelink.blogspot.com/2023/07/disputing-ignorance-...

In Romans 1:16, Paul wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." To be saved, we need to believe the gospel. The word "gospel" translates to "good news." But before we can believe this good news, we need to understand what it is. I paraphrase what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: "Brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you... that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures said; He was buried, and He rose again on the third day, as the Scriptures said." This is the good news we must believe to be saved. Unfortunately, many sincere Christians often use popular phrases instead of sharing the true gospel message. Some common phrases include, "Ask Jesus into your heart," or "Make Jesus your Lord and personal Savior." Another phrase you might hear is, "Say yes to Jesus today." These phrases don’t have the p...

Rom 4:20 He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (21) And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (22) And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. (23) Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; (24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; (25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. What a beautiful passage. Abraham did not waver in faith, believing that God could perform what He said, and Abraham was imputed righteousness. So it is with us. We should have unwavering faith in the cross work of Christ, for our justification, because the power of God raised up Christ from the dead to confirm that we too are imputed this same righteousness unto salvation.  God is faithful and able to do that He promised. Hallelujah! _________...

In the Book of Romans, God uses the phrase "There is no difference" twice, once in Rom.3:22-23 and once in Rom.10:12-13. The first phrase in question speaks to the universal guilt of humanity, encompassing religious Jews, godless Gentiles, refined moralists, and uncivilized barbarians alike. The first three chapters examine their respective privileges and duties, weighing their arguments with due consideration. The verdict drawn is unequivocal: all are equally culpable, having sinned and fallen short of God's glory. The same phrase, when used a second time, pertains to salvation.  It underscores the abundance of God's mercy towards all who call upon His name, promising salvation to those who do so. God's impartiality is evident in both sin and salvation: all are equally accountable for sin and likewise, all have equal access to salvation. The rich, educated, devout, uneducated, or immoral—none are excluded. Christ's sacrifice was for all, enabling everyone t...

  Yes. Paul would have preached the grace gospel to the jailer. We are beyond the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 where the Kingdom gospel was closed, and Paul's grace gospel was the only valid gospel.  Let's look at all the details of this account: Paul says, "Believe on the Lord." This is not the whole gospel. This is just a short statement of fact. The next verse says that they spoke unto him "the word of the Lord" . This is probably where they presented him with the whole gospel message.  Note that baptism is still mentioned here. Remember that this is during the transition period. This account happened in 50AD. Paul only mentions 5-years later, in 55AD, when writing the Corinthian letter, that he no longer baptizes. So, even though the jailer was preached the Grace gospel, it was still evident that baptism was the custom for new converts. Over the next 5 years, this would fade away as Paul matures in the revelation of the grace gospel. ______________ Join ...

When we look at the horrific death of Christ, and the fact that the Bible says His death is essential for our salvation, then we can only conclude that our condition is one of extreme and inescapable despair, disability and destitution – to the extent that we ourselves could do nothing to rectify our existing situation. The extreme measure that God took to save us is an indication of our extreme need to be saved. Friends, as a committed believer, one would be in the Word often, reading about the message of the gospel of Christ many times. One would be surrounded by friends, talking of the things of Christ often. We worship and pray to God in thanks, daily, for all that Christ has done. My encouragement to you today is to NEVER forget how destitute we were when the Lord reached down to save us, and ALWAYS rejoice in thanks for the extreme measures He took to redeem us, and clean us up, and give us an unimaginable hope that lies ahead of us in glory. AMEN ______________ Join my WhatsApp ...

No. Fellowship is not restored when we confess our sins. What will restore an immediate and secure fellowship with God is to believe in Jesus Christ; to believe that He died for your sins and that He was raised for your justification. The instant that you choose to trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation is the instant your sins are forgiven, and you are immersed into the Body of Christ, and sealed unto the day of salvation. Thus, it is not a matter of confessing your sins. There is no power in that. Paul says, Rom.1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The power to restore fellowship with God immediately, lies with your faith in the gospel of Christ. Fellowship is not dependent on confession of sin, nor doing good works, nor joining a church, etc. Nothing else but the grace gospel restores fellowship. ______________ Join my WhatsApp channel to receive these qui...

COMMENT: In Act 2:37-38, the Jews asked Peter after the were pricked in their heart, "What must we do?" Peter answered them “Repent every one of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." That is the salvation and destiny of Jews today. REPLY: In correction, that is the salvation of the Jews in Peter’s day, and also during the Tribulation. Today, Jews are saved by only one gospel, Paul’s gospel of the grace of God; that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and that he was raised again for our justification. Thus, it is not to repent, be water baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit, but rather, Jews, just like Gentiles today, must believe in the cross work of Jesus Christ. Both Jews and Gentiles are saved in exactly the same way today according to Acts 15:11 and Gal 3:28. ______________ Join my WhatsApp channel to receive these quick Bible lessons on your phone: https://whatsapp.com/chan...

COMMENT: “Salvation is conditional!” ANSWER: I do not argue that salvation is conditional. It certainly is, but that is in respect to the prophetic Kingdom program. As for the Grace program under mystery, all the conditions which were necessary for our salvation were accomplished through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, in essence, there were conditions for our salvation, but those conditions are not upon us to fulfil, because they have already been fulfilled by Christ. This is why our salvation is a FREE GIFT by the grace of God through Christ. In contrast, the currently suspended Kingdom program required conditions to be fulfilled by those believers as part of the works they need to prove their faith, Jam 2:17. All the above scriptures you quote, to prove conditional salvation, speak of conditions to do because all these scriptures refer to the prophetic Kingdom program. We do not belong to this program, so these scriptures do not apply to us. ______________ Joi...

If Judas was a disciple of Jesus but lost his salvation as prophesied when he betrayed Jesus, what is the chances that I can lose my salvation? Salvation under the Kingdom gospel was not secure because their salvation was based on their own faith and endurance. Jesus preached that kingdom believers had to pick up their cross and follow Him, and the one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is not fit for the kingdom, and they had to endure to the end in their faith, Matt 24:13; Mk 13:13. In this regard, Judas lost his salvation. In the Tribulation, if one turned from faith in God, it meant that one was turning in allegiance to the Antichrist, and to eternal damnation! Thus, in this time one's salvation is also not secure. Our salvation in this dispensation of grace is eternally secure! Why? Because our salvation is not based on our own works and endurance, but it is based on the perfect faith and work OF Christ. It's because of Christ that we are sealed into the Body u...

REACTION: You claim: “The only thing that removes God’s wrath and allows Him to justify us is to believe in the cross of Jesus.” Let's test it! If it's true then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, etc are all gonna burn in hell because they failed to believe in the cross of Jesus. REPLY: They do not belong to this dispensation. How could they believe in the cross when it was not yet made known. The gospel for Noah was to believe God and build the ark. Because he did, he and his family were saved, Heb 11:7. Similarly, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc… all obtained righteousness for believing the words that God spoke to them. Read Heb.11. In our dispensation, the gospel is to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. By this we are imputed the righteousness of Christ, and we have peace with God. Any other way to obtain righteousness will fail because that is not what God instructed. Thus the ‘claim’ I wrote above stands, not because I say so, but because it is recorded as such i...

QUESTION: If God picked you up by your ankles and held you over hell and said, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t drop you in right now!”, what would your answer be? Only ONE answer from the following list will save you . Please note that all other entries are deceiving lies and empty vanities of men that have no power to save!   God, I tried to live a good and honest life. God, I joined a good church and worshiped you. God, I confessed Jesus as Lord and did miracles in his name. God, I love you so much, I adore Jesus Christ and I seek to please the Holy Spirit. God, I walked the church aisle and gave my heart to Jesus. God, I have my water baptism certificate folded in my Bible at home. God, I helped the local Jewish community and fixed their synagogue (acc. to Mat 25:31-46). God, I am filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. God, I believe that Jesus died for my sins and was raised for my justification. God, your word says you are faithful and just to forg...

Jesus, taught Jews that they had to endure to the end; being His second advent. He instructed them to pick up their cross and follow Him, saying that no one is fit for the kingdom of God if they put their hand to the plough and look back, Lk.9:62. These are conditions for their salvation. In our dispensation, salvation is not dependent on endurance. While Paul encourages us to endure in our service to God and the Body of Christ, our salvation is not based on works or endurance. When we respond in faith to the grace gospel, we are saved and sealed eternally into Christ. The blood of Christ provides the surety of salvation without works or performance. Paul writes in Eph.2:8-9, "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Our salvation is a gift given to us by God's grace. We cannot boast! God saved us through the endurance of Christ, even unto death on the cross. Unlike Israel, it's b...

Some may believe in the necessity of water baptism, observing Sunday rest, speaking in tongues, doing good deeds, or obeying rituals, but, if they trust Christ alone and know that their works don't contribute to salvation, then they are saved. On the other hand, if they believe that certain works are required, in addition to faith, they are mixing faith and works, going against what Paul warns in Gal 3:1-3. If you are adding works to your faith for salvation, that faith you exercise implies that Christ's death was insufficient, contradicting faith in the gospel. The grace gospel teaches that salvation is solely by God's grace through faith alone, as Eph 2:8-9 states.  Paul says the following, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." 1Cor7:19. Similarly, your works are nothing in the light of salvation by grace. Whether you have attempted to work for your salvation or not, know that salvation is availabl...