THE EIGHT ‘S’s
PART 1
SALVATION
SELF-SACRIFICE
SPIRIT FILLING
SUBMISSION
PART 2
SANCTIFICATION
SUFFERING
SATISFACTION
SETTLED
Salvation. Adonai’s desire is for all to be saved. But He does not will it because of His divine purpose. He elects some to be saved. He did not elect others to be condemned. There is a divine and a human aspect to salvation. Salvation is a gift from Adonai by His grace.
1Timothy 2: 3,4.
“… God our Saviour who desires all men to be saved …”
He has provided the means of salvation to all people.
Romans 1:16.
“… the gospel of Christ … it is the power of God to salvation…”
Adonai extends the offer to salvation to all.
John 3:17.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
But note, we cannot save ourselves; the verb is in the passive voice (“be saved”). As sinners can never by ourselves reach Adonai’s requirements of holiness. Salvation is of Adonai’s grace and at His instigation.
Adonai’s earnest plea is for people to turn from their sin. The divine answer to the human condition is to “Repent and be saved”. Here we see the blending of divine compassion with the demands of Adonai’s holiness.
Repentance and forgiveness are offered to all. There is always in life hope for even the worst of sinners, if they will turn from their sin and not condone it.
2 Peter 3:9.
“The Lord … is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Adonai’s desire that all be saved does not mean that He wills it, because of His divine purpose.
Psalm 5:4.
“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness nor shall evil dwell with You.”
Adonai’s proper sense of justice, holiness and righteousness means He has no tolerance of wickedness. And therein lies the problem for mankind, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
We see here the distinction between the desire of Adonai that none should perish and His eternal saving purpose which must transcend His desire.
Adonai hates sin with all His being. He hates the consequences of sin for mankind; eternal wickedness in hell. He does not want people to remain forever in eternal remorse and hatred of Him.
He has therefore made an offer of salvation to all through repentance.
Those individuals who will not repent, He eventually gives over to their sin. But He does not give up lightly on individuals but will allow them to go deeper into sin; giving every opportunity for that person to see their sin for what it really is and how desperately wicked people can be. When people consistently abandon Adonai, He will eventually abandon them. He removes His restraint and allows their sin to run its inevitable course.
Romans 1:24.
“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness in their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves, who exchange the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.”
To worship oneself is a form of idolatry.
As we have said, Adonai has a long-suffering attitude towards humanity. He has indeed an immense capacity for patience. He waited 120 years before sending Noah’s flood and He has already waited nearly 2,000 years before bringing judgment on the earth.
2 Peter 3:9.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
We must not mistake Adonai’s patience for tardiness and a lack of resolve.
The divine answer is to elect some to be saved by grace through faith in the Lord Yeshua.
The problem is how to bring to repentance, sinners who have been blinded by the “god of this world.” The answer we have already seen: –
Romans 1:16.
“… the gospel of Christ … the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes …”
Adonai by His grace, elects some for salvation i.e., those “being justified freely by His grace”, and how is this possible: – “through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus …” (Romans 3:24).
John 3:15 – 19.
“… whoever believes in Him (the Lord Yeshua) should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Adonai extends the offer of salvation to all. The Lord Yeshua died for the sins of all, but only those who believe receive the benefit of that sacrifice. Adonai chose His elect from the world, but such were the lengths that He was prepared to go to for all mankind (“that He gave His only begotten Son”).
2 Corinthians 5: 15.
“… He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
And the Lord Yeshua was faithful in His task:
John 17: 6.
“I have manifested Your name to the men You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours. You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.”
Our only hope is faith in the Lord Yeshua. Those who believe are declared righteous at no personal cost; the Lord Yeshua paid the price at the instigation of Adonai. Thus, the Lord satisfied Adonai’s justice.
To “believe” means more than mere intellectual connection with the claims of the gospel. It includes trust and commitment to the Lord which results in receiving a new nature which produces a change of heart and obedience to the Lord.
He does not “elect” others to be condemned.
The natural state of fallen man is his sin-nature. Without faith in the Lord Yeshua, people remain in the sinful state: “… he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18).
Yes, He only chose the elect of the world. Those who continually refuse to repent, He will eventually leave to the consequences of their sin, unbelief and rejection of the Lord Yeshua.
We previously noted Romans 1:24.
“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour their bodies among themselves.”
Faith is the beginning of the salvation process and its goal as well. When a person first finds faith in the Lord Yeshua, he is saved from the penalty of sin and is declared righteous But, those who deliberately cling to their spiritual ignorance cannot escape the ultimate penalty of sin – a terrible choice to make!
Adonai, as we have said, is patient and long-suffering, giving all every opportunity to repent: “(He) endures with much suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction). (Romans 9:22).
Ezekiel 33:11.
“… I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
Here we see Adonai’s earnest plea to the wicked to turn from their sin. The answer is “to repent”. We see here the blending of divine compassion with the demands of Adonai’s holiness. The invitation to repent and receive forgiveness is made to all. There is hope for the worst sinner, but the only hope to meet Adonai’s holiness is to turn from sin and stop condoning it.
There is a divine aspect, and a human aspect to salvation.
For the divine aspect we see that an individual must “be saved”. We noted the passive mood of this verb. An individual cannot save himself but must be saved by Adonai. This is an absolute sine qua non.
However, Adonai does not save an individual against that person’s will. Individuals must come to “the knowledge of the truth”. Adonai will not populate heaven with rebellious subjects. We must trust in the “name” of the Lord Yeshua. To “trust in His name” means to trust in His Person, His attributes, His character and therefore His word.
Only the power of Adonai can overcome man’s sin nature and give him the opportunity of eternal life. Those who learn to trust in, rely on and have faith in the Lord Yeshua are delivered from the wrath of Adonai, from wilful spiritual ignorance, the darkness of false religion and the ultimate penalty of sin.
Finally, in this section we note that salvation and saving faith are a gift from Adonai. As we have said, Adonai wants everyone to be saved and to become His children. These are His gifts to those whom He has elected out of the world.
Romans 9:23.
“… that He may make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory.”
His eternal purpose is the redemption of those people who believe; a chosen people to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only begotten (unique) Son so that His righteousness could become our righteousness; making us fit for citizenship in heaven. Believers can stand justified i.e., standing in a legal position that is beyond parole, beyond pardon even to promotion to a new state. Our justification is a gift from Adonai, far beyond any merit on our part.
The Second “S” is self-sacrifice, an attitude which is only possible consistently for those who know that they have receive salvation and blessings which they have not earned.
2 Corinthians 5:15.
“… He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
As a believer lives in faith, Adonai continues to save him/her from the power of sin to live righteously. We are not alone!
The love shown to us by the Lord Yeshua (by His teaching and substitutional death, and the taking away the wrath of Adonai), means that our lives must change: “… should live no longer for ourselves, but for Him who died for us.)
Romans 12:1,2.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
We are to present all our abilities and faculties to serve and in worship. Instead of being moulded by the values of this world, the believer should be “transformed” i.e., changed “by the renewing of the mind”.
Spiritual transformation starts with the mind and the heart. A mind dedicated to the world and its concerns will be tossed about, back and forth, by the currents of the culture. But a mind dedicated to the will of Adonai, can resist the temptations of the culture. By meditating on Adonai’s word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and shape our thoughts and behaviour, the possibility opens for conduct which serves the Lord and others by putting them before ourselves.
Ephesians 4:23,24.
“… be renewed in the spirit of your mind … that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Believers should outwardly manifest the inner redeemed nature daily. Renewing the mind can only occur when the Holy Spirit can facilitate changes to our thinking through the study of and meditation on scripture. Thus, we can become self-sacrificing and avoid the temptations of the world (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life”). The world is characterised by these lusts; ways that even a believer can be lured away from Adonai.
Philippians 4:8.
“… whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”
The renewed mind is one saturated with and supremely influenced by the word of Adonai. Holy living involves a life that is morally and spiritually spotless. The Lord Yeshua died to deliver us from the system of the “prince of the air” i.e., the society or system that under Satanic influence, men have created to try to make themselves happy without Adonai. It would be absolute disloyalty to the Lord for a believer to live a selfish life, indifferent to the needs of others.
Adonai has delivered us from the moral and political corruption of this age. We are a separated people, delivered from the bondage of sin to be self-sacrificing, and not self-centred, self-willed and self-serving. We need to guard against our old sinful, selfish past (the “old man”).
A self-sacrificing attitude is the fruit of salvation; becoming occupied with the Lord Yeshua and not with self. There can be no finer example of a self-sacrificing attitude than the life and work of the Lord Yeshua. A person cannot entertain selfish thoughts and reflect on the Lord Yeshua at the same time.
Philippians 2: 3.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit …”
The third “S” is a Spirit-filled life. Again, this can only be available to believers.
We should distinguish between the indwelling or sealing of the Spirit and being Spirit-filled. All believers are sealed in the Spirit at conversion, but not all believers experience being filled with the Spirit.
Let’s first consider what is meant by “being sealed in the Spirit”.
Ephesians 1:13,14.
“In Him you also trusted, after having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
The “seal” is a mark of ownership. Sealing is an action taken by Adonai at the point of our conversion and new birth. It makes for the indwelling and the influence the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, allowing the renewing of mind, thoughts and behaviour.
When talking about Spirit-filling, I do not want to undervalue the essential sealing of the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30.
“… do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
The Holy Spirit should never be pushed away, ignored or rejected; evil thoughts and actions remain a danger for believers. The Holy Spirit, in regeneration, descend into a man and creates in him a new nature. He does not destroy the “old man”; that remains still to be battled with and to be overcome. Though the nature that the Spirit implants is perfect in its time and in its degree, yet it is not perfect in its development.
Adonai commences the work in us. It then becomes the business of the believer to work out the sacred inner principle as His work permeate the believer’s inner being to overcome the old nature.
Let us turn to the filling of the Spirit.
Spirit-filling is a moment-by-moment, repeatable experience to be desired and welcomed. The Spirit-filled person is for a while under enhanced influence of the Spirit. One of the natural outcomes of this experience is “singing and making melody to God”, even in the direst of circumstances, like being imprisoned. “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God “. (Acts 16:25).
Another evidence of the filling of the Spirit is the determination to praise the Lord.
Psalm 34:1.
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
In Galatians 5:16, Paul urges believers to “walk in the Spirit”. When we take up that challenge, it is the same as being Spirit-filled, and the personal consequences are singing, giving thanks and humbly submitting to others. So many of the Psalms encourage us to sing praises to the Lord (e.g. Psalms 40,96 and 149).
Psalm 33:1 – 3.
“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skilfully with a shout of joy.”
That such songs please Adonai can be seen in the account of the temple dedication. Singing to honour Adonai brought HIs glory down to them, “the glory of the Lord filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14).
Being “filled with the Spirit” means being for a time powerfully influenced by the Holy Spirit; fervent in body and mind, and moral behaviour. A believer who is experiencing being filled with the Spirit is never transported out of himself to a situation where he can no longer control his actions. The Holy Spirit empowers but does not overpower the person.
1 Corinthians 14:32.
“… and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”
The “filling of the Spirit” is not a once-forever crisis experience in the life of the believer. Rather it is an event which can be repeated. Today’s filling however will not do for tomorrow. It is a state greatly to be desired. In fact, it is the ideal condition for the believer on this earth. It means that the Holy Spirit is having maximum influence, ungrieved in the life of the believer and therefore, equipping him for his role in the plan of Adonai for that time.
To experience the “filling of the Spirit” involves actions on the part of the believer. The believer must meet certain conditions; it is not automatic but is the result of obedience and the highest respect for the Lord.
1) In order to be available for this experience, one must confess and put away all known sin in our lives. (1 John 1:5 – 9). Of course, the Holy Spirit cannot work fully where sin is condoned.
2) One must yield oneself wholly to His influence (Romans 12:1,2). This involves the surrender of our will, our intellect, our body and our talents to Him.
3) One must read, study and obey the word, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom …”.
4) One must be emptied of self, “… it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me… “.
The person who is “filled with the Spirit” is occupied with the Lord Yeshua and not with self. At the same time, he may have a realization that Adonai is working within him and through his life. He sees things in a spiritual way and events move according to a divine timetable.
The results of being Spirit-filled include: –
A strong impulse to speak of the things of the Lord.
Singing spiritual songs.
Giving thanks for all things.
Submitting to others in the fear of the Lord.
Boldness in addressing sin and encouraging others to turn to the Lord (e.g. Peter before the Sanhedrin).
Experiencing power to serve.
Exaltation of the Lord Yeshua.
It seems that when we place ourselves in the correct position by studying the word, praising the Lord, giving thanks consistently, removing evil and selfish thoughts, praying fervently, removing false pride and demonstrating due respect for others – we create the circumstances where we may be Spirit-filled. And when we are, it is as though the very things we sought, become turbo-charged (magnified and augmented) in our thinking and conduct.
The fourth “S” is Submission. Above all, the desire of Adonai is that we be submissive to His Commandments and ordinances. By submission to the authority of the Lord, we may “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” (1 Timothy 2:2).
Proverbs 3:5 – 7.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
Secondly believers are to be submissive to every human institution and authority. We are not to disrupt the national life of society.
1 Peter 2:13 – 15.
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent to him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men …”
Note that this submission to government officials is “for the Lord’s sake” and it is what He desires for us. Such submission will prevent the church from coming under the rebuke and criticism of the unsaved. Rulers are Adonai’s servants, whether they know it or not. Thus, the sovereign ruler of all people commands obedience to governments.
Although our true citizenship is in heaven, as a temporary citizen in the world, the people of Adonai are to live in humble submission even amid a hostile, godless, slandering society.
Proverbs 24:21,22.
“My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly …”
In Jeremiah (Chapter 29:4 – 14), he wrote on Adonai’s behalf to the Judeans held captive in Babylon saying, “seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive …”
Romans 13:1.
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and that the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the authority of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Adonai, as supreme authority, has ordained that there should be governing authorities. Human government was instigated by Adonai to reward good and to restrain sin in a fallen world. Every believer is to be subject to these authorities even if they are evil.
In every ordered society, there must be authority and submission to that authority. Stable government saves a nation from revolution, civil war, turmoil and anarchy. People cannot survive under anarchy. Any government is better than no government.
Anyone who disobeys or rebels against the government is, rebelling against what Adonai has ordained.
However, no government has the right to command a person’s conscience. So, there may be times when a believer must by obeying Adonai, incur the wrath of men. If this happens, the believer must pay the penalty without complaint. Under no circumstances should a believer rebel against the government or try to overthrow it. If persecution comes, it should be the result of righteous living, not civil disobedience.
The writer to the Hebrews (Hebrews 10: 32 – 34), commends believers who had nobly accepted persecution, “… joyfully accepting the plundering of your goods.”
1 Timothy 2:1,2.
“Therefore I exhort first of all that all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority …”
We are to pray for all in authority because their actions affect all society. Because so many powerful and influential leaders are hostile to Adonai, it is difficult to express support for them. But we are urged to pray that leaders may repent of their sin and embrace the gospel of salvation. We have the privilege of an audience with Adonai through prayer and therefore the responsibility to use it. In prayer, we should be humble, worshipful, trusting and thankful.
In addition to submission to Adonai and the civil authorities, saints are to submit to one another, employees to their employers, children to their parents, young believers to their elders and wives to their husbands.
Philippians 2: 3.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”
Conclusion.
Let us remind ourselves of the eight “S” s which describe Adonai’s desire for us: Salvation; Self – Sacrifice; Spirit-Filling; Submission; Sanctification; Suffering; Satisfaction; and Settledness.
Part 2 to follow as soon as possible.
AMEN.