Next Steps 2.0 - Moving To Maturity

Understanding Salvation

Many people who have come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ do not really understand what happened to them and why it had to happen the way that it did. Because of this, they often have a difficult time sharing their faith with others and explaining what Jesus did for them. They don’t understand how Jesus’ dying on a cross some 2000 years ago could have any bearing on their lives today. As we move forward building on the foundation that we have laid in our lives, it would serve us well to get a better understanding of this great salvation that we have come to experience. God created man as a three part being including spirit, soul and body (1 Th. 5:23). The spirit is the God-conscience part of man, the soul is the self-conscience part of man (mind, will, emotions) and the body is the sense or world-conscience part of man (five senses). God created man in the image of God. Unfortunately, man fell from that perfect state and, as a result, the human race has been thoroughly corrupted by sin in all three realms—spirit, soul and body. As a result of sin in the human race, five things became harsh realities. What is man’s condition outside God?