Most anyone who is familiar with any of the most popular flavors of christianity knows the drill about “getting saved.” The appeal is made that one needs to “turn his life over to Christ,” or “repent of all his sins,” or “accept Christ into his heart,” or various other christianese euphemisms.
With all of them, the false overarching principle is that, when one makes such a declaration of belief, he is then saved—at that very moment. It is typically declared to the person who made such a “decision,” that his eternal destiny was sealed immediately because he “trusted Christ for salvation.”
Now, not only does this notion of “human belief = salvation” appear nowhere in scripture, it actually makes Messiah out to be a liar in Luke 8:13, where He said that some will believe with all joy for awhile, but then they fall away during their time of testing (temptation) because they have no root (they never receive the source of life, who is the Holy Spirit).
If the salvation given to the bride is eternal (it is), and if salvation were defined by a person’s declaration of belief, then Christ lied when He said that some will believe but will then also fall away (“to withdraw, or be removed”).
The Father provided various physical representations of the path to His bride’s salvation throughout scripture and His traditions; but christianity, which abandoned His traditions when it was invented and was then codified in the fourth century, is mostly blind to the spiritual meanings of those foreshadows. Because of that, various traditions of men were devised that are devoid of the truths of the Holy Spirit, and are, thus, false.
The Passover itself portrays the path Messiah’s bride must take to receive the covenant, as the Israelites placed the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, were led out of Egypt (the world) by the Holy Spirit, went through the Red Sea (invitation for baptismal cleansing by the Holy Spirit), and were then led by the Spirit through the wilderness to the mountain. Once at the mountain, they awaited the giving of the covenant. This is a picture of Messiah’s bride being led out of the world by the Holy Spirit (belief is the first step, or prerequisite), enduring in belief by confessing Messiah to others regardless of the consequences for doing so, and then receiving the covenant by the will of the Father, and in His time.
The way of the tabernacle shows the same progression, from the outer courtyard with its brazen altar (Passover sacrifice) and laver (invitation for cleansing by the Holy Spirit), to the Spirit’s leading in the Holy Place (altar of incense, menorah, and bread of the presence), to the Holy of Holies, where the covenant indwells the Ark (a representation of the bride).
The Spring harvests also demonstrate it, for between the barley harvest and the wheat harvest is a period called the “counting of the omer,” (omer = promise). For seven weeks, an offering of barley was made by the high priest each day until the first day of the wheat harvest. This was the counting of the omer, or “waiting for the promise.”
On that day—the Feast of Weeks, the promise was given. That was the day the physical covenant was given (Ten Commandments), and was also the day the Holy Spirit’s seal was given as the new covenant to Messiah’s bride—He was the Holy Spirit of promise, or the “omer” (Ephesians 1:13).
Christian “salvation” is a product of man’s decision, wholly controlled by man’s declaration.
Usually, christians will try to use scripture as their confirmation of salvation, which is not even possible, as salvation is not in the scriptures, but is in Messiah Yahoshua (John 5:39-40), and the confirmation of salvation comes directly from the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16, 1 Corinthians 1:6-8). All scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is given to those who are already Yah’s adopted children. Scripture is given by the Father to His people—not to the world (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Scripture cannot tell anyone he has been given the Holy Spirit (salvation). Only the Holy Spirit can do that.
True salvation is a work of the Father, who gives the covenant to those who have believed, and whose belief has been tried and found to be faithful. That is the patience (endurance) that James speaks of (James 1:2-4). It is also what is stated in Hebrews 10:35-39.
Why would patience be needed to receive salvation if it were an immediate event at the moment one makes a declaration of belief? Why would one need to “believe to the saving of the soul,” if belief = salvation? Answer: belief is NOT salvation, but is the prerequisite that makes one ABLE to be saved.
One is not saved until he receives the covenant, and when that occurs, he will be told by the Holy Spirit, directly and personally, that he is a child of Yah (Romans 8:16).
For more information: Between Belief and Salvation