Page 95 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

It is necessary to believe that salvation is by faith not works (Rom 11:5-6), given in
grace and is from and in Christ. Salvation is mediated by God the Son who is God
and is a perfect and risen Man (John 14:6, 1 Tim 2:5, 4:10), not God the Father or
God the Holy Ghost, although of course all three Persons are God. This is a
mystery (1 Tim 3:9, 16). Since the Saviour as Jesus is God incarnate and fully
human, it is up to Christ to determine if he will accept someone as a Christian
based on their faith in Him as Saviour rather than as God, which he is. We cannot
stipulate that the belief that Christ is God is required for salvation as Jesus does not
(Acts 2:21). Obviously in the eternal time perspective all those saved will
understand and believe accurately (1 Cor 13:12) and this will include belief in the
Trinity. Anyone who believes in the Trinity with all their heart is certainly a
Christian. As for those who profess faith in Jesus but do not acknowledge His
Deity and the Trinity and there are no doubt many non-Christians and Christians
who are in this category, their status depends on whether their faith in Christ as
Saviour and Lord is absolute and God-given (John 6:65, Acts 8:37, Rom 10:9).
Only by discernment and by looking at the whole context and fruit of someone’s
life in love and mercy can we attempt to discern the spirit as to whether they are
saved (1 Cor 2:11, 14-15).

The basic discernment of what is Christian is predicated upon whether there is faith
that Jesus exists as a real person, was alive as a man on earth and is the Christ, the
Saviour of the individual and of the world (Acts 2:21, 1 John 4:2-3). It is also
manifested in the love which is of God by virtue of being born-again in the Spirit
and found in the basic spirit of a Christian (1 John 4:7).

If someone believes, with all their heart, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, and
their personal Saviour and the Son of God; then they are a Christian (Mat 16:16-
20, Acts 8:37). This is the mercy of God whereby faith in the Son means that the
Father accepts the believer (2 John 1:9). This is God the Father’s choice (John
6:44, 65). This total belief is a spiritual gift and a supernatural event (Mat 16:17).
Christ is the beginning and the end of the Salvation process (Rev 22:13).

The default position is that the dead are without awareness in the ‘Grave’ (Job 7:9,
14:10, 12, 21, Psalm 6:5, 115:17, 146:4, Eccl 9:5, 10, Isaiah 38:18) until the
second resurrection (Job 14:10, John 5:28-29) which starts with those in the grave
becoming aware ready for the call to Judgement (John 5:28). However:

A man who has not experienced the gospel of Salvation to God's satisfaction (Rom
10:16-17, 18 - ‘into’) beyond that sufficient revelation that is received by all
creations (Rom 1:20) and men (Tit 2:11, Heb 4:2, 6) and who then dies either goes