Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
We have to be careful in using the word "salvation" because it has been confused in some religious circles with the term "born again," even though these two terms are not synonymous. They are related ideas, but they do not mean exactly the same thing.

Becoming born again is what happens to your spirit after you repent, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. To be born again means to move from darkness into light. So, being born again involves a transition, or translation, from one point to another point, from one position to another position, based on a decision that you make.

However, salvation is what is available to you when you get born again. And it is not just something that's stored up in heaven for you in the "sweet by and by." It's not something you have to leave the earth in the Rapture to get.

No. Salvation is what you have available to you right here and now as a born-again person. The word salvation in the New Testament comes from the Greek word soteria, which means healing, safety, deliverance, protection, soundness and includes with it the ministry of angels.

Therefore, God is saying that angels have been sent to serve the heirs of soteria. They have the responsibility of serving you if you're a born-again person. The angels are to serve you in the areas of healing, deliverance, safety, protection and soundness. And they are to minister to you in any other areas where you have need.

Join the Club
Let me use an analogy to make clear what I mean by the difference between salvation and being born again. Getting born again and becoming an heir of salvation are like joining a club. When you make a decision to join a club and have gone through the procedure of becoming a member, you are then entitled to use the club's facilities and enjoy all the available benefits of membership.

If, for instance, you make a decision to get in shape and join a fitness club, you then have available to you all the exercise equipment that particular club has to offer. You can work out on the circuit machines, swim in the pool, play handball in the handball courts, join an aerobics class. In other words, you can use whatever the club has available to help you get in shape.

The same thing is true when you get born again and join "Club Soteria." As a member of Club Soteria, you have available to you the "Stairmaster of healing," the "bench press of protection," the "barbell of deliverance," the "treadmill of safety." You have available to you the "leg press of soundness."

When you got born again, you joined Club Soteria, and you now have available to you everything that's in the club. Deliverance is in the club. Safety is in the club. Healing and protection and soundness are in the club. Getting born again is the requirement for membership. But as soon as you become a member, you have a right to use everything that's in the club.

As an heir of salvation, I have a right to benefit from everything salvation has to offer. And another one of those benefits is the ministry of angels. To continue the fitness club analogy, angels have been sent to act as personal trainers to the members of Club Soteria. Angels are employed at the club to assist you with those benefits of membership that have been made available to you.

Don't Neglect Your Soteria
Now, therefore, since we've become heirs of salvation, of soteria, and have the ministry of angels and all these other benefits of salvation available to us, the Bible says:
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed, to the things which we have heard (from God's Word), lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…?
(Heb. 2:1-3)
How shall we escape trouble if we neglect our soteria? How shall we escape the report that we have cancer and are going to die next month? How shall we escape unemployment? How shall we escape depression? How shall we escape sin? How shall we escape poverty and lack? How shall we escape breakdown in our marriages?

In short, how can we escape all the adverse circumstances we're faced with if we neglect such great healing, deliverance, safety, soundness, protection, and the ministry of angels? How can we escape trouble if we don't take advantage of what was made available to us when we got born again?

Well, the answer is obvious, isn't it? I cannot escape if I neglect my soteria. But, praise the Lord, if I don't neglect my soteria, then soteria becomes my way of escape. My healing, my safety, my deliverance, my protection, my soundness, and the ministry of angels - all that becomes my way of escape.

If I'm going to benefit from my membership in Club Soteria, I have to pay attention to and use what has been made available to me as a member. Otherwise, I won't be able to escape from the trouble I was in before I got born again. If I neglect my salvation, I won't be able to overcome trouble. I'll continue to live in defeat.

Source: How to Trouble Your Trouble by Creflo A. Dollar, Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Creflo A. Dollar
Web site: World Changers Church International
 
Creflo Dollar is a founder and senior pastor of World Changers Church International (WCCI). He's a world-renowned Bible teacher, sought-after conference speaker, and bestselling author with hundreds of books, CDs, and DVDs in distribution worldwide. Recognized for his cutting-edge revelation and humorous, pragmatic approach, he enables thousands to experience grace, restoration, healing, and financial breakthrough by applying simple, biblical principles to their lives. He is the author of such game-changing books as "The Radical Life of Grace" and "Why I Hate Religion", and his award-winning Changing Your World television broadcast reaches nearly 1 billion homes. His ministry includes an app available on mobile devices and smart TV's, a dedicated YouTube channel, and the Changing Your World Network, a 24-hour online channel. A thriving social media presence has allowed him to connect with World Changers worldwide.
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.