Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Do you know the difference between being saved from sin and being forgiven for sin? To be saved from sin means to be kept from committing sin. No one who is sinning is being saved from sin. To be forgiven for sin means to obtain mercy for sins that have already been committed. That may seem to be a simple concept, but Christianity's confused teaching concerning "getting saved" has clouded the issue for some.
Long ago, Preacher Clark was trying to explain the difference to a sister in the Lord who, though listening patiently, just could not understand it. So, with equal patience, he walked over to the fireplace where her husband kept his shotgun and took it down from the wall.
As the stunned woman looked on, the Preacher calmly pointed the gun at her husband and asked, "Now, do you want to save me from shooting your husband, or do you want to forgive me for shooting him?"
"I get your point, Brother Clark", she replied.
Jesus, too, would rather save us from sin than to forgive us for sinning, and he suffered and died so that once he cleanses us from past sins by the power of the holy Ghost, there is no need for us ever to sin again. Every sin you do not commit is a sin Jesus has saved you from. Have you been saved from sin today? Thank Jesus if you have. If, however, you did sin today, then Jesus must forgive you if you are ever to meet God in peace. Jesus is saving multitudes of his children right now from sin. In fact, if he does not save them from sin now in this life, they will not be saved from the wrath of God in the Final Judgment.
Christian ministers who teach that those who trust in Jesus must still sin every day are servants of sin, not of God, for "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (Jn. 8:34). They are also, as they themselves freely admit, sinners. Child of God, stay away from them. They are condemned; they are prisoners of sin. Without realizing it, they are teaching men that there is no hope of being saved from the coming wrath of God.
When the apostles mentioned the subject of when salvation is received, the overwhelming majority (72%) of those references say that salvation will be given to men in the future ("shall be saved"). However, a significant number of times (almost 30%), they mentioned salvation as a present condition ("are being saved"). The power of God can save us now from committing sin, and because of that, we have great hope that God will spare us (save us) later from damnation in the Final Judgment.