Saved,

But Not Yet

Delivered

By

Mary M. Hall-Rayford

© Mary M. Hall-Rayford 2007/Revised 2013

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopy, without written permission from the author.

The content herein is dedicated to all those who truly wish to please God without worrying about pleasing man (or woman), and to all others who wish to see all mankind saved.  Use to the glory of God when witnessing to others.

Contents

What is salvation?

Backsliders and Sinners

What is sin?

Types of Sin

Lost Zeal

Sinner vs. Wicked

Avoiding the Snares

Final Destinations

Our Prayer

About The Author

The Questions—-

What is salvation?

From what is a person saved?

Is salvation the result of the works of man or mankind?

Can a person be saved and still do some of the same things they did before salvation?

What is deliverance?

How does forgiveness fit into the equation?

How will my actions impact the course of my final destination?

The Answers—

Found within the following pages and confirmed by the Bible which was given to those of us who believe as a blueprint for living.

*Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are from the King James Version.

What is salvation?

After the fall of man to sin in the Garden of Eden, God implemented a means of reconciling man back to himself.  The plan involved man(kind) accepting His gift to all. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16.  Even though most Christians have retained this passage of scripture in their memories from childhood, few understand the significance and implications.  If we continue in the same passage, we see in verse seventeen, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

From what must we be saved?  We must be saved from ourselves and from the enemy who wishes that all may endure his consequences (the fiery lake—Revelation).  When we know the truth and choose to ignore the truth, then we set ourselves up to be tempted, judged, and condemned.  The truth that we need to recognize is through God’s Word—the Bible—and live according to His Word.

The first thing we must understand is that the bible was written by men who were inspired by God.  For those who have difficulty understanding a relationship with God that is so great that we hear Him on a regular basis, reading the rest of this book may truly be a challenge.  At any rate, we are reminded by Paul in his letter to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).  If we, (Born-Again Christians)  believe the “all” means everything, nothing left out; then we also have to accept that every scripture in the bible was written that we might learn to mature as true believers and not just be convenient Christians.

To be saved, one must be believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was crucified, died for our sins, but was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of God, as our Advocate and Mediator.  When we believe the truth in our hearts and confess it with our mouths, then (according to the bible), we are saved. (Romans 10:9, 10)  When a person becomes saved, one would expect them to renounce the works of darkness and walk in the marvelous light of knowledge of Jesus Christ and how He expects us to live.  To renounce the works of darkness implies repentance (turning away from all ungodliness) and turning to God.  If we renounce the works of darkness (satan’s influence) and develop a right relationship with God, we begin a new journey on the path that God has established for us.  “The steps of a good man (woman) are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).

When we develop a right relationship with God, we put ourselves at His disposal to be used by Him as He wills.  While some may say that this is a form of slavery, I would say that total submission to God is better than being a slave to sin.  I would rather give God control over my life than satan.  However, even when we say we give God control, in His infinite wisdom, He still gives us choice.  He does not make us do anything and neither does satan.  God will not make us do anything, but our relationship with Him allows Him to influence what we do and the same is true for satan.

Therefore, when we submit to God, we put ourselves in position to be delivered from the influence of satan and the consequences of living an ungodly life.  The bible says that if we submit to God, and resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7), and we know and understand what true deliverance is. “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16 Amplified).

The Word of God clearly states that salvation (God’s saving grace) is initiated by belief and confession.  If this is true, can one lose their salvation by the things that they do, since we cannot be saved by our works?  Clearly, there is a misunderstanding in the church world regarding how or when a person is saved, if some believe that a person can lose their salvation.  Based upon scriptures, we would have to say that once confession is made unto salvation and a person receives the gift of God, that no one (no man or woman from a pulpit or otherwise) can cause that person to lose their salvation. “For by grace [God’s unmerited favor] are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

However, we do believe that a person can “live beneath their privilege” by not acknowledging the ways of God in their daily living and that an individual may lose opportunities to receive rewards for being faithful servants of God; but they cannot lose the gift of salvation since it is not earned by our works.  Our works do not earn us salvation, but being saved should influence our works. That being the case, people can be saved and not lived saved, but that does not mean they no longer have access to the kingdom.  We lose access to the kingdom, when we renounce our faith and belief in Jesus Christ.

*Author’s note:  I realize that some reading this may assume that I ignored capitalizing a proper noun when mentioning satan.  I deliberately use a lower-case “s” when referencing satan because he is under my feet and does not deserve the same recognition given the God-head or any other human being with regard to grammatical correctness.

Backsliders and Sinners

What happens to people who succumb to the influence of the evil one after belief and confession?  This common occurrence is known as backsliding.  For the most part, we acknowledge backsliding as a common occurrence, but backsliding should not be promoted as a way of life.  The backslider is one who after having confessed Christ, repeatedly submits to the influence of past temptations.  They become backsliders because they have yet to submit their desires to God and become delivered from their ungodly ways.

Picture this:  children on a giant slide love to climb up the slide and usually keep sliding backwards; making getting to the top difficult, if not impossible for some.  God states, in Jeremiah 3:14, that He is married to the backslider.  Since God established the institution of marriage, surely He can determine how he feels about the backslider and the consequences.  There are indeed consequences to being a backslider.  The backslider who comes to himself and repents of his sins  retains his position with God just as a couple reconciles their relationship when problems arise.

The fate of the backslider who never repents falls into the hands of an angry God.  The bible tells us that this person can expect an even greater terror than the one who never confessed any knowledge of Christ.  On the other hand, we are told in I John 1:9, 10  “that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If God forgives us, should we care about the forgiveness of others? Who is it that we should be concerned about as it pertains to our status with God?   It is without a doubt, the most fruitless exercise in the world to try to please people.  Therefore, our only concern should be in pleasing God. According to God’s Word; we, who choose to care about what God thinks are wise because He is the only one from whom we are seeking acceptance.

Unfortunately, many people attempt to seek acceptance from entities—church folks and institutions—who could care less about a person as an individual.  Although there are some churches and other individuals who genuinely care about people, they are too few in number to make a real difference.  Consider the following:

A young lady who did not begin her life’s journey with any understanding of the Word or God’s way of doing things, falls short of the mark, in a number of ways.  However, once she has been shown the light and comes to a place in her life where she has now established a right relationship with God, should she not be accepted into the fold as though she has never sinned? [This example uses a young lady because females are often scrutinized more often and judged more harshly for their past sins than males.]

If we truly believe the Word, then we have to acknowledge the fact that once God forgives us, He tosses our sins into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:18, 19).  Since our sins are cast into the sea, who has a right to go fishing for them, in an attempt to bring them to the surface? We must forever be on guard against the wiles of the enemy.  We cannot allow him or his minions to superimpose their views into our lives.  Therefore, whenever anyone attempts to bring our past to the surface, we must remind them—tactfully, if possible—that our past shortcomings have been confessed and forgiven.  They do not have a right to fish in God’s sea.

Although this may seem a minor issue, many people have been driven from churches and from God because they did not realize that they have a right to confront the devil (the accuser of the brothers (and sisters) whenever he attempts to “revive” the past.  There are so many people who have dropped out from Christianity because of what others have done, that we who are in a position of leadership, are going be held accountable. We are going to be judged for the things that we allow to happen in God’s name that have no relevance with regard to His purposes.

What is sin?

There are many definitions of sin and for some groups—types of sin.  For clarity and simplicity, we define sin as “conspiring to commit ungodly acts with self or others or purposefully not doing what is right.”  While we can establish a criteria to determine what sin is (based on the Word), we must also acknowledge the provision for the forgiveness of sin.  Consider the following:

Two people conspire to commit an act of violence against others. They spend weeks planning their deeds and finally the plans come to fruition.  They are eventually caught and after spending some time alone and God speaks to them, they repent and seek forgiveness.  God forgives them, but they are still required to serve time for the deeds committed.  Is this a just punishment when forgiveness is provided?

When we repent and God forgives, the consequences of our actions are not negated.  “Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap.”  God’s principles are true whether we believe them to be true or not. Though this is a clear act of sin, the sinner can be forgiven and yes, this is a just punishment because God is a just God.

A young man finds a wallet on a busy sidewalk.  After he picks it up, he hurriedly looks around to see if anyone might be looking for it.  Not knowing what else to do, he looks through the wallet to determine who the owner might be and how to get in touch with them.  While looking for identification, he finds some cash.  This person has been praying for a financial miracle and immediately begins to think that finding the wallet is his answer.  Without hesitation, he removes the cash.  When he finds the identification and a phone number, he calls the owner and lets them know that he has found the wallet.  The owner, overjoyed at having their wallet found does not ask any questions.  They are grateful for the return of the wallet.  Is this an act of sin and will it be forgiven?

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).  We are told emphatically, that when we know to do what is right and choose not to do it, it is sin.  Why would James have to remind believers of the Word?  Very simply put, we need daily reminders as to how we are to conduct ourselves lest we forget and attempt to justify our actions.  This is one of the reasons why David said, “thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

Types of Sin

Are there big sins and little sins?  We—the church—tend to only be concerned about big sins: murder, adultery, incest, theft, and fornication and all other sexual sins (bestiality, pornography, rape, molestation, and homosexuality).  However, we overlook other ways that we sin against God.  When we tell little white lies we sin; when we omit information that is offered as truth we sin; when we have respect of persons, we sin.  When we ignore the needs of the poor, we sin. When we overindulge in anything, we sin.  Consider the following:

A mother gets a telephone call and doesn’t want to be bothered, so she tells her eight-year old son, “tell them I’m not home.” The son tells the caller that his mother is not home and the mother sighs in relief.  Later that week, when the son gets into trouble, he lies about what happens.  When caught in the lie, he replies,” well, my mother tells me to lie for her, why can’t I lie for myself?

A man is called as a witness in a trial and because he is concerned about the outcome, he omits what he considers to be irrelevant information.  When the defendant is found guilty, the man is later questioned by his wife about his testimony.  It is discovered that the man omitted information in the trial because he was where he should not have been at the time of the incident, and he was afraid that he might be accused of a crime.

During a Sunday morning service, two people walk into the sanctuary of a high-status church.  The man is wearing a work uniform and the woman has on a short skirt, a deeply cut blouse, and three-inch heels.  The ushers immediately attempt to direct them to the balcony, but they can see empty seats on the main floor.  When the man and woman refuse to be seated in the balcony, they are asked to leave the church until they can appear in “appropriate dress.”  What the ushers didn’t know is that the two people in question were in dire need of hearing a word from the Lord and it was He who had prompted them to go to this church.

A young minister responded to a request from a rather seedy-looking man for food by telling him that unless he was a member of the church and a regular tither, the church couldn’t help him.  Later that same week, the man was found dead in an alley behind the church.  When roused from his desk by the noise in the alley, the young minister went to investigate.  He was shown the body and a cry escaped his lips when he recognized the man from earlier in the week.

A family of five frequents an all-you-can-eat-buffet.  By the time they sit down to eat after visiting each buffet table, they have three plates of food each.  A doctor and his wife, sitting at a nearby table, shake their heads in wonderment.  The parents are morosely overweight and breathe heavily as they eat and the children are well on their way to becoming obese.  In spite of the way on-lookers openly gawk at them, they keep forking food into their mouths.

Two months later, the father visits the doctor who had watched him veraciously eating. The doctor informs the patient that he has developed hypertension and diabetes and is morbidly obese.  The EKG performed also revealed irregular heart rhythms.  The patient insists that he doesn’t eat that much and doesn’t know how he gains the weight and virtually ignores the doctor’s warnings about his eating habits.  Six months later, the man is dead.  After the funeral, the family of four returns to their favorite eatery and pile up plates of food again.

In each of these scenarios, sin has been committed, but because these are the “little sins” not many people consider confession and repentance of them.  Is salvation available only to those who commit these sins if they are not confessed and repented of?  The Word says that, it is the little foxes that spoil the vine” (Song of Solomon 2:15).  Many times, we become so desensitized to “little sins” that we don’t realize the danger we put ourselves into.  Sin is sin.  There are no big sins or little sins; there is just sin.  Anything that we do that is contrary to the Word of God in our relationship with God or mankind (including sexual sins against self), is sin. We need to constantly reflect upon what we do and how we do it to make sure that we are pleasing God at all times. “For there is no respect of person with God” (Romans 2:11).

Lost Zeal

What causes people to lose their zeal? People may often lose their zeal (not their salvation) and passion for the things of the Lord, but that is not an indicator that they are not saved.  The reason many people lose their zeal is because in the beginning, the hunger and thirst to please God overwhelms us.  Our heads stay buried in the Word; we look forward to going to church, and a praise is continually on our lips.

As time marches on and we get involved in local churches and get behind the scenes, we may become cynical at first by what we discover, and then some become totally disillusioned with church folks.  Knowing that people are not always who they proclaim to be takes a death-hold on us and we begin to slide away (or backwards) from those whom we once held in great esteem; but now hold in contempt.  For some, not only is their faith tested at times like these, but they will also renounce their belief in God, simply because of what people do or have done.

People who have lost their zeal become as ones who are anesthetized.  When a person goes to a dentist and they are given a shot of Novocain, the injected area becomes desensitized and numb.  There is no pain for awhile, but eventually the drug wears off and the pain prevails.  How well do we handle pain?  Some will continue to cover the pain with other drugs and some man-up (woman-up) and deal with it.  Unfortunately, the pains in our bodies are sometimes more tolerable than the pain we get from dealing with insincere people.

Sinner vs. Wicked

“The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29).  Some people have used this scripture to support their belief that God does not hear the prayer of the sinner (not the wicked).  If this were true, then no sinner could be saved.  We know that God indeed hears the prayers of sinners (who are seeking repentance) because if he didn’t, where would we be?

The sinner is one who knows the way and chooses to take short cuts along the way; sometimes getting lost, but finding their way back. The wicked have never come into the knowledge of who Jesus is or what He has done for us and will persecute those who do believe.  The wicked are those who do not have a conscience and could care less about how their actions affect anything or anyone else. The wicked are totally self-serving and narcissistic.  The only thing that matters to them is them. The wicked are found in high places and in low places.  They are found in church and outside the church.  The wicked see themselves as a god and acknowledges no other authority than themselves. (Psalm 36:1) These are the truly wicked.

Sinners have to know the will of God in order to subvert it. The wicked do not know the will of God, nor do they care to know it.  They are a law unto themselves.  Indeed the Lord is far from the wicked because He has never been acknowledged by them and as such, has no obligation or relationship to honor with them.  The difference then is the sinner can be saved while the wicked has no hope. We have to remember that the Word of God tells us that He has created the wicked to fulfill His purposes.  Once we know the difference between a sinner and the wicked, we must determine who we are and what it is we want or where we want to spend eternity.  It is now time to make a commitment to be in a position to receive God’s best.

Avoiding the Snares

We get saved by following the path of the Word.  We stay saved by following the path of the Word.  However, when we do fall (and we all might, at one time or another), we must remember that we have an Advocate who is ever mediating our case before His father.  We must then confess our sins and know that God is faithful and just to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Since we have an Advocate, do we tempt our plight in life by deliberately sinning so that we can confess it?  Heaven forbid!  The avenue of forgiveness is not designed for us to deliberately sin, but is designed to provide us a means of escape and reconciliation.  If we truly desire a right relationship with God, we know that we must make every effort to do what is right at all times, regardless of the temptations set before us.

James 1:13,14, states that when we are tempted, it is not God tempting us, but we are tempted by our own lusts (those things we crave more than a relationship with God).  In order to maintain a confession-free life, we must avoid temptations at all costs.  Young, single ladies should not spend a great deal of time with in the presence of single men (or married ones for that matter) without the presence of others.  Men should not make themselves available for the temptations of the devil by seeking illicit pleasures from pornographic magazines, clubs, websites, or any other venue that would promote sexual temptations.

Food should be viewed as a means of maintaining and sustaining a healthy, vibrant, body.  Food should not be a solace in a time of need and should always be eaten in moderation.  To avoid glutinous situations, stay away from restaurants that offer unlimited amounts of food for one price.  Leave visible space on the dinner plate whenever eating.  Eat smaller portions more often rather than eating large portions twice a day.

Telling the truth can often be hurtful—to self or others—but at least we won’t have to confess over it.  There are ways to be tactful when dealing with truth issues with a loved one, but the truth no matter the cost, must be told.  Seek the Lord to learn how to be tactful or more diplomatic.  Remember that satan is the father of liars and that we really don’t want to promote a relationship with him (which is what we do when we lie).

We should never judge a person by their appearance and we should certainly never hinder anyone from hearing a Word from the Lord.  It is not our job to determine who gets the best seats in the church building. We are held accountable when we show respect of persons based upon their appearance and we could negate our position with Christ in the end.  We never know when angels may be sent our way, just to show us ourselves.

We are to help the poor and the needy when opportunity presents itself and we are able to do so.  When we are approached (or accosted by some) by those who are in need, we need to ask them pertinent questions and seek the Lord about the veracity of their response.  Many people attempt to beg their way through life. This is not the will of God, nor is it His will that we provide financial resources to all who ask.  After all, He expects us to be good stewards over that which He has given us.  When people tell us that they are hungry, if we’re in the vicinity of a restaurant, offer to buy them something to eat.  If not, try to direct them to a food kitchen.  If they’re not willing to accept what we’re offering (not money, of course), chances are they’re not really hungry; they’re just seeking a means to collect our hard-earned money.

Most churches should keep an updated list of shelters and food kitchens that assist the homeless.  “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:47).  We need to be prepared to do the will of God at all times.

Final Destinations

“And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?” (I Peter 4:18) [note the distinctions Peter makes between the ungodly and the sinner.]  Another way of looking at this scripture for clarity’s sake is this; for if the righteous (those who choose to live right) are barely saved, where does that leave everyone else?

Paul’s reference in this passage of scripture sets up the categories that God will use to judge us.  The righteous—those of us who have established and maintained a right relationship with God; the ungodly (wicked)—those who have never come into the knowledge of God (hence—they operate without God in their lives); and the sinner—those who know the will of God, but deliberately act against His will.

God acknowledges that even those of us who have a relationship with Him are not perfect (scarcely saved).  He knows that sometimes we will fall short of His expectations and some may even fall into the snares of the devil.  The sinner—with a conscience—can confess and receive forgiveness, if they truly repent.  The ungodly—well, the Word says in Revelation that a place has already been prepared for them.

The bottom line is this.  “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This doesn’t mean that we have to remain in a sinful state; we can choose to follow the dictates of God and be assured of our mansion in heaven. When we choose to make Jesus Lord of our lives, we must accept our own shortcomings and allow God to deliver us from all those things that are not of Him. Some of us get saved, but seldom get delivered from all of those things that oppress and suppress us.

When we sin, we must confess our sins and be willing to allow God to help us turn away from those things that keep us from receiving His very best in our lives.  We must make a commitment to ourselves that we want to be blessed and highly favored of the Lord.  The only way we can make that happen is to stay in right relationship with Him.

We can be saved and delivered when we allow the One who created us to be the architect of our lives, leading us every step of the way.   Choose this day—Heaven or Hell!

Our Prayer

Father,

In the name of Jesus’ we thank you for loving us so much

you were willing to come down from your throne, take on the likeness of man

and take all of our sins upon yourself.

Help us to not take salvation—your sacrifice for us--for granted,

nor your mercies, nor your love

as we continue to live in flesh that is not flawless,

but imperfect, yet saved when we receive the gift of grace, and of favor

you have bestowed upon us through your son when we receive Him

As our personal Savior.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen!

About The Author

Mary M. Hall-Rayford is rising to the challenge of “living” the next chapters of her life after retirement.  Turning 60 is just another way of revving it up, daring to take life to the next level.  She has been an educator for a number of years and is still teaching as an adjunct instructor for Wayne County Community College District.

She’s written a number of books—most of which can be found on amazon.com.

Contact her via email: mary.hallrayford@gmail.com

Don’t forget to write a review—she’ll appreciate and so will those who are trying to make a decision as to whether they will read this book or not.

Table of Contents

Copyright

What is salvation?

Backsliders and Sinners

What is sin?

Types of Sin

Lost Zeal

Sinner vs. Wicked

Avoiding the Snares

Final Destinations

Our Prayer

About The Author

Table of Contents

Copyright

What is salvation?

Backsliders and Sinners

What is sin?

Types of Sin

Lost Zeal

Sinner vs. Wicked

Avoiding the Snares

Final Destinations

Our Prayer

About The Author