A corollary of the current definition is that the Christian Gentiles are to be carried up to Heaven by faith, along with God's Spirit, while the elect Jews are left to establish an earthly kingdom. By employing this concept the believers can discard all teachings of righteous behavior by stating that such are directed toward the Jews.

Surely the sincere disciple of Jesus can see the diabolical motivation here. By preventing the Gentiles from practicing the righteous laws of the Kingdom of God we effectively are cutting them off from the Life of God. The world continues in chaos because the Jews without the Holy Spirit are incapable of changing the image and ways of Satan in the earth.

The true scriptural work of salvation begins when we accept the Lord Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Our initial acceptance of the Lord results in deliverance from Divine wrath through the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus apart from any works of righteousness of our own.

After our initial acceptance of the Lord we are to be led by the Spirit of God into deliverance from all unrighteousness, all spiritual uncleanness, and all disobedience to God, and brought into complete union with God through Christ.

The blood of Jesus is the authority for our complete change from the image and ways of Satan to the image and ways of the Lord God of Heaven. The Holy Spirit of God is the power, wisdom, and environment through which the change is accomplished.

Salvation is moral change. This is what salvation is. Union with God through Christ increases as deliverance from sin takes place and Christ is formed in us.

The scriptural work of salvation requires that the believer enter death to Satan, to the world, to the believer's bodily and soulish lusts, and to his self-love, self-centeredness, and self-will.

The scriptural concept of salvation is being rejected by many because our age is one of man-centeredness, of humanism, of the attempt to use God to accomplish man's will, of emphasis on "the rights of people."

The humanistic Christian gospel avoids an emphasis on judgment, condemnation, and sin and stresses man's release from all bondages of personality that would prevent the full enjoyment of his life on the earth. The humanistic salvation does not stress the crucifixion of our adamic nature or the penalties that increase when the Christian chooses to be a servant of sin rather than a servant of righteousness.

The concept of the humanistic Christian message is that because we are in Christ there is no need to be concerned with a struggle against sin. We are complete in Christ in the sense His righteousness covers us so that our behavior is relatively unimportant. The emphasis is on the peace and joy of the individual rather than on the fulfillment of God's desire that people act righteously and obey God. This message definitely is people oriented rather than Kingdom, or God oriented.

To be continued.