What is the essential difference between being saved and salvation?

The Church of Almighty God | What is the essential difference between being saved and salvation?

　　Bible Verses for Reference:

　“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21).

　“You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45).

　Relevant Words of God:

　Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

Question 8: In the Age of Grace, God became flesh to serve as a sin offering for mankind, redeeming them from sin. In the last days God has again become flesh to express the truth and to do His work of judgment in order to thoroughly purify and save man. So why does God need to incarnate twice to do the work of saving mankind? And what is the true significance of God incarnating twice?

The Church of Almighty God | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven

    Answer:

About why God must be incarnated twice to do the work of saving mankind, we should first be clear: With regard to the salvation of mankind, God’s two incarnations have a deep and profound meaning. Because the work of salvation, no matter if we’re talking about the redemption or the judgment and purification and salvation of the last days, cannot be performed by man. It requires God to be incarnated and perform the work Himself. In the Age of Grace, God was incarnated as the Lord Jesus, that is, God’s Spirit clothed Himself in a holy and sinless flesh, and was nailed to the cross to serve as a sin offering, redeeming man from his sinfulness. We all understand this. But as for the return of the Lord Jesus in the last days, why is He incarnated in the flesh as the Son of man to appear and work? Many have a hard time understanding this. If Almighty God had not explained this aspect of the truth and unveiled this mystery, no one would have understood this truth. Now, let’s see what exactly Almighty God has said. Almighty God says, “The first incarnation was to redeem man from sin through the flesh of c, that is, He saved man from the cross, but the corrupt satanic disposition still remained within man. The second incarnation is no longer to serve as a sin offering but to fully save those who were redeemed from sin. This is done so that those forgiven can be delivered from their sins and be fully made clean, and attain a change in disposition, thereby breaking free of Satan’s influence of darkness and returning before the throne of God. Only in this way can man be fully sanctified. God began the work of salvation in the Age of Grace after the Age of Law had come to an end. It is not until the last days, when God has fully purified mankind by doing the work of judgment and chastisement of man for rebelliousness, will God conclude His work of salvation and enter into rest. Therefore, in the three stages of work, only twice did God become flesh to carry out His work among man Himself. That is because only one in the three stages of work is to lead man in their lives, while the other two are the work of salvation. Only if God becomes flesh can He live alongside man, experience the suffering of the world, and live in an ordinary flesh. Only in this way can He supply man of His creation with the practical word that they need. Man receives full salvation from God because of God incarnate, not directly from their prayers to heaven. For man is fleshly; man is unable to see the Spirit of God and much less able to approach Him. All that man can associate with is God’s incarnate flesh; only through Him can man understand all the words and all the truths, and receive full salvation. The second incarnation is sufficient to get rid of the sins of man and fully purify man. Hence, the second incarnation will bring to a close all the work of God in the flesh and complete the significance of God’s incarnation. Thereafter, the work of God in the flesh will have entirely come to an end. After the second incarnation, He will not again become flesh for His work. For His entire management will have come to an end. In the last days, His incarnation will have fully gained His chosen people, and all man in the last days will have been divided according to their kind. He will no longer do the work of salvation, nor will He return to flesh to carry out any work” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

One must recognize the difference between the way of repentance in the Age of Grace and the way of eternal life in the last days.

The Church of Almighty God | One must recognize the difference between the way of repentance in the Age of Grace and the way of eternal life in the last days.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47-48).

“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21).

Relevant Words of God:

Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

God used Moses to do the work of the Age of Law, so why doesn’t God use people to do His work of judgment in the last days, but instead He must needs become flesh to do it Himself?

God used Moses to do the work of the Age of Law, so why doesn’t God use people to do His work of judgment in the last days, but instead He must needs become flesh to do it Himself?

　Answer:

　Why it is that God must become flesh to do the work of judgment in the last days is a question with which many who thirst for truth and search for God’s appearance are chiefly concerned. It is also a question that relates to whether we can be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. So, it is very important to understand this aspect of the truth. Why is it that God has to incarnate Himself to do His work of judgment in the last days instead of using man to do His work? This is determined by the nature of the work of judgment. Because the work of judgment is God’s expression of the truth and expression of His righteous disposition to conquer, purify, and save mankind. Let’s read a passage from Almighty God’s word.

　“The work of judgment is God’s own work, so it should naturally be done by God Himself; it cannot be done by man in His stead. Because judgment is the conquering of the human race through the truth, it is unquestionable that God still appears as the incarnate image to do this work among men. That is to say, in the last days, Christ shall use the truth to teach men around the earth and make all truths known to them. This is God’s work of judgment” (“Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

One must understand that all the truth expressed by God in the last days is the way of eternal life.

Eastern Lightning | One must understand that all the truth expressed by God in the last days is the way of eternal life.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12-13).

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death” (Rev 2:11).

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:1-2).

Virginia Christian Film Festival: The Musical Drama "Xiaozhen's Story" Rakes in Nine Awards

Eastern Lightning - Virginia Christian Film Festival: The Musical Drama "Xiaozhen's Story" Rakes in Nine Awards

The musical, Xiaozhen's Story, raked in nine awards, including those for best director, best feature film, best musical score, and so on, at the Christian Film Festival in Virginia, United States. Since its release in 2015, this musical, with the unfolding of life's transformation as its theme, has received multiple awards one after another in countries such as Russia, India, America, and so on. This is the 7th time since its first screening that this movie has won film festival awards.

This musical centers on the metamorphosis of the life of the Christian Xiaozhen. A true story, it tells of how people are enticed by money and fame into forfeiting their humanity, growing distant from God, losing their direction and goals in life, and heading toward the terror and helplessness of falling from grace. Through twists and turns, the fates of the characters are very moving and invocative, and by way of one climax after another, the plot triggers the audience into wondering such things as: Just what is happiness? What is the value and meaning of life? Who can save people from their lives of suffering, and bring them happiness and light? The lyrics used in the screenplay come from utterances spoken to all humanity by the Creator. They express God's concern, hopes, and care for humans, pointing out the way to all those who are profoundly suffering and have been led astray, and bringing them the gospel and hope!

Question 6: The Lord Jesus was the incarnate God and no one can deny this. Now you testify that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned in the flesh, but religious pastors and elders say that what you believe in is just a person, they say that you have been deceived, and we cannot figure this out. At that time when the Lord Jesus became flesh and came to do the work of redemption, the Jewish Pharisees also said that the Lord Jesus was just a man, saying that anyone who believed in Him was being deceived. Therefore, we would like to pursue this aspect of the truth about the incarnation. What exactly is the incarnation? And what is the essence of the incarnation? Please fellowship this for us.

Eastern Lightning - Books - The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven

Answer:

Your belief in the Lord Jesus as God’s incarnation is not false. But why do you believe in the Lord Jesus? Do you really think of the Lord Jesus as God? You believe in the Lord Jesus because of what has been recorded in the Bible and because of the work of the Holy Spirit. But no matter what you say, you haven’t seen the Lord Jesus face to face, do you really dare say you know the Lord Jesus? In your belief in the Lord, you’re merely echoing the words of Peter, who said that the Lord Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God, but do you believe that the Lord Jesus is the manifestation of God, is God Himself? Do you dare say that you understand the Lord Jesus’ divine substance? Do you dare guarantee that if the Lord Jesus were to come again expressing the truth, you would recognize His voice? Your belief in the Lord Jesus amounts to nothing more than a belief in “the Lord Jesus” these three words. You believe in His name only. You don’t understand the Lord Jesus’ divine substance. If you do understand, then why can’t you distinguish the voice of God’s Spirit? Why don’t you acknowledge that the truth which Almighty God expresses emerges from God and is the voice and word of the Holy Spirit? From what I’ve seen today, how you reject the voice of God and deny the truth which God expresses, I am sure that you do not know the incarnate God! If you had been born two thousand years ago, in the age when the Lord Jesus was preaching and doing His work, you certainly would have joined the Jewish chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees in condemning the Lord Jesus. Is this not the case? The Jewish chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees had believed in the one and only God for many years, but why was it that they didn’t recognize the Lord Jesus? Why did they nail Him to the cross? What was the issue? Why is it that the pastors and elders of the religious world in the last days fail to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? Why do they still condemn the judgment work of Almighty God in the last days? Please think about this: Isn’t someone who believes in God but fails to acknowledge God’s incarnation an antichrist? The Jewish leaders resisted and condemned the Lord Jesus, the incarnate God. They were all antichrists revealed by God’s work. As for the pastors and elders of the religious world in the last days who resist and condemn the incarnate Almighty God, are they not also antichrists exposed by God’s work? We can all plainly see that the majority of pastors and elders in the religious world all resist and condemn the work of Almighty God in the last days; they look upon Almighty God’s work without really seeing, they hear His words without really listening. Almighty God has expressed all the truths to purify and save mankind. He has conquered, saved, and made a group of overcomers. The gospel of the kingdom is spreading throughout the world, this is inexorable! Could the pastors and leaders of the religious world possibly not see the facts of God’s work? How can they still say something as ridiculous as, “Belief in Almighty God is belief in a human”? What is the issue here? This just goes to show that there are many who believe in the vague God of the high heavens, but there are few who have knowledge of the incarnate God. Isn’t this the fact? Why did the Lord Jesus condemn those Pharisees that resisted Him? Because they only believed in the vague God of the high heavens, but condemned and resisted the incarnate God. Is this not the case?

One must recognize the difference between the way of repentance in the Age of Grace and the way of eternal life in the last days.

Eastern Lightning | One must recognize the difference between the way of repentance in the Age of Grace and the way of eternal life in the last days.

June 14, 20170

  Bible Verses for Reference:

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47-48).

“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21).

Relevant Words of God:

Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh