"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."
(1 Timothy 4:16)
As we continue to look into salvation, today we will look into the fourth phase of salvation the practical phase. The practical phase is where we must hear the preaching of the gospel, what God is requiring of us, and where we must actively obey Him. The practical phase is the result of the first three phases. By nature man has no interest in God, he is an enemy of God according to (Romans 8:7-8) " For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." and man neither understands God nor seeks after Him according to (Psalm 14:2). But after God has elected a man, and after Christ has died for that man, and after the Holy Spirit has given that man a new nature, that man is now able to obey and please God. And that is that man's duty in the practical phase of salvation.
By believing the gospel man is able to be saved from error. What makes the difference between the man who is error and a man who is serving God in truth? The difference is he hasn't been taught yet or he hasn't obeyed. By the gospel coming to that man in truth he is able to see the error of his way, and be able to be converted from that error and worship God in truth.
Look at Philippians 2, here we can see this phase more clearly. God first works salvation in a man thru the first three phases. And then we must work that salvation out by doing those things that are pleasing to God. (Philippians 2:12-13) Paul says, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Notice the two salvation found in these two verses. First we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but we are to work out that salvation because God worked in us both to will and do for His good pleasure. God has elected men, Christ has justified men, and the Holy Spirit has regenerated men in order that they would will and do of God's good pleasure. God has created all things for His pleasure according to (Revelation 4:11) "..you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." And he wants us now to work that salvation out.
God has worked in us the new man, the inner man, it is now our duty to work that man out by willing and doing those things that are pleasing to God.
If we are in false doctrine and are believing a false concept of God or worshiping a false God or practicing things that God hates and has not required of us in the church, then we are not pleasing to God.
Therefore the gospel comes along and tells us what we must do to please God. How would you ever think of baptism if it wasn't for the gospel that commanded you to be baptized (Matthew 28:19) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." God might have elected you, Christ might have justified you, and the Holy Spirit might have regenerated you. But until you hear the gospel how do you know enough to be baptized and to answer God with a good conscience as 1 Peter 3:21 commands you? "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."(1 Pt. 3:21). You only know about baptism by the preaching of the gospel and by obedience to that gospel. It is your duty to hear and to believe the gospel. You can be saved from error and false doctrine. You can be saved from judgment.
Think about the church in Corinth, in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 there were people in that church who abused the Lord's supper by treating it as a carnal feast. We read that some of those Corinthians were weak, some were sick, and even some had even died as a result of God's judgment for abusing the Lord's supper. Now if the gospel comes to them the gospel can tell them what they are doing wrong and by obeying that gospel and correcting that behavior they can be saved from God's judgment.
That is the purpose of the gospel, that we can be saved from despair, we can be saved from fear, also we can be saved from false bondage to false systems of religion. For instance, there are many who are in bondage from a system of salvation by works. That their eternal salvation in heaven depends on how much they give, how faithfully they attend, whether they observe and keep all the sacraments of the church. That's bondage! When you are dependent on these things to be saved, that is a form of bondage. You are held under the control of a group of men who come up with a bunch of rules that you must keep. The gospel comes along and tell men, NO salvation is based on God's election, it's based upon Christ's death on the Cross, and it's based on the Spirit's regeneration. When you hear that message of the gospel you have been saved from the bondage of men. You have been saved from the fear of death as Hebrews chapter 2:15 describes it, "deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."
This phase of salvation is also called conversion. The gospel comes to men and saves them from behaviors that are not pleasing to God to that behavior that is pleasing to God. This is working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Conversion comes in all kinds of different degrees among God's elect. Some men are converted to great degree like the Apostle Paul was. Other men are not converted very much at all such as Lot, Abraham's nephew. 2 Peter 2 tells us Lot was a righteous, yet when we read about Lot in Genesis we see Lot was not converted as much as Abraham was. Abraham and Lot will both be in heaven and the reason for it is God the Father elected them equally, Christ died for them equally, and the Holy Spirit regenerated them equally. Because God preformed the first three phases of salvation on them equally they shall both be with God in heaven. It is just here in this world they didn't escape God's judgments equally.
To the degree we are converted we enjoy more peace. We enjoy more fellowship with God. We do not lose our eternal salvation by not being converted fully. But we sure do lose some of the benefits God has for us in this world.
Remember the Prodigal Son did not lose his sonship by going and spending his fathers inheritance on unrighteous living in Luke 15. He lost fellowship with his father, and that is what happens to us when we are not converted. When the gospel comes to us and we decide to return to our father, that doesn't make us sons, that just allows us the privilege of enjoying our sonship.
The gospel is not meant to get people into heaven. The gospel does not save men from hell into heaven. The preaching of the gospel saves men to the understanding that God wants them to have, so they might receive His blessings of peace, prosperity, and fellowship here in this world. That they might be delivered from His judgment by behaving in a way that is pleasing to Him.
A couple of other passages that this phase of salvation works itself out is in the book of Acts chapter 8 with the Ethiopian eunuch and also the story of Cornelius the Centurion in Acts chapter 10.
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