SALVATION FROM SIN AND DEATH: TWO STAGE OR PROGRESSIVE? Learn what the Bible Has To Say About The Salvific Process Rather Than Succumb To The Deception And Confusion Of The Different Theories. Rather than take a position and quote Scripture to argue your point of view based on your experience, let Scripture interpret Scripture and see how you align with what the Bible actually states.

 Confession vs. Transformation: Savior First, Then Lord?

Many sincere Christians say something like:

“I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was young… but years later, I made Him my Lord—and that’s when everything changed.”

What they’re describing is real spiritual transformation—but it raises a theological question:

Can someone be saved by accepting Jesus as Savior while rejecting Him as Lord?

Analyzing the Experience

Let’s break down what’s likely going on:

1. Early Mental Assent Without Heart Surrender

• Many accept Jesus in an intellectual or cultural sense—responding to a sermon, saying a prayer, or checking a doctrinal box.
• But there’s no repentance, no submission, no indwelling evidence.
• Later, they come to a point of true yielding, conviction, and change—which aligns with what Scripture calls conversion or regeneration (e.g., 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26).

Theologically, it’s possible that the first “salvation” was just profession—and the second moment was the true new birth.

2. A True Salvation Followed by a Crisis of Surrender

•  Then came a moment of crisis, brokenness, or Holy Spirit filling, where they fully yielded control to Christ.
• This is often described as “making Jesus Lord”—though in truth, He was already Lord; they just stopped resisting.

Biblically, this parallels Romans 12:1–2—presenting one’s body as a living sacrifice. It’s a crisis of consecration, not salvation.

3. Spirit Baptism or Deeper Infilling

• In Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition, this “Lordship moment” may coincide with being baptized in the Holy Spirit, often evidenced by tongues.
• Even believers who already follow Christ find a new boldness, clarity, and power when they receive the Spirit in fullness (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 5:18).

This isn’t about salvation per se, but about empowerment, intimacy, and fruitfulness.

Scripture Speaks to This Pattern

• “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) — many profess Him but don’t submit.
• “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) — Lordship requires self-denial.
• “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) — suggesting self-deception is possible.

Language Matters Less Than the Reality

Whether someone says:

• “I made Jesus my Lord,” or
• “I surrendered all,” or
• “I received the Holy Spirit in power,”

—what matters is that they experienced a defining encounter with Christ that changed their walk, character, and direction.

It shows that salvation is not about a phrase but a Person—and a life of submission to Him.

"Have You Considered My Servant Job?"

Job: Repenting from Knowledge, Not Experience

Key Verse:

"I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
— Job 42:5–6 (ESV)

1. Job’s Earlier Knowledge Was Doctrinal, Not Experiential

Throughout the book, Job speaks rightly about God:

• He defends God’s justice against his friends.
• He holds to God’s sovereignty.
• He refuses to curse God.

But his knowledge is secondhand—“by the hearing of the ear.”

He knew of God.
He had heard about God.
He believed in God.
But he had not yet encountered God in full revelatory power.

 2. The Shift: From Theology to Theophany

In Job 38–41, God speaks—not through ideas, not through a preacher, but directly.

It is not an argument that changes Job.
It is not a doctrine that humbles him.
It is the presence and voice of God that breaks and transforms him.

Job sees God—not physically, but spiritually. His repentance now flows not from logic, but from awe.

This is the difference between:

• Knowing about Jesus
• And encountering Jesus in glory.

3. Repentance from Knowledge vs. Repentance from Encounter

	Repentance from Knowledge	Repentance from Encounter
Based on	Doctrine, teaching, conscience	Revelation, glory, presence
Produces	Conviction of right and wrong	Awe, brokenness, transformation
Fueled by	Head understanding	Heart exposure to holiness
Language like	“I know this is wrong”	“Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isa. 6:5)

Biblical examples: Peter denying Jesus, Judas regretting Isaiah’s vision, Paul on Damascus Road

4. Modern Application: The Limits of Knowledge-Based Repentance

Many Christians repent because:

• “The Bible says it’s wrong.”
• “I feel guilty.”
• “I know I should change.”

But few have cried, like Job, “Now my eye sees you… I despise myself… I repent in ashes.”

This kind of repentance is deeper, holier, and lasting because it flows from encounter, not obligation.

5. Job Prefigures New Covenant Transformation

Under the New Covenant, believers receive:

• Not just the law, but the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:6)
• Not just commandments, but the indwelling Christ (Gal. 2:20)
• Not just sermons, but the revelation of Jesus (Eph. 1:17)

Job’s journey shows that repentance by the Spirit comes when:

“The eyes of our heart are enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18).

 Summary of Job

Job illustrates the critical truth that:

• Head knowledge can produce morality, but
• Only divine encounter produces repentance that leads to transformation.

That’s why we must preach for encounter, worship in Spirit, and lead people into the presence, not merely instruct their minds.

Let's Contemplate The Words of Jesus

Two Stages of Spiritual Birth in John 3 “Seeing” vs. “Entering” 

Key Text:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above [ἄνωθεν], he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:3 (WEB)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:5 (WEB)

1. Two Conditions, Two Outcomes

Verse	Condition	Result
John 3:3	Born from above (ἄνωθεν)	Can see the kingdom
John 3:5	Born of water and Spirit	Can enter the kingdom

Jesus is not simply repeating Himself—He is deepening the revelation:

• Seeing is the first grace of awakening—recognizing there is light.
• Entering is the second grace—walking through into the realm of that light

2. Analogy: The House with Lights On

Imagine a man walking down a dark road at night. Ahead, he sees:

• A house glowing with warmth.
• The lights are on.
• There’s life inside.

This is like someone who begins to perceive the kingdom:

• They see truth.
• They sense the Spirit.
• They’re drawn to it.

But seeing the house doesn’t mean he’s inside.

To enter, he must:

• Approach the door.
• Be washed (cleansed).
• Be invited in and filled (Spirit).

This is baptismal language: water and Spirit = cleansing and indwelling.

3. Biblical Pattern of Seeing vs. Entering

Event	Seeing (Awareness)	Entering (Participation)
Moses and the burning bush	He saw the bush (Exod. 3:2)	Then heard God speak from it (3:4)
Isaiah’s vision	Saw the Lord (Isa. 6:1)	Was cleansed, then sent (6:7–8)
John the Baptist’s crowd	Saw Jesus (John 1:29)	Later followed Him (John 1:37–39)
Disciples at Pentecost	Heard the sound, saw fire (Acts 2:2–3)	Were filled with the Spirit (2:4)

There is always a threshold between seeing and entering—a transition from illumination to indwelling.

4. Water and Spirit — The New Creation Gateway

• Water = cleansing, repentance, submission (John the Baptist’s baptism, Acts 2:38)
• Spirit = rebirth, empowerment, adoption (Romans 8:15–16)

To enter is to be recreated, re-sourced, and re-identified:

• Not just observing the kingdom’s reality,
• But living inside it, moved by its laws and filled with its King.

5. Why This Matters

Many stop at seeing:

• They feel stirred in worship.
• They understand truth mentally.
• They admire Jesus or the Bible.

But unless they are born again by water and the Spirit, they cannot enter in:

• No transformation.
• No indwelling power.
• No access to the kingdom's inner life.

 “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34)—but not in it yet.

Summary

John 3 is not redundant—it is revelatory:

• First, Jesus says: You must be born from above to see the kingdom.
• Then He says: You must be born of water and Spirit to enter it.

The Spirit leads people through both:

• The Spirit leads people through both:
• From illumination to regeneration,
• From fascination to transformation,

💡 Conclusion💡

Clearly there is undeniable evidence in the Scriptures of two stages pertaining to salvation, which are in reality a progressive experience as one begins the journey on the way to the reality of the truth that leads to life. 

Confession vs transformation equates to the experience of Job, where he had heard of the message of repentance and faith towards God but had yet to encounter the Lord, so that he might be transformed. Jesus himself points out the path, the way to life, when he says that there are those who see the kingdom, and there are those who enter the Kingdom. The question is which one are you—a hearer who hears and confesses, or one who sees, enters and acknowledges Jesus is Lord!