We need to be careful not to constrict salvation to an experience of forgiveness alone. The typical concept of salvation often goes like this: “I have believed in Jesus, He has forgiven my sins, I will struggle with sin until He comes, but because He paid my debt, He will save me.” That does not square with the Bible at all. Most of us understand that the Resurrected One has redeemed us from past sins. If I yield myself to Him in complete trust, He sets me free from the burden of all my sins. But we must ask the forward-looking question: Is He Lord of my life at present? We all know that there is more than forgiveness. 

I believe we mistakenly apply His lordship in our lives to sins we commit, rather like a mechanical transaction, and we miss the intimacy of an abiding relationship of sanctifying love with Him. Jesus defines eternal life. He tells us that eternal life is to know the Father and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). To know someone, in Scripture, involves the deepest kind of self-giving. Eternal life is not a negotiation. It’s an all-consuming relationship. I am not saved by an experience of forgiveness for my past. I am only saved by the presence of Jesus, my Lord and my Life, right now. 

If I have any reservation towards His reigning presence in me, He alone must deal with that. That is why Salvationism has always pointed people to look at the full nature of God as holy and His desire to make us like Himself. We have encouraged people who have been forgiven to ask themselves, “Why do I still lie? Or cheat on income taxes? Or demand my way?” That should lead to a deeper question, “What more does Jesus want to do in me?” Many have come to the place of saying, “Jesus, I want all you have for me. I know you have forgiven me, but I need a deeper cleansing. Show me what must be yielded to you, and I will gladly do so. What I want is all of you.”

Normally, this kind of prayer for sanctification is accompanied by an assurance that God has done what He has promised in the heart. The Scripture calls that “entire sanctification” or “full salvation” or “the fullness of the Spirit.” Careful to not repeat the same mistake regarding forgiveness, we must not make this “second experience” a transaction that contractually seals one’s sanctification. 

We only use language of “secondness” as an attempt to understand and apply all the passages which are attributed to forgiven believers. Otherwise, the language of sanctification makes little sense. Paul, for example, tells believers in Colossians 3:5 that they have to “put to death” a series of sins which arise from the heart. Those sins pertain to something they know has happened in their hearts and lives after they are born again. “Death” to self follows new birth. This is a major theme in Scripture. Why do believers fall back into sin? Is there any solution to the tragic cycle of always being a sinner even though we know what our inheritance in Christ comprises? Sadly, the portion of salvation called sanctification has been assessed by many to only occur in heaven, which seems illogical in light of the hundreds of biblical commands and promises that surround actual holy hearts and lives in real time.

We must never seek any experience apart from the transformative presence of Jesus in our beings made possible by the Holy Spirit. But if you want to break the cycle of repeated sin in your walk with Jesus, there is more — more honesty, more love, more grace. Forgiveness is the doorway into the life He offers but the house He invites us into is holiness. 

Questions

• Salvation is the presence of Jesus in our lives. How do you meet Jesus every day?
• Are there cycles of repeated sin you need Jesus to free you from? Are there habits of service or kindness Jesus is calling you to embrace?

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This article was originally titled “Forgiveness Isn’t the Finish Line” in the May 2026 issue of The War Cry.