The Called, the Saved, the Chosen—4 Camps and 4 Steps of A Full Salvation

Jesus's parables primarily target not unbelievers but rather Christians. This week I want to illustrate what a Full Salvation is according to the Bible.

Why does it matter to know about Full Salvation?

1. Christians need to know the difference between being saved and being fully saved to re-examine their walk with God.
2. Unbelievers need the knowledge to distinguish true believers, so they don’t misjudge Jesus according to believers who misrepresent Him.
3. Both groups must grasp that God is just, and we will all be judged according to our deeds. (Matthew 16:27)

I made the hypothesis through reading the Word of God, learning from Pastors, and perceiving God’s revelations to me. While no one knows the full picture for sure—God desires our diligent pursuit of Him.

It’s better to doubt God than not to think about Him at all.

In this article:

1. My Standpoints on Controversial Topics
2. Illustrating Salvation: 4 Steps and 4 Camps
3. Aiming for Full Salvation
4. Other Biblical References

My Standpoints on Controversial Topics

“You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” James 2:1

🙉“Once saved always saved”

Lie. Just as repentance is ongoing, salvation is a continual process, either progressing or regressing, potentially to the point of loss.

👑Ranking in Heaven:

There’s a ranking system in Heaven, as Jesus delineated multiple times who would be the greatest and least in the Kingdom of God. (e.g Matthew 5:19) Paul mentioned the third Heaven in 2 Corinthians 12, suggesting the existence of a hierarchy.

🌾Called, Saved, and Chosen

• If called, you have a choice to be saved.
• If saved, you have a chance to be chosen.
• While all who believe in Jesus are saved, only a few are chosen.
• God decides when to call, you decide if you want to be saved.
• Once chosen by God, refusal is not an option, although your disobedience will delay the fulfillment of His promise.

🦷“Weeping and gnashing of teeth”

Distinct from the "lake of fire" mentioned in Revelation, the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” refers to a place of remorse and anguish, repeatedly mentioned in Matthew. It likely denotes believers, instead of unbelievers, who fell short of God's grace.

Check these out:

• Parable of the Tares and Wheats: Matthew 13:42
• Parable of the Dragnet: Matthew 13:50
• Parable of the Marriage Feast: Matthew 22:13
• Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:30

Don’t hold it back—leave a comment👇🏻God loves us talking about Him!

Illustrating Salvation: 4 Steps and 4 Camps

Repentance is an ongoing process, and so is salvation. To make it easier to understand, I illustrated this process with 4 steps and 4 camps:

🌊4 steps (not necessarily clear-cut)

1. Being Called (God intends to save all: Matthew 24:14)
2. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (But not all will receive: John 17:9)
3. Keep God’s general Commandments that are clearly stated in the Bible
4. Obey God’s prescribed will for your personal life and persevere till the end.

Keeping God’s general commandments must precede receiving God’s prescribed will for your life.

⛺️4 Camps

1. The called: someone first preached the gospel to you, even if unprofessionally (like me). You might receive at once or much later at a certain point, or you’ll simply refuse to believe all the way till you die. If you receive Jesus, you’ll move on to the next camp.
2. Not going to hell: you confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9), but you merge perfectly with unbelievers. Your belief in Jesus has little to no effect on your life.
3. Enter the Kingdom: you were born again and no longer live in sin but in Jesus. You keep God’s general Commandments. You might struggle with sin now and then, but you won’t give up pursuing a life of holiness. (Matthew 7:21-23)
4. The chosen (Full salvation): your life is full of tribulations like a biblical character. You went through multiple wilderness seasons and passed all tests through obedience to God’s general commandments and prescribed will for your life—you made it by God’s way. You were chosen to advance and inherit the Kingdom of God. (Hebrews 6:12)

Aiming for Full Salvation:

🛟Defining “saved”

To clarify, many times when the Bible mentioned “saved,” it could mean two things—

1. Not going to hell, have eternal life
2. Receive full salvation

“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Matthew 24:13

In this verse above, Jesus clearly was not talking about “saved” as not going to hell but to receive full salvation.

🌕Full salvation

I believe this verse perfectly pictures a chosen one who received full salvation:

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7

🎁The package of full salvation:

• Eternal life
• Renewed mind
• New heart
• Spiritual gifts
• Dominion

All these point to one identity: Children of God. Being children means having the birthright to inheritance.

🔥Abide in Jesus

How to abide in Jesus? How to let His words abide in us?

The answer is as simple as this: Keep His commandments. (John 14:23, 1 John 3:24)

God’s commandments are over the Bible, and Jesus highlighted these 7 commandments for those who have believed:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your mind, all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
2. Love one another
3. Be fruitful and multiply in all areas—talent, finance, discipleship
4. Be forgiving
5. Be humble and serve others
6. Do not judge others
7. Do not be hypocrites (Matthew 24:42-51)

Any thoughts? Join the chat and share with us!👇🏻

Other Biblical References:

The Called Camp:

Revelation 21:8, John 3:16, 1 John 1:9, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

The “Not going to hell” Camp:

Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, 1 Corinthians 3:3, 1 John 2:19, James 2:17-24

The “Entering the Kingdom” Camp:

Matthew 5:20, Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 16:24, Matthew 18:3, Mark 16:17-18

The Chosen Camp:

Hebrews 6:12, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 24:13, John 14:15, John 14:21, John 15:16, 2 Corinthians 12:12