The nuts and bolts of salvation

The nuts and bolts of salvation. How you are born again

By E. Palmer Cobb 02/17/25

In the book of John, Chapter 3, Jesus has an encounter with the Pharisee 

Nicodemus. Jesus told Nicodemus: "You must be born again to enter the 

kingdom of heaven." Specifically, the word for “born again” means to be  

born from above. To enter the kingdom of God, you must be born of the 

Spirit of God. Romans 10:9,10 tells you the steps to being saved, being 

born again. But what is being saved? What happens at the moment of 

salvation? The word saved in Greek is “SOZO”. SOZO means to save, 

to rescue, to deliver, to heal, to preserve. You are saved and delivered from 

eternal damnation, hell, and punishment. And most importantly, you receive 

the gift of eternal life. Saved from eternal death. 

So, where does the Bible explain the process of "being born again, becoming

saved?" God explained it clearly about 600 years before Jesus, the Son of 

God appeared on earth in the flesh as a man. In the 36th book of Ezekiel, 

God gave a detailed description of the born-again process.

Ezekiel 36:25 "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean 

from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. 

And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of 

flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my 

statutes and be careful to obey my rules." ESV.

Step 1: Cleansing Ezekiel 36:25 "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and 

You shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will 

cleanse you." 

From the “Old Covenant” point of view, they probably thought Ezekiel was 

referring to the ceremonial washings in Leviticus 30:18-20. Ceremonial 

washings were for the outside, external washing of the hands. But now we 

know it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sins. A spiritual 

cleansing of the inner man. Why is Jesus's blood so important? Because Jesus

is the God-man. The physical manifestation of the invisible Father God. The 

second person of the triune Godhead who humbled himself and became a 

man. Jesus, the God-man, came, took our place, and bore our punishment for

our sins. The blood that Jesus shed was, in reality, the blood of God. Blood is 

considered a person's life force. Undeniably, the most important blood (life 

force) in all the universe was Jesus, the God-man. The only blood that could 

cleanse you of your sin and unrighteousness. 

Cleansing Part 2: “And from all your idols I will cleanse you.” 

Before the experience of salvation, your spirit was dead to God. You had 

various idols. Many of you didn’t even realize you had them. It might have 

been habits, addictions, hobbies, money, jobs, and so forth. Anything you 

put before God would be an idol. You may have sought after some forms 

of god(s) and other religions that were not of God or of God’s realm. But 

now, God promises to cleanse you of your idols. You may receive an instant 

deliverance from some idols, or it may be a gradual process over time. 

When you surrendered your life to Christ, He began the process of cleansing

you. He has promised to remove every idol.

Step 2: Receiving a new heart. “And I will give you a new Heart,” 

The heart is the part of your inner man that represents your nature. In the 

ancient world, the heart was the center for volition and the intellectual 

catalyst for feeling and action. A ‘heart of stone’ implied inflexibility and 

willfulness, while a ‘heart of flesh’ meant submission and compliance.” 

(Vawter and Hoppe). 

 

A heart of stone is dead to God, with no connection to God whatsoever. 

Often spoken of in the bible as the Old Man, Old Nature, or the Flesh. The 

heart of stone will follow whatever inner godless desires it wants. The 

desires of the flesh. Whatever feels good to you. 

The heart of stone is like having a cell phone with a dead battery. Someone 

is calling, but your phone is dead. It is totally inoperable. In your stony 

heart, God wants to talk to you, but you cannot hear or receive anything. 

The new heart or heart of flesh gives you a new nature. The ability to sense 

or connect to God and hear Him in the Spirit realm. This new heart will 

grow, develop, transform, and mature. 

Ephesians 4:23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds (the new 

heart). See also Romans 12:2, be transformed by a renewing of your mind.

Step 3: Receiving a new spirit, “and a new spirit I will put within you.” 

This is the next most important step in the salvation process. Your old spirit 

was dead, cut off, separated from God, the same as your heart of stone. 

From the moment that Adam sinned, the spirits of men became dead to God. 

It is only when you go through the salvation experience that a new, perfect 

spirit from God will replace the old, dead one. People often use the 

term ‘we are being restored.’ But that is wrong. A restored item still looks 

restored. God gave us a brand new spirit. New, not restored.

2 Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has 

passed away; behold, the new (a new heart & spirit) has come.

Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self (the new creation spirit), created 

after the likeness (or image) of God in true righteousness and holiness.  

(a perfect spirit) 

You will have a new and perfect spirit. A perfect spirit that is created in the 

likeness and image of God. Similar to when God first made man in His image

at creation (Ge 1:26. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after 

our likeness.”) The new creation spirit is once again made in His likeness.

Step 4: Receiving the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke often about the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit would be our comforter, our power, and more. He wants to 

guide us and direct us. He wants to speak to us and through us. The Holy 

Spirit is our direct connection to Jesus and the Father.

There are volumes written about the Holy Spirit. The most important point 

here is that the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Triune Godhead.

And now God the Holy Spirit lives in you. God is not up there somewhere 

in the heavens, hiding silently away. There is no barrier between you and 

God. Jesus removed all the barriers. The Holy Spirit now dwells in you. He 

is your inheritance. He is in your thoughts, your mind, your body. You are 

His home, His temple; you’ve become a member of the body of Christ. 

Therefore, it is important to live your life righteously, solely because God 

has taken up residence in you. You should want to know Him intimately, 

His plans and desires for you. 

Learn how to become an empowered Christian. Learn to release the power 

and gifts of the Holy Spirit that lives in you. Envision the things you are now 

capable of because the creator of the universe dwells in you.

Step 5. Obeying God. “And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to

walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (laws)." 

I often wondered how God was going to make us walk in His statutes. One 

day, I realized what He was talking about. It is simple. To obey His law, He 

wants us to walk in love because love is the fulfillment of all the Law.  

Much of Paul’s teaching was based on love and unity. 1st Corinthians 13 

declares the meaning of love. Remember, God is love. You are now a 

container of God’s love. It’s one of the abilities and gifts you must learn to 

release.

Matthew 22: 37-40 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the 

great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your 

neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law 

and the Prophets.”

John 13:34,35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one 

another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, 

all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one 

another.

So how does a person become born again and a New Spiritual Creation?

Follow the instructions in the scripture below.

Romans 10: 9,10 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be 

saved.. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, 

one confesses and is saved.

The process is simple: 

First: believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord 

Second: verbally confess that God has raised Him from the dead, and  

then you will be saved.

Revival (part 3)

King Asa (2 Chronicles 15) did many good things that pleased the Lord. He cleansed the temple by tearing down altars and statues to other gods and even kicked his grandmother out of the palace (She was the Queen Mother) because she had Asherah poles that she worshiped.

When he went to war the first time he consulted with God through a prophet and God gave him a great victory. Later he decided to go to war but failed to consult with God. He asked another king to help him and proposed his own plan. God didn’t necessarily punish Asa for not consulting with Him, He just let him reap what he had sown. God said Asa would now be at war for the rest of his reign as king. Asa left God out of his plans so God decided not to be involved in helping him in any more wars and now he would have plenty of wars to think about it. Likewise if we choose to leave God out of our plans he will be quite obliging to let us continue on the path we started, without Him. That is what is much of what is happening to America today.

Why is revival so lacking amongst our great American churches? I believe because years ago God moved through America in various revivals movements and a number of the traditional dominations and churches shunned and rejected them because the movements didn’t fit their idea of how God was supposed to behave. Many churches have been taught and still firmly believe that when the bible was completed then there was no more need for apostles, miracles, healings and all the supernatural stuff. They believe that miracles, signs and wonders ended with the original apostles. The consequence of this is when the charismatic movement came in the 1970’s with signs and wonders they rejected it. When God moved through America with the worship revival in the late 1980’s they again rejected it and a number of years passed before they decided it was actually a work of God. Then when God moved in the early 1990’s in Melbourne and Pensacola, Florida, Toronto Canada and other places it was outright rejected even by some churches that had embraced earlier moves of God. These rejections of the different powerful moves of God have accumulated and the results are being reaped by America today. We are suffering the consequences of our own decisions. The many churches and denominations have chosen not to follow God when He revealed Himself to us because He didn’t follow their denominational beliefs. They chose to leave out the parts of God that didn’t suit them so He has let them go their own way.

We can sing “God bless America” all day long but look around at reality people. The churches are not growing. The percentage of Christians in America is down by 10%. Our government is run by an ungodly group of people who wish to eliminate all remembrance of Christianity. Our schools have been nearly purged of moral and spiritual teachings. Our economy is tanking, and the Gulf coast is having a disaster of epic proportions. A disaster that could destroy much of the aquatic life in the gulf and all the jobs that goes with it. And if we don’t get control and solve the debt crisis we will cease to be a nation, period. Our unfunded liabilities, social security, Medicare, etc is nearly 100 trillion dollars. That means every family in America is in debt through the government for one hundred and twenty thousand dollars each this year. That is one hundred twenty thousand dollars you and your children owe right now. Is your government adequately taking care of this problem?

Like Asa we have failed to depend on God. Like Asa we have failed to consult God and let Him fight our battles. Like Asa we have turned to men, influential preacher, politicians, etc. to solve our problems. Our Churches have failed. Our denominations have failed. Our leaders have failed. We have looked at moves of God and said that is not how we want do things. Now there is only one answer: each of our churches must humble themselves, pray and totally sell out to God. Don’t look to the past for the ways and means to do things. Don’t look to old traditions. Look to God with a new attitude and say to Him ‘whatever and however you want to do it God we will believe and follow you’. There will be a new revival soon. Will you continue to reject God and do your own plan, operate in the past and accept the status quo or will you embrace everything the new revival brings? Will I shed my old ways like sackcloth and old wineskins? Will I receive the new wind of the Holy Spirit, wear a new robe of repentance and drink from the new wine that the Holy Spirit pours out? Will I? Will you?

Nubby

A revealing of the book of Revelations (Revival Part II)

If you read the book of Revelations in the bible at one place John says "the second angel sounded and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood: and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died." (Rev 8:8-9)

The aerial images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the globules of oil have the look of dried blood, a brownish red color. Could this have been the picture of what John was describing, a huge oil spill that covers a third of all the oceans of the world? As I write the Gulf oil spill is over 52 [revised from 40] days old and it is still gushing. It will be August before the relief wells are finished and a permanent fix is in place. All other methods to stop the leak have failed so far. If the leak continues for another sixty or eighty days it will affect the entire Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. In other words the whole planet will be affected physically, economically and politically. This could be an ‘end of the world’ type catastrophic event. Was this the event John saw or one like it?

Many of the images that John described in Revelations can now be explained as descriptions of today’s modern weapons and technologies. The whole world getting to watch the death of the three prophets of God would only be realized after CNN broadcast images of the First Gulf War into every country of the world. Now it is a common thing to see world wide events develop live on our TV screens.

The stage is fully set for the beginning of the Tribulation and the return of Christ. There is nothing left to be done except have a great end time revival to win people to Christ and experience His return. Things will get much worst. The world as we once knew it may be passing away before our very eyes. The only thing we can do is to turn to God and trust in His word that we will be delivered through what ever event we will encounter.

Many churches are doing the same things they have been doing for the last one hundred years. They are still trying to live in the revivals from the 1800’s or early 1900’s. That will not cut it. The Holy Spirit is a pillar of fire. He comes and stays a while and then he moves on. Not a physical move but a spiritual one. We must go through one revival and move on to the next, not stay in the same place spiritually, not stay where we are and especially not go backwards to live in a past era of revival. Many mainline churches are still living in the past looking to their human roots. Trying to build on the foundations of men who once experienced God in a new way but then God moved on, some men followed the new move and some didn’t. The men who founded many of our churches in the 1800’s are not our foundation, Jesus is. Churches must leave the past behind them and start looking for a new beginning and when it is complete look for another one and then another one, where ever the pillar of fire goes we must follow.

Jesus said we would know when it is the end times. Whether it will be next week, next year or the next decade we are at that place where we must decide to put Jesus first in everything or suffer the consequences of clinging to a dying world that will soon be gone.

Do we cling to our old traditions? Do we cling to our old methods and habit? If our churches are not growing and experiencing the end time revival fire of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of those things and learn to listen and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.

I was reading in the Old Testament where one of the kings who followed after the Lord went into the Temple and tore down Asherah poles, incense altars and other idols that his father had erected. I was wondering; have we not also built up idols and altars to other gods in our churches, blending the pagan world with the church? Have we not made idols of people, their teachings and methods? Have we not made idols of traditions to the point that our traditions are more important than people? Have we not seen churches rejected by their denomination because (gasp) they didn’t follow tradition. Have we not seen denomination choose to follow the publicly correct rules of men rather than follow God? Are they not desecrating the church of God just as the Temple was desecrated?

It is time to purge the Churches. If we don’t do it ourselves God will do it for us. It is time to get back to the basics of following and worshipping God and God alone. It is time for pure revival, a revival with the energy, fire and power of the Holy Spirit. The church must end in power just like it began, a supernatural one.



Nubby

America needs Revival

I was watching Glenn Beck last night (May 25^th, 2010) and he presented a number of video quotes as he calls it “in their own words”. The phrase “Global Governance” was repeated over and over by the president, many of his cohorts, union leaders and others. The understanding you get is that all these people intend on moving us towards a single world governing body whereby we will no longer chose or elect those who will rule over us and govern us.

The example we currently have is Greece. The country has gone belly up financially. It is now essentially being controlled by the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The IMF, by bailing out Greece, can now tell Greece what and how to run their country because they are now servants of the lender; who is Europe. Greece no longer controls its own destiny.

The main Marxist goal in America is to destroy capitalism and bring us into a greater global governance. The way to do that is to revise American history, destroy faith in God and eliminate the Constitution. Much of the history in our schools has been rewritten by the leftists. They are blatantly ignoring the Constitution and with the media’s help they are smearing Christianity as best they can. A number of churches are joining in with the government to further it's agenda. So what would be the coup de grâce for the Marxist? Bankrupt the country so there will be nothing left for us to recover from. America is currently 13 trillion dollars in debt and it is growing faster everyday. We will soon reach a point where our bond rating will be downgraded and the interest rate will go up. The debt will then grow ever faster. When will we reach the point of no return I don't know.

We will be in bondage to the Chinese, the IMF, whoever we owe money to. America will be done. America has fought so many battles and won but this time the battle is from within and without. There are so many fronts to this battle there is only one way to save her, we need a miracle from God.

Currently we are following many of the same trends of the great depression. On our current path we will soon be having 20-25% unemployment. People will have no homes, no food and no place to go for help. My mother told me of times as a child when she lived in a tent city during the depression and had to steal food off a vegetable train car in order to have something to eat. Can it be possible to experience that again?

[For more information on what is happening to us go to:

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/05/26/what-barack-obama-is-thinking
and http://townhall.com/columnists/MarybethHicks/2010/05/26/threat_to_parents_rights_a_bigger_issue_than_rights_of_a_child ]

If we do have another deep depression, if things do get worse before they get better, if they get better at all, then the churches will have to be ready. People will be looking for answers. People will be looking for help. People will turn to the church and we need to be ready.

The answers are not in government, nor is it in businesses, people or elected officials, although electing the right people will help. Beck correctly points out that the only real hope for America is to turn back to God. I one hundred percent agree. Turn back to God, easily said but how do we do it. How do we push back the tide of rising Marxism? Can we push back the coming Tribulation? If God is a keeper of His word and we obey His word then we can. The Tribulation comes when evil is fully manifested. If true spiritual revival comes to America and evil is pushed back then we can freeze the spiritual clock racing towards the end of time.

It was King Hezekiah (2 Kings:20) who was dying and prayed to God to let him live. God answered his prayer and gave him another 15 years. God also said “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14. If we start doing things God’s way then perhaps we can give our children a chance to experience liberty and freedom for all of their lifetime.

The question is how do we have true spiritual revival? How can America have true spiritual revival? The first step is for the churches of true believers to lay aside all differences and return to the roots of the early  church. We need an early day Pentecost, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that physically affects believers and empowers them to bring others into the revival experience, the experience of knowing Jesus, His salvation, the Holy Spirit and the Father.

The original experiences with the Holy Spirit had physical manifestations, vocal expressions, joy and giddiness (they appeared drunk), they fell to the ground, buildings shook, people had visions and when the immediate physical experience was over they were difference inwardly. They had a power. They were bold with gospel, they had love for one another, they shared their belongings, and they took care of one another. Also shared among them were the supernatural gifts that God gave so his body on earth would be like Jesus as He was when He was upon the earth. A true Pentecost type revival will bring the supernatural God down to earth to work through the hands, mouths and feet of His believers, the Church.

The revival need not to be a one time event either. Several revivals I know of started in the early 1990’s and continue to this day. One has had revival meetings six days a week every week since their initial spiritual outpouring in 1993. A revival can be continuous.

We need a new revival; bigger in scope, wider in scale. The old line churches need to let go of their traditions and embrace a new thing, drink the new wine, become energized by a new fresh move of the Holy Spirit. This is not about saving your traditions, or our culture or our ordinary way of doing things; this is about saving our freedoms, our country and the spiritual and physical lives of our children.

How do we start a new revival? A revival that will spread across the United States, who, what, where, when, how? I don’t know but I will say Lord I’m willing send me. Will you join me?

Send an email to mynubbysplace@gmail.com and let me know what you think.

Nubby