Salvation In Christ: Lesson Two

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Man's terrible condition in sin would be hopeless were it not for the great love God has for him. It was, therefore, sure that the love of God should make a plan to deliver man from the bondage, power, guilt, and results of sin, turning him from the way of eternal destruction to the way of eternal life. This plan is the gospel.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

The things God has given for man's escape from sin are shown in the gospel, or "good news."

The gospel is God's power unto salvation because it presents the facts concerning Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God and Saviour of the world. The central theme of the gospel is God's wondrous love for men shown in the giving of Jesus Christ to die on the cross of Calvary; His shed blood making possible salvation for all who obey Him.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

"But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through him" (Romans 5:8, 9).

"On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself. But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die" (John 12:32, 33).

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

Read Matthew 27:29-50; Mark 15:15-38; Luke 23:27-46; John 19:13-37.

ANIMAL SACRIFICES

The animal sacrifices offered by the Jews under the Old Testament law were the same type as the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but the blood of these sacrifices could not take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). However, blood is necessary in God's plan of salvation (Hebrews 9:22). The only blood having the power to deliver man from sin is that of Jesus Christ, due to the sinlessness of His life and, therefore, the completeness of His sacrifice (Hebrews 4:15; 5:8, 9; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 Peter 2:21, 22).

Since Jesus Christ is the central figure and His death the central theme of the gospel, it is easy to understand why Paul summed up his work of preaching the gospel by declaring, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). However, we must realize that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross would have been in vain were it not for the fact that He won over death by His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:14, 20; Romans 4:25). Therefore, the power of the gospel unto salvation involves the resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as His crucifixion. Read 1 Corinthians 15:14.

We shall now consider different accounts presented in the gospel concerning the escape of man from sin by the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

MAN IS LOST IN SIN

1. Salvation. In sin man is lost; hence he needs to be rescued, or saved. Jesus is first of all the Saviour from sin; in Him alone there is salvation.

"And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for it is he that shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

"For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

"But we behold him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:9,10).

Read Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 2:25; 1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 8:1.

MAN IS IN THE BONDAGE OF SIN

2. Redemption (To ransom or buy back). The sinner is in bondage to sin and Satan (Romans 6:16). Nothing he can do has the power within itself to redeem him from this bondage. The price which has been paid for his redemption is the precious blood of Jesus shed on the cross. "In whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins . . . " (Colossians 1:14).

Read Acts 20:28 1 Corinthians 1:30 1 Corinthians 6:20; Hebrews 9:12.

In redeeming man from the bondage of sin, Jesus does away with the power and work of the devil.

MAN CAN BE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

3. Justification (Excusing). When one is saved and redeemed by the power of the blood of Christ, he is counted as a just, or righteous, person before God, acceptable to Him. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Read Acts 13:38, 39 Romans 5:1, 9 Titus 3:7.

MAN CAN BE RECONCILED TO GOD

4. Reconciliation. This word is defined as "To restore friendship after separation." When one commits his first sin, he becomes separated from God. But when he is saved, redeemed, and justified in Christ, he is reconciled to God, restored to the divine favor.

"And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before him" (Colossians 1:21, 22).

"But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19). Read Ephesians 2:16, 17.

THERE IS FORGIVENESS THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST

5. Forgiveness. In order to stand excused before God, man must have his sins forgiven, which means that he must be pardoned of his sins against the Almighty. When one's sins are forgiven, or pardoned, they are removed or blotted out, as if they had not been committed. It is through the blood of Christ that God forgives all sins against Him.

"In whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

Read Acts 5:31; 13:38; 26:18; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 1:14;3:13; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:12.

Having the same meaning as "forgiveness is the word "remission."

Read Matthew 26:28; Luke 1:77; Hebrews 9:22.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST CLEANSES THE SOUL

6. Cleansing. Sin makes the soul of man dirty as dirt and grime makes his body dirty. As we use water to wash away the filth of the body, so as we are immersed into the Christ, we reach the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, thus cleansing the soul from the filth of sin.

". . . and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Read 1 Corinthians 6:11; Revelation 7:14; Romans 6:1-6.

To lift up the saving, redeeming, justifying, reconciling, forgiving, and cleansing power of Jesus Christ and His blood is to lift up divine grace, for all that Jesus does for sinners shows the grace of God, without which no one could possibly be delivered from his sins.

"But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).

Read Acts 20:32; Romans 3:24; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:7; Hebrews 2:9.

WHAT IS GRACE?

The word "grace" contains the idea of kindness which places upon one what he has not deserved; in other words, unmerited favor. No sinner deserves justification and salvation; indeed, he deserves the loss of his soul in everlasting hell (Romans 1:32). Moreover, there is nothing he can do that has the merit to remove the guilt of sin from his soul so that he can stand approved of God.

The merciful, loving Heavenly Father, however, sent forth His Son to die on the cross in order to obtain salvation for lost man. Hence, when one receives salvation by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, being redeemed by His precious blood, he secures what he does not deserve, or merit, but what is a gift to him by the grace (unmerited favor) of the Almighty (Ephesians 2:7). See Romans 6:23.

Since Jesus freely gave Himself to His Father's will in leaving His state of blessedness in heaven and accepting the miseries and hardships of human life, and by His suffering and death making possible man's freedom from sin, salvation is also said to be through the grace of Christ. "Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor."

Read Philippians 2:5-8 as well as 2 Corinthians 8:9.

"But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,. . ." (Acts 15:11).

JESUS CHRIST IS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD! If we desire escape from our sins and a place in the everlasting kingdom of God, we must be certain that we have come to God by way of Jesus Christ and His blood.

Read John 14:6.

But if we neglect so great a salvation, we will lose our souls in everlasting hell.

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard" (Hebrews 2:1-3).