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CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR:A Biblical Investigation into the Nature of Mankind and the Role of Salvation By: Ron Lotz TABLE
OF CONTENTS II. The Dilemma of the Human Race a. Created in the Image of God
c. The Nature of Sin and Its
Consequences III.
God's
Response and Christ's
Work b. The Significance of the Crucifixion IV. Reasons, Responses, and Rejection b. Regarding Repentance and Redemption If I had to define the plan of salvation in five words or less, I would borrow from the Scriptures four words which sum up all of theology and explode onto the written page with resounding affirmation of the love of God- In the beginning God.[1] Before the creation of the universe, before the creation of the world, before the creation of you and I, God is and there is no other. And though there are various logical arguments for a belief in God, the Bible, with authority, assumes the existence of God. By the very definition, God is pre-existent and not dependent on anyone or anything. He is the prime motivator of all that is or ever will be. For God to create, He must exist prior to anything else. Thus, Genesis begins with an introduction to God by pointing out more than seventeen times His role, His attribute, as creator. It is as creator, possibly more than any other attribute, that the Scriptures give us a glimpse of the heart of God and how He does and will react with His creation. Whereas, the Bible indicates that God is spirit in nature, He is not some inanimate, impersonal force or entity. God is a person.[2] A. W. Tozer aptly puts it: Ain the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires, and suffers as any other person. And as a person God interacts. God interacts with Himself through the eternal relationship of His Triune nature. Jesus said that He and the Father are one, whatever the Father wills He reveals it to His Son.[3] Jesus also said of the Holy Spirit that He (Jesus) would send another (parakletos) or the same as Me and when He comes He will glorify Me and reveal Me to the world.[4] The Bible also indicates that there was an interaction of relationship in the creation of the world. In other words, all three persons of the Trinity were present, active, and interactive during the creation process.[5] Hence, because God is a person, he is also relational- He moves through relationship. God's relational nature is a direct result of His love. God is love. Love reaches out. Love interacts. Love risks. Love desires a recipient of its attention. When God created the universe ex nihilo, He acted according to His divine nature and interacted with His creation.[6] Because God is love, He reaches out and reaches down to His creation and desires to interact with it. Prevenient grace says that before man can reach out to God, God must first reach out to man. God does reach out to man. God will reach out to man. God is a God of love and a missionary God- He reaches out. Love compelled God to create and love persuaded Him to walk with Adam in the garden in the cool of the evening.[7] God did because God is at heart a missionary, after all, in the beginning God. II. The Dilemma of the Human Race So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them. And
God blessed them, . . . . . And God saw every thing that he had made,
and, behold, it was very good.
Genesis 2:27-28; 31 If love compels God to interact with His creation, then the way God interacts is with purpose. It does not take a person long to discover that this creation we humans relate to is a world of order and design, from the lowly yet sophisticated protein to the vastness and expanse of the solar systems. God has created a world that is dependent upon Him and each creation has design and purpose. This purpose was laid out carefully before the creation began; it is the reason God has moved and continues to move in the world as He does. In the beginning not only implies that God first seeks out His creation, but also He moves with a purpose. There is a reason God created the world. There is a reason God created the plants and animals, fish and fowl. The world was created for the wonder and enjoyment of His greatest creation- human beings. Genesis tells us that God created world by speaking it into existence. All of the wonders of the Universe, all the wonders of this terrestrial ball were created from nothing. And yet, when God wanted to create a being in His own likeness, God created this hallmark of His love out of the substance of the created world. Perhaps man was created from the dust to remind him, as he looks from his lofty perch, of his lowly beginnings and his dependence on creator God. Environmentalists have problems with the Biblical view of man's origins. They would have mankind somewhere stuck in the primordial ooze and too destructive for his own good. According to humanists and environmentalists, the human race (a demeaning term) must pull himself up by his own bootstraps and assume his place alongside his brother, the monkey. Don't give me none of that Image Deo stuff thank you very much. Is it any wonder then that evolution reduces man to mere animal, resulting in a society that wonders why its humanity acts like the savage and lives by the code of tooth and claw. The Bible places humankind into its rightful context, less than God, more than ape, and stewards of all we survey. We were created in the image of God and placed on this earth to discover and oversea the creation God entrusted us with. But what does it mean to be created in the image of God? Does it mean we are mini gods? Hardly, God makes it clear that He alone is God and He will not share His glory with anyone or anything.[8] When we say that man is created in the likeness of God, it means just that, likeness, to be like, similar, not the same. God is a person and has personality. Each human is a person. We have conscience of being. As Rousseu has said: I think, therefore I am. We reflect God in personality. We reason (intellect), feel (emotion), and choose (will). We
can communicate and fellowship (when regenerated - II Peter 1:4) with
God and are relational by nature. God
declared humankind good indicating a moral nature.
We are like God in function.
Genesis 1:26 connects the ideas of sharing God's
image with sharing His rule or sovereignty over creation.
Humankind, after creation, was placed in a place of honor over
all the creation. There is
even, perhaps some sense in which we reflect God in form.
Although God is a Spirit and not a body (John 4:24), our physical
form was designed by God as an appropriate means to reflect Him.
When redeemed humanity fellowships with God for eternity, it is
in our transformed spiritual, yet physical bodies, we will
worship in. Humankind
reflects the Triune nature of God in our physical make-up.
I Thessalonians 5:23 describes humans as having a spirit (pneuma),
soul (pseuche), and body (carne).
And whereas, the soul is often used interchangeably in the
Old Testament, the New Testament seems to indicate that the soul
can be divided.[9]
Our tripartate nature functions independently, yet
interdependently. Modern
science has offered us window into the independent, interdependent
nature of our being. It is
possible to keep the body alive apart from the soul or the will and
emotions. We know that the
mind and emotions live beyond the grave.
The rich man, according to the Scriptures, looked up
from Sheol in torment, recognized Lazarus, and remembered
his unsaved brothers.[10]
It is the Bible that tells us the Spirit is dead or separated
from God and yet our physical body lives and breathes.[11]
Still, it takes all three functions of mind, body and spirit to
complete the person. Humankind
is eternal. When the Bible
talks about death, it speaks of it in terms of separation.
The first death is separation from the physical world.
The second death is eternal separation from God. Death is not
annihilation, as some believe. Jesus
even said three times in Mark 9 that those who reject life in Christ
will go to a place where the worm does not die and the fire is not
quenched. And last of
all, like God, Adam and Eve, the first humans, were created good.
In fact God called Adam and Eve and all of His creation very
good- without sin. But this
was about to change.
The fall of humankind was a specific historical event. According to the Scriptures, God placed Adam and Eve in a garden and told them they were to be fruitful and multiply. God told Adam and Eve that they could eat of any of the fruits of garden except for the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It is apparent from Scripture that Adam and Eve were to tend the garden and love in relationship with each other and their creator. Jesus made reference to Adam and Eve in Matthew 19, indicating that they were indeed actual people and not mere myth. Since God gave them a choice as to what to eat and not to eat, it is evident that Adam and Eve were created with a moral will. According to Genesis, disobedience to God's command regarding the tree of Good and Evil would result in death. There was no other temptation in the garden. The temptation, the test, was simply a choice to obey or disobey God- obedience would guarantee relationship, disobedience the severing of relationship, or death. Now
the temptation came in form of a being who was already in disobedience
to God. Satan, according to
Isaiah, was a very important angel who rebelled against God and fell
from his place of honor around the throne of God.[12]
God allowed Satan to enter the garden and tempt Adam and Eve to
disobey. Satan came into
the garden disguised as a serpent and preyed on Eve as she came near the
tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Satan's
approach then and now was to take the words of God and twist them in
order to throw doubt in the mind of those, in this case Eve, who hear
them. First Satan
questioned God's
goodness (Did God really say you must not eat of the tree Gen. 3:1).
Eve's
reply reveals this subtle ploy when she adds to what God said by stating
that not only were not to eat of the tree (God's
words) but that they were not even allowed to touch it (Eve's
words). In other words, God is not good because He is withholding
things from you, good things, things you want, things you need.
Next Satan then denies God's
justice (You surely shall not die Gen. 3:4). In other words, there are no consequences for disobeying God,
in fact you will be like God and you can then determine for yourself
what is right and what is wrong. Genesis
3:6 then indicates that Eve doubted God, believed Satan, ate the fruit,
and sin entered the creation. Eve,
now acting according to her new nature, sought out Adam to corrupt him
and cause him to fall- and he did.
This sin was unique in that Adam and Eve sinned without a sin
nature. They sinned by
choice only. The rest of
humankind is now sinful by nature and by choice.
The Nature of Sin and Its Consequence And , the LORD God
called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art The first reaction of Adam and Eve in their new status as gods was to hide from their creator, the one who made them and was in the habit of joining in fellowship with them in the cool of the evening. Sin's effect was immediate. Adam and Eve immediately separated themselves from God. Death, the lackey to sin, followed on sin's heels into a now fallen world. In order to fully appreciate how far Adam and Eve had fallen from favor with God and to fully understand the consequences of their sin on them and their offspring, it is beneficial first to explore the nature of sin. What does sin look like? Is it a compilation of misdeeds, like a celestial debit account with God? This is often the view by many. According to some, sin is merely a clumsy stumble on an otherwise good nature. But this not how the Bible views this progeny of disobedience. Sin, in the Scriptures, encompasses all that is the opposite of good, the opposite of God. Sin is not an entity, nor a personality, like the Holy Spirit, but rather, Sin is a force, a corruption that acts upon the creation formed by God. Sin finds it expression through the life of God's creation. Sin is not a part of God, as some pantheists claim, nor does sin come from God. God is perfect and cannot sin (James 1:13). Perhaps the most credible account of the origin of sin is that sin springs from created beings who are less than perfect. Somehow sin is born when created, good beings turn from a perfect, holy God. Whatever the source of sin, its effect is swift and sure. Sin is universal.[13] When Adam and Eve sinned, sin not only entered the creation, but somehow became a part of it, so that the Bible tells that all of humankind is now born sinful.[14] And not only is humankind born sinful, but also all of nature is under the curse and penalty of sin.[15] Man sins now because it is his nature to sin.[16] But what does it mean to sin? Social scientists and scholars for centuries have tried to comprehend what the immorality man commits against his fellow man looks like and label it. However, immoral men trying to describe the cause and cure for fellow immoral man is much like one fish telling another fish why he cannot breathe on dry land. Our authoritative word and understanding of sin must come from the same source from where we also learn of sin's origin- the Bible. The Bible not only tells what sin is, but it also tells us what sin looks like- its character, its nature. The nature of sin can be described in three basic terms: sensuality, selfishness, and displacement. The ten commandments are an outline of these three essences. God begins with the first essence, that of displacement- you shall have no other gods before Me. Sin attempts to replace God with other people, other things. The replacement may be a philosophy, a spouse, an effigy, or even oneself. The second essence is selfishness. Selfishness is a pre-occupation with the self- Keep the Sabbath, set aside time for God, honor your father and mother, serve your family not yourself. The final essence is that of sensuality or the giving in to the senses, allowing the physical nature to dominate and dictate- lust, greed, rage, etc. Out of the essence of sin is spawned the sins that are so evident in our society. But sin not only has an essence, it has a character or a description of its nature. The Bible describes sin in various terms. In the Old Testament sin can mean perversion (AVAH) or the twisting and distorting of something that God created as good (sex, marriage, parent/child relationship).[17] Sin can also mean wickedness (RAH) or moral and spiritual evil. RAH carries with it a sense of wanting to do harm to others.[18] Closely associated with RAH is CHAMAS. CHAMAS carries with a will to do violence or damage, especially in human relationships.[19] One of the affects of sin upon God's creation was, whereas the creation was good and at peace, it is now violent and fraught with bloodshed. Many scientist believe that until the Fall, God's creatures were vegetarian in nature. It is noteworthy, that one of the signs of God's restoration and redemption of His creation is a cessation of bloodshed. . . Aand the Lion will eat straw like an Ox (Isaiah 65:25). Another meaning for sin is that of a transgressor (PASHA) or one who goes against God or the laws of God.[20] There is also corruption (RASHA) or wickedness. RASHA is one of the more important meanings for sin in the Old Testament because it denotes something that is part of our nature, ingrained, innate- We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly (I Kings 8:47).[21] But perhaps the best meaning of sin is that of missing the mark (CHATAH). The Old Testament uses this meaning for sin more than 600 times and probably best describes our condition in reference toward God.[22] It was God's desire that humans were to be good. We now fall short of that mark- there is none righteous, not even one (Psalm 14). God's plan was for humankind to be His sovereign rulers over His creation, the exclamation point to creation. He gave us a place of honor, a place of glory. We now have fallen short of the mark- all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It was God's design that we live in eternal harmony and fellowship with almighty God. We now have missed that mark- ... and they hid their face from God (Genesis 3:8). This is the character of sin. Sin destroys. Sin kills. Sin separates. Sin keeps us from being what God intended us to be. But sin also has consequences. When Adam and Eve sinned there were immediate and eternal consequences, not only for them, but also for all of humankind that would follow. Immediately, Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden and the world was then cursed because of sin. No longer would they experience the joy of walking with their God free from sin. All their progeny would be born in sin.[23] Human beings, once emulating the Glory of God would now find the image corrupted by sin- our minds, our emotions, our will, our bodies.[24] No more would the earth yield its fruit willingly. Instead, work, which was once a joy, would now become a burden.[25] Pain and misery would now be a part of the creation. Eve would give birth in pain. Pain would be an ever present part of life, not only physically but also relationally.[26] Worst of all, humankind would now die. Spiritual death (separated from God) had already happened, but now the human race would also experience physical death (separation from the creation).[27] Humankind would be born dead to God and dying from God's creation. In fact, all of God's creation would now be in the process of dying or wasting away. The clock of time began to tick then, in the garden, and now all of life would be measured by it judicial tone. But even in the midst of all these hopeless consequences of sin, God infused hope. God was not surprised by what Adam and Eve did, nor was He left impotent. Before Eve even thought to disobey, God was then moving into place His plan to redeem back His creation and His people. Because God is a missionary God, a God who seeks us out before we even think to seek Him, He was already proclaiming the promise of One who would come to deliver us from our sin. . . . .it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15 III. God's Response and Christ's Work God
often visits us, but most of the time we are not home. - Joseph Roux If the love of God compels Him to seek out His creation relationally, it is His grace, His unfathomable grace, that continues to seek a fallen creation that wants nothing to do with God. When sin entered the creation and the hearts of Adam and Eve, it not only brought separation, but also sin killed humankind's natural affection for God (Romans 3:11-12). Humankind, created to know God and worship Him, now turned their collective attention inward. Adam and Eve ran and hid from God and their offspring are running still. But God, because He is a God who seeks us out, immediately sought out Adam and Eve and gave them a promise that One was coming who would destroy Satan and sin and redeem the creation, including humankind. Because sin so permeates humans, because the disease afflicting all of humanity is so final, the Savior sent by God required a unique solution. Since through Adam, sin entered the human race, the Messiah or savior must be without sin. This disqualified all humans born through natural procreation. The law required nothing short of perfection, so He must be sinless. And yet, to redeem humanity, the Savior must also be human. The solution was for God to descend to earth, become human, and rescue His creation. The fulfillment to the promise was Jesus Christ- the God-Man. Jesus Christ, the second part of the triune God, came in the flesh, to ransom humanity from the ravages and the penalty of sin. Jesus was no less God in His humanity nor no less man in His deity- all the Godhead dwelled in Jesus bodily.[28] God entered His creation, walked among humankind, and experienced what it means to be human- pain, suffering, hunger, fatigue, and even death. The deity of Christ was veiled by His humanity, like a glass of milk obscured by a red, see- through coating upon the glass; the milk is not evident until the milk is poured out (Phillipians 2:7). Deity took on humanity in order for God to redeem humankind. This was the promise made to Adam and the good news for his offspring. Just as through one man (Adam), sin entered the world, so too, through one man (Jesus) all the world might be saved through Him (Romans 5). God's plan to redeem humankind through Jesus Christ, gives us a glimpse of His holiness and the reason for the necessity of the cross. Like a solar eclipse God's holiness and His judgement for the creation is especially evident against the contrast of our sin. Holy, according to the Scriptures, means to be set apart, not like any other. God is Holy. He is not like any other thing and therefore without sin. God cannot sin. Because of His nature, He cannot and will not tolerate sin going unpunished (Job 34:10). God's law established from the beginning what the penalty for sin would be- death. If a person sins they must pay for their sin or sins with their own life. All who sin must die (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). Humankind violated God's law in the garden of Eden and permanently implanted the sin nature in the human race; hence all men are under the condemnation of death for their sins (Romans 3:10-20). God's promise to Adam was to save him from the penalty and the consequences of sin. But God could not break His own law and remain God. The penalty for sin must be paid. All those guilty of sin must die. Humankind was in a hopeless situation. Man wants to live. God's holiness requires that he die for his sins. God promised to redeem His creation. No person on earth was qualified. But God again, acting according to His nature, offered hope, where hope was gone and fulfilled His promise through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One man died for the sins of all humanity. This is the good news of the Gospel. This is the reason for a hill called Golgotha and an old rugged cross.
The Significance of the Crucifixion The
march of history from the time of Adam until the coming of Christ looked
for this promise. All of
history since the first coming of Christ looks back to claim this
promise. The central moment of history, the apex of time was played
out on a hill far away where stood an old rugged cross. Salvation is only understood in light of the cross.
God's
missionary heart is especially evident under the shadow of the cross.
God's
promise to all of humankind can only be understood through the meaning
of the cross. Because we
could not save ourselves, Jesus Christ died in our place to satisfy the
requirement of the Law and God's
holiness.[29] This
was the meaning of the cross, the fulfillment of God's
promise to redeem humanity from their sin.
The cross is a testimony of this promise and a proclamation of
our salvation. The cross
was necessary. It fulfilled
the prophecies foretold of Christ's
death, thus completing the covenant to the children of Israel.[30]
The cross, because of the Roman Empire's
obsession with details, guaranteed the recording of Christ's
death and its authenticity. The
cross, because of its place and significance
in history, assured the greatest possible audience to hear the
good news. And the cross,
because it held the perfect sacrifice, purchased our salvation. As a popular hymn phrases it, I owed a debt I could not
pay, He paid a debt He did not owe.
Jesus Christ died for me so that I would not have to die
eternally. John the Baptist
said it best, Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the
world. (John 1:29) It
is a simple message with a complex meaning.
But what exactly was accomplished through the death of Jesus
Christ on the cross Salvation is both simple and complex. In simple terms, Jesus Christ died for our sins. However, several elements are present in the meaning behind the death of Christ. Whereas the simple act of His death was once and for all, what was accomplished in His death was anything but simple. But one central truth is most evident and all other truths connected with the death of Jesus Christ hinge on this reality- that of atonement. When Adam and Eve sinned and hid from God in the garden, God took the skins of animals and covered their shame (Genesis 3:21). Shame is the realization that I no longer measure up to the standard of God's holiness (II Corinthians 3:4-4:7). Blood was shed to cover Adam and Eve's shame and sin. This was not by mere convenience of the proximity of animals in the garden. God took the blood of an innocent animal to cover the nakedness and sin of Adam and Eve for a reason. The covering of sin with the blood of the innocent was the pattern God established to foreshadow the coming Jesus Christ, innocent and pure, to atone or cover the sins of humankind. The sacrificial system was established by God in the Old Testament to establish the pattern of the shedding of blood to cover sins. Noah, when he and his family exited the ark after the flood offered a blood sacrifice to cover their sins and establish a new covenant with God (Genesis 8:20-21). When God wanted to make a new covenant with Abraham, he commanded Abraham to sacrifice clean animals and halve them with a path between the halves. God and Abraham both walked through the blood to seal the new covenant ( Genesis 15). The pattern was established that only the blood of the innocent can atone or cover the sins of the guilty. But God made it very clear in the Old Testament that the blood sacrifice of bulls and rams was only a temporary measure to cover sins . The blood of rams and bulls were offered on credit looking for the day when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, The final and complete Lamb of God would die for the sins of the world once and for all ( Psalm 40:6; Hebrews 10). Scripture makes it clear that the blood of Jesus Christ shed at Calvary atones or covers the sins of all who will receive God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ.[31] The atonement was not a partial covering, but a complete covering (Hebrews 2:9; Isaiah 53:6). The atonement offered by Jesus Christ was both general and specific. The atonement was general in that it was offered once for all.[32] The atonement was specific, in that it is only available to those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior (Colossians 1:14, 19-22). Scripture indicates that God's wrath is reserved for those who remain in their sin. Because God is holy, He must judge and deal with sin. The Old Testament clearly illustrates the wrath of God reserved for those who rebel against God. Perhaps one of the clearest instances of God's wrath is the sin of Aachen in Joshua chapter seven. God told the children of Israel that the first city and all of the plunder was to be an offering to the Lord and therefore off limits to the children of Israel. Aachen disobeyed God's commandment and took some of the spoil of Jericho for himself. The Scriptures indicate that God's wrath was poured out on Israel because of Aachen's sin. In fact, God's wrath was only appeased when the guilt of Aachen was exposed and the children of Israel judged and stoned Aachen and his family. Aachen was an example to Israel and others that rebellion against a holy God will draw His wrath. Another instance of God's wrath, reserved for those who sin, is found in Job 42:8. Job's three friends were commanded by God to bring sacrifices before the Lord to prevent or appease God's wrath against them, because of the their misrepresentation of God before Job. In fact the peace offering depicted in Leviticus 3 was a sacrifice to restore fellowship with God and appease or hold back God's wrath. Some have the notion that God's wrath reserved for sin is only found in the old Testament, but the New Testament also indicates that God's wrath will be poured out on all those who are in rebellion against God because of their sin.[33] Clearly, the death of Christ not only atoned or covered our sin, but His death also appeased or satisfied God's wrath against sin. Propitiation or the appeasing of God's wrath is a part of what we receive from the atoning act of Christ. God's wrath reserved for you and I was instead directed against the Son of God. I John 4:10 says: Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. One misguided Baptist minister, in response to the crucifixion made the statement: I want nothing to do with the notion of a bloody God beating up on His boy! This minister did not understand the depths of God's love. God loved us so much that He was willing to take upon Himself the beating that was awaiting us if we did not repent. He was bruised for our iniquities. Jesus Christ turned away God's wrath from all who believe on Him. (Isaiah 53). Wrapped up in the atonement is also the notion of substitution. This simply means that Christ died in the place of sinners. The Greek preposition anti means in the place of something or someone. It is used with this meaning in a passage where Jesus is giving an interpretation of His own death (Matthew 20:28). Jesus said His death was to be a ransom or payment in the place of many. Peter and Paul also pick up on this them and clearly indicate that Jesus' death was a substitution- He died in our place.[34] The cross was our ransom from the grip of death and the resurrection was the exclamation point to prove that He had the power not only to ransom us but also power over death itself. Sin separates. Sin separated humanity from fellowship and communion with God. Another provision afforded those who believe is our reconciliation with God. Christ's death reconciled us or brought us back into relationship with God. We who were once alien are now a part of the family of God (II Corinthians 5:19) This reconciliation was physically demonstrated at the death of Jesus by the rending of the veil over the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the temple at Jerusalem (Luke 23:45). The veil was torn so that we who receive Jesus Christ may approach the throne of grace before almighty God and relate to Him. But perhaps the most significant accomplishment in the cross of Christ for Western culture is the reality of our justification. Paul lays out this truth in Romans. Romans indicates that God established the Law in the old Testament, not in order that we might be saved through it, for the Law of God cannot save us, but instead, the Law was established by God to act as a mirror reflecting the iniquity of our hearts (Romans 3: also Acts 13:39). God presented the Law to Moses to show the people what His standard would be. Because the standard was perfection, the Law shows us our total inability to keep the Law and our evident guilt before God. All are guilty. All have sinned. All deserve punishment. The death of Jesus Christ fulfilled the requirements of the Law. Jesus paid the penalty for sin. Justification means that we are declared righteous before God- just as if we had never sinned. Just as through Adam all are guilty of breaking the law of God, through Christ, all those who are in Christ, are declared not guilty, because Christ lived up to the standard of the Law. Because Christ fulfilled the Law and was thus declared righteous, He gave us His righteousness. The righteousness of Christ was imputed to us who believe. The demands of the Law have been fulfilled in Christ (Romans 5:9). We are righteous not because of what we did, but rather we are righteous because of what Christ did. All
this and much more was accomplished through the death of Jesus Christ.
We have been adopted into the family of God, forgiven for our
sins, cleansed from sin, granted eternal life in the presence of God,
and rescued from the consequences of sin- eternal separation and
punishment. In fact
salvation means literally the act of being snatched from or removed from
the path of destruction as a result of our sin.
All that Christ has done for humanity, He offers freely to all
who will receive it. Love
compels God to do this. Love
motivates God to pursue us. Salvation
is a gift available to all. It
cannot be earned. It must
be received. But what does
it means to receive salvation? What
does it mean to be saved? The
provision of salvation for all of humanity is God's
part of salvation. There is
nothing we can do to earn salvation nor can we save ourselves. Jesus Christ died for our sins ( I Corinthians 15:3).
Jesus Christ was buried and rose on the third day, alive forever
more. Jesus Christ appeared
to many witnesses to assure His disciples that the salvation He offers,
the promise to save, is true and believable (Acts 1:1-3).
Jesus commissioned His disciples to go out and share this good
news of salvation offered to all ( Matthew 28:18-20).
This is God's
part of the process. God's
Spirit seeks out the individual and begins to convince him or her of
their need for God. The Bible tells us that man is totally depraved and no one
seeks after God.[35] It
is God's
spirit that convicts us of our sin (John 16:7-11). It is God's
Spirit that regenerates our spirit when we respond to the prompting of
the Holy Spirit. Most
evangelicals agree on this points for the most part.
However, when we begin to talk about our response to the good
news of Jesus Christ, misunderstanding and disagreement occurs.
What is required for a person to be saved? Some say it is faith alone that saves a person.
According to them, all a person has to do is intellectually
assent to the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and
His ability to save them. Other
evangelicals assert that repentance is necessary prior to faith, in
order for a person to be saved from their sins. All other issues of salvation, on our part, the response to
the message, seem to emanate from these two points- faith and
repentance. What is required for a person to be saved? Faith and faith alone. Ephesians tells that by grace a person is saved (God's part) through faith (our part) it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is free to all who have faith.[36] But what does it means to have faith? Theologians, such as Zane Hodges and Charles Ryrie, insist that all that is required for salvation is for a person to intellectually embrace the gospel message. According to those who hold to this definition of faith, repentance and confession follow the act of faith. For those with this definition of faith, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means to understand and agree with the truth of the Gospel message. A faith alone gospel presentation generally follows this pattern: only believe; God has a wonderful plan for your life; Jesus loves you and wants to become a part of your life. But does this definition of accurately describe what is involved when a person believes or faiths. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that they that come to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. [37] The Reformers taught the we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves in never alone- it is accompanied by repentance and a changed life. It is not enough to merely agree with what the Bible says is true. The Bible also says that the devil believes in God and trembles (James 2:19). Does this mean that Satan is saved? Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 that : not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Evidently, a faith that saves, according to the Scriptures, requires more than intellectual assent. This would be in keeping with the proper definition of faith. In the Bible, faith and believe are used interchangeably. In fact both words have the same Greek root of pith. Pith means literally to bind to or adhere to. Like glue or tar adheres to a surface. It is the imagery of clinging to something for life as opposed to merely holding onto for comfort or convenience. It is the picture of a drowning man binding himself to the mast of a ship in order to keep from dying. This is how faith is used in the Scriptures. Faith is not merely believing in the message of the Gospel (though this is an important aspect), but rather believing in whom the Gospel message is about. It is yielding to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is clinging to Jesus. It is putting ones trust in Jesus Christ and obeying Him. When Jesus wanted to convey the truth of what it means to have faith in Him, he often used the imagery of marriage to convey this truth. In marriage, the bride gives herself to the groom. The bride loses her life and independence, in exchange for the life of the groom. The bride places her trust in the groom. This what is meant by faith alone. The sinner must trust Jesus Christ. The sinner must give up his/her life (independence) in exchange for eternal life. This is what James was referring to when he said : show me your faith by your works (James 2:14-20). In other words, there should be evidences present in your life that indicate you have indeed placed yourself into the hands of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not merely an addition to your life, it is a radical change in who you are or as Jesus said to Nicodemus: you must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. (John 4). Perhaps the most telling passage in regard to what true faith is all about can be found in the gospel of John. John 2:23 tells us that Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration and many people believed in His name. Sounds like salvation. But the passage goes to tells us that Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, because He knew their hearts. What? Here we have people believing in Jesus' name and yet Jesus would not entrust Himself to them. The key to this passage is found in verse 23. Evidently the people were believing in the signs Jesus performed but were not willing to entrust themselves to Jesus like His disciples had done. Verse 25 alludes to this when it says that Jesus knew their hearts. Jesus reemphasized this truth that faith requires trust, not mere intellectual assent, after the miracle of the feeding the 5000 with the loaves and fishes in John 6. Jesus told His disciple, using the bread as the analogy, that eternal life comes from believing or placing ones trust in Him. The Jews wanted what Jesus could do for them- fulfill their needs, give them bread. Jesus wanted His disciples to see that true fulfillment comes from trusting in Him. This was made clear at the end of His teaching when He said: some of you do not believe. So
faith involves not only intellectually agreeing with the truth that
Christ died for our sins, but also faith involves placing our trust in
Jesus Christ. It is believing that He (Jesus) is able to do what He
promised to do, namely, forgive us our sins, change our hearts, and give
us eternal life in Him. This
is why repentance is necessary before faith is possible.
Repentance is not some addendum to faith. A clause added on at the last minute. It is not, Oh, by the way, now that you have received Christ, you really should repent. Repentance is an integral part of salvation. John the Baptist was sent by God, to Israel, to prepare them for the coming of Jesus, the messiah. John's message was repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Mark 1:4). Jesus' first sermon, following His baptism and temptation, was repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). Peter and the Apostles' first sermon after the ascension of Jesus Christ, after declaring who Jesus was and what He did, was a call for repentance. The Bible indicates that the crowd was pierced to the heart by the proclamation of the gospel and they asked Peter what they should do? What was Peter's reply? Just believe in Jesus? All you have to do is receive this free gift of salvation? No! Peter's response to them was repent and be baptized (Acts 2). Lest anyone should think this was merely one instance, Peter again, in the next chapter, after healing the lame man, preached again repentance as necessary before salvation was possible. Forgiveness is only possible where repentance is offered. A person must not only believe that Jesus died for their sins, but they must also recognize that they are indeed sinners in need of a Savior. Perhaps the most powerful of God's redemptive love that Jesus told was the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Not only does the story reveal the heart of God, but it also demonstrates for us what God considers necessary for a son to be reconciled to his father, whether earthly or heavenly. When the son realized his folly and was suffering the consequences of his sin, notice his response toward his father. With his intellect he reasoned, Father I have sinned against heaven and before you (Luke 15:18). The son recognized his sinful condition and forsook it- I . . . am no longer worthy to be your son (Luke 15:21). It is a clear picture of how God receives back into His fellowship, His fallen creation in humanity. Repentance requires a recognition of wrongness. This is what the word repentance (metaneo) means. It means to change one's mind about previous actions, attitudes and opinions. It means a change in mind about sin, about God, and about oneself. Repentance
involves a change in mind about sin.
A person must see for what it is, exceedingly sinful. Sin is not a right or a privilege, instead it is rebellion
against a holy God. Repentance
in regards to sin, understands that sin is not only against other people
but that it is primarily against God.
The Psalmist stated it best when he said: Against Thee only
have I sinned and done what is evil in Thine sight (Psalm 51:14).
Repentance over sin requires that a person commit to putting away
sin from his or her life. One poet illustrated this so succinctly: Tis
not enough to say, I'm
sorry and repent and then go on from day to day just as I always
went. Repentance is to
leave the sins we loved before, and show in earnest grieve by doing them
no more. Repentance involves a change in mind about God. To the unrepentant sinner, God is viewed as a distant benevolent figure unconcerned or mildly concerned with His creation. Or perhaps God is viewed as some celestial big bully or policeman keeping people from enjoying life. When the Holy Spirit begins to convict the heart of the sinner, he or she begins to see God for who He is. God is Holy and will not tolerate sin or rebellion. God's judgement is sure and unavoidable. God's love offers salvation in spite of ourselves. And finally, repentance allows us to see that God's offer of salvation is our only hope. When repentance enters the heart of a sinner, he or she will throw themselves upon God's mercy and cling to the hope of the message of the cross. Last
of all, repentance requires a change in mind about the self. Pride seems to be at the center and at the heart of sin.
God hates pride. Before a person can reach out to the Holy Spirit's
convicting power, he or she must recognize that the need God.
They must recognize that they need to relinquish control of their
life. Pride must be crushed
before penitent tears fall. When
the Holy Spirit convicts, there must be godly sorrow for being sinful.
Charles Spurgeon sums the need for a proper recognition of our
sinful self when he said: The
Holy Spirit does not come to make sinners comfortable in their sins, but
to cause them to grieve over their sins,.
He does not help them to forget their sin or to think little of
it, but He comes to convince them of the horrible enormity of their
iniquity. . . .This work is most necessary, because without it there is
no leading men to receive the gospel of the grace of God. Salvation
is only possible by faith. Faith
is only possible when a person recognizes the hopeless situation they
find themselves in because of their sins and change their mind and will
and reach out toward God. When
the repentant sinner reaches out, God gives them the faith to trust Him
to save them, cleanse them, and forgive them.
Salvation is available for all, but only possible for those who
repent and believe. Repentance
is every bit a gift from God as faith is.
The gift of salvation is not an indulgence to sin, but rather a
remedy for our sin. Cheap
grace and faith apart from repentance leaves the sinner with false hope
and still in their sin. A
penitent faith allows the heart to receive the cleansing, forgiving
gift of Jesus Christ, who is salvation and eternal life.
Eternal life and forgiveness of sins is found in a person.
The person foretold by God when Adam and Eve first sinned.
The person promised to come in the Old Testament.
The person who came and fulfilled the Scriptures, died in our
place, rose again, and seeks out the sinner to save- The God-man Jesus
Christ. Salvation is the message of the good news that Jesus Christ died for us so that we do not have to die. Jesus Christ became sin for us, so that our sins might be forgiven. Jesus Christ reconciled us back to God so that we might have fellowship with Him. All this God offers freely and without reserve. But what about those who reject God's provision of Jesus Christ? Did the death of Christ guarantee that every person will be saved? As we have discussed, salvation is based on the acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ. In fact, Revelation tells us that those who put their trust in Jesus Christ have their names written in the Lamb's (Jesus) book of life. At the end of time only those whose names are written there will live with God eternally (Revelation 20:12). But what happens to those whose names are not written in the Book of Life. Revelation does not keep us ignorant, but clearly tells us that the destiny of those who refuse to place their trust in Jesus Christ is hell or the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Hell is a place set aside by God for those who rebel against Him. God must judge sin. God will judge sinners. Jesus spoke of hell as an actual place.[38] The story of the rich man and Lazarus gives some details about what hell is like (Luke 16). It is a place of torment (16:23). It is a place where fire and decay never cease (Matthew 3:12). Not only is the fire eternal, but hell itself is forever. Jesus indicates that it is a place to avoid at all costs (Matthew 18:8). The Scriptures also indicate that those reject Jesus Christ deserve hell. God is just to send them there. God's desire is that no one should perish in hell (John 3:17). Every possible provision has been made. God has done all that He can do to save humanity. God's love for us compelled Him to take upon Himself our sins, to die in our place, to remove our sin. For a person to reject Jesus Christ and His atoning death, is to agree with God that he or she wishes to stay in their sin. Since God must judge sin, He has no other alternative but to judge the sinner. Since hell is the place reserved for sin, it is also the place reserved for sinners. All those who end up in hell will be there willingly. Part of the good news of Jesus Christ is that we do not have to go to hell. A way of escape has been provided for us in Jesus Christ- all that is required is to trust in Jesus and He will deliver His people from death and destruction in hell. In the beginning God created man. God sought His creation out to commune and have fellowship with man. Even when man separated himself from God, because of sin, God, the missionary God, sought out man and provided a way for him to be forgiven of his sins and restored into fellowship with God. God did, because, more than any other attribute, God is love. Love
seeks out. Love is willing
to suffer for the recipient of His affection.
Love compels the lost man to be find, even when the lost man does
not want to be found. Love
forgives, even though we do not deserve forgiveness.
Love is possible for you and me, because love is Jesus Christ. And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to
open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God
by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: Revelation 5:9-10
Salvation, like life, cannot be described convincingly, until it is first experienced. Is salvation real? Is Jesus able to do what He has promised? I believe He is who He says He is and is able to do for me what He has promised. I believe, because I have experienced His forgiving, reconciling grace. My life with the Lord Jesus Christ began with a new birth experience at the age of five years old. The church my family was attending had a children's church ministry. |