The Way of Salvation

The Need Of Mankind. The Bible teaches that all men are born in Adam, and under the condemnation of his sin. (Rom. 5:12, 1Co. 15:22) Because all men are born with a sin nature (Psa. 51:5), all have sinned against God (Rom. 3:10, Rom. 3:23), and the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23) The penalty of Adam’s sin is first, spiritual death (Gen. 2:17, Rom. 5:12), followed by physical death. Because we are born in Adam we are born under condemnation from God.

The Provision Of God’s Love. As Creator, God loves his creation. However, His love cannot overrule His Righteousness and Justice. (Psa. 89:14) Therefore, God in love sent His Son Jesus Christ to take our place and be judged on the cross, to remove the penalty for our sins. (Joh 3:16, Eph. 2:4-8, Rom. 5:8) On the Cross, Jesus became our substitute, bore our penalty, and removed our condemnation, (2Co. 5:21, 1Pe. 2:24, Isa. 53:4-6) When the penalty for our sins was paid, He cried out, “It is finished!” (Joh. 19:30) He had satisfied God’s Righteousness in His life (Mat. 5:17) and His Justice in His death. (Rom. 8:33-35)

The Gift Must Be Received. The Bible clearly stresses that salvation cannot be earned or worked for. (Rom. 4:4-5, Rom. 11:6; Tit. 3:5) Eternal life is a gift of God to all who will receive it. (Joh 10:28-29, Rom. 3:24, Eph. 2:8-9) The only way this gift can be received is by faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior of men. (Act 16:31; Joh 1:12, Joh 3:16-19, Joh 3:36; Rom. 4:3, Rom. 4:23-24, Rom. 5:1) Any attempt to work for or earn salvation is incompatible with God’s gracious gift and a denial of the all-sufficiency of the work of Christ on the cross.

The Assurance Of Eternal Security. The work of salvation is a “once-for-all gift. Jesus said that once we are cleansed before God, we need not repeat it. (Joh 13:10) We are kept by His power (1Pe. 1:5), not our own, and nothing can snatch us from him (Joh 10:28-29) nor sever us from His love. (Rom. 8:31-39) Our assurance of spending eternity in heaven is an absolute certainty, based on the Word of God. (1Jo 5:10-13) We are in fact already seated with Christ in heaven in God’s eyes. (Col. 3:1-4)

The New Creature In Christ. At the moment of salvation, we become a “new creature” in Christ. (2Co. 5:17) There are five Divine works that achieve this. The Baptism of the Spirit (1Co. 12:13), Regeneration (Tit. 3:5), The Indwelling of the Spirit (Rom. 8:9) Spiritual Gifting (1Co. 12:7), and the Sealing ministry of God’s Spirit. (Eph. 1:13-14, Eph 4:30)



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