What WE Believe about Salvation

I want to talk about salvation for mankind.  First, why do I need it?  This is a great question. Also, once I've convinced you that you need it, they you will ask: How do I get it?  I hope to answer these questions.  First let me print the Fundamental Belief as follows:

Salvation:

Fall of Man: WE BELIEVE...though originally good, Man Willingly Fell to Sin–ushering evil and death, both physical and spiritual, into the world.

We believe we are justified when we repent of our sins, and believe in Jesus Christ. Mark 1:15; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 5:1.

WE BELIEVE...Every Person Can Have Restored Fellowship with God Through 'Salvation' (trusting Christ, through faith and repentance, to be our personal Savior).

In this post I want to discuss the predicament Adam and Eve got us into by their original actions in the Garden of Eden. Please read:

Genesis 1:26-27 New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God created man in His image with a living soul.  In the Garden of Eden, God visited with Adam and Eve in the evenings, in the cool of the day and daily interacted with Adam and Eve.  God did not make many rules for Adam and Eve.  Adam was put in charge of the Garden of Eden and he had to name the animals and plants.  Adam had a pretty good life.  There was one prohibition that God gave Adam and is as follows: 

Genesis 2:17 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

This does not seem too hard to follow, but with a little deception by Satan and being drawn away by our own lust first Eve and then Adam violated God's command.

Genesis 3:6 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Adam and Eve died a spiritual death that day.  They still had an eternal spirit being but it was dead to God.  No longer could Adam have that same relationship with God that he had before.  Now, that spiritual relationship was broken.  But wait, am I spiritually dead because Adam sinned?  Well, yes.  Through Adam sin entered this world.  But you have sinned on your own. 

Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Whats more is that your failure is described in this next verse.  Your experience is technically similar to Adam and Eve's experience as James puts it.

James 1:14-15 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Read how Paul presented it to the Romans:

Romans 5:12-19 New International Version (NIV)

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

In verse 16 it says "judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation".  In verse 18 it says "just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people".  So without Jesus, we are in condemnation and we therefore need salvation.  What can you do?  Adam lived right with God for a long time.  He did right daily until that one day.  Adam sinned and brought condemnation on all his heirs.  Adam failed to heed the word of God to not partake of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

 

Let us move to a time when Jesus was tested. 

 

Matthew 4:1-11 New International Version (NIV)

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

In Jesus' experience, Satan tempted Him these three times.  However, different from Adam, Jesus did not sin.  Why?  Because He has the Word of God within him.  Now before I became a Christian I had read portions of the bible several times.  But, this method of fighting sin would not work for me. I was tempted and still drawn away by my own lust and then failed to the temptation.  Why, what is the difference? Sometimes I survived for a while, but after a while I would fail.  I gave in to sin.  I was not able to conquer sin just by quoting the written word. But Jesus could and this is why. 

John 1:1-2, 14 New International Version (NIV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

You can see now that the Word was in Jesus.  For He is the Word.   While you and I might have been able to refuse temptation for a little while.  Jesus contained the Word (and the power) to fully resist.  Note what Jesus said later:

John 5:36-40 New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸ nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. ³⁹ You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Jesus points out the difference between knowing the scriptures and the "word" dwelling in you.  The scriptures testified of Jesus as the Christ, as the Savior, as our Redeemer.  If you want to stop sinning, you have to get God's word in you.  How do you get God's word in one's self?  By receiving His Son, Jesus is the Word.  Let's read my favorite scripture John 3:16 in context.

John 3:13-18 New International Version (NIV)

¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:15 says that everyone who believes may have eternal life.  Because he believes in Jesus; as God, as the Son of God, as the one who came from God and died for your sins, as the one who rose again on the third day and is alive with God the Father in heaven, and as the one who will eventually come back and rule and reign over this world.  The test of when you understand and believe is that you accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and ruler in your life as you join the Kingdom of God here now on earth.

Now where is sin in our lives?  Jesus died for our sins.  Is that so we can continue as sinners without any consequences?  Never!  The Word of God is now within you if you have received Christ.  You now have the power to speak to sin and rebuke it as Christ spoke to Satan in the wilderness. Because Christ lives in us we have the power to walk in freedom from sin because the Word is in us.

Oh how grieved God is when we take God's sacrifice so lightly that we willfully continue in sin.  He paid a great price to break the bondage of sin.  But like the Children of Israel when God brought them out of Egypt.  Though they were set free, they desired to go back.  Let's not live our Christian life desiring the sin in this world.  But let us move forward into the promised land of "freedom from sin" and freedom from sin's bondage.

Have you realized that you are a sinner and are in need of a Savior?  Pray this prayer of salvation below.  If you believe and mean it, you will be saved:

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, 

I realize that I am a sinner and my sins caused you to have to die on a cross.  

You expressed great love paying the penalty for my sins.

I am ashamed of my sins, forgive me of my sins and all my unrighteous ways.  

I accept you as my Savior, as my Lord and as my God.  

Come into my life and purify me and give me a clean heart.  

Revive my spirit to life, even to eternal life and give me the strength not to sin again and to live a life daily pleasing you.

If you prayed this prayer believing and meaning what you said. Jesus has come into you and has given you eternal life.

One more thing about sin, as a Christian, we are empowered by Christ and grace to live a sin free life.  But, we are still captured in a fleshly vessel.  This vessel is prone to failure.  So, if you do sin, don't take it as a total failure.  Yes God is not pleased with your sin.  However, Jesus understands.  What you need to do is to bring your sin to Jesus in prayer.  Repent and ask Jesus to forgive you.  When you repent, you are acknowledging you are sorry for sinning and that you are trying to not commit this sin anymore.  Jesus promises to forgive that sin and to continue to cleanse you.

Thanks you!