I’d like to talk to you about salvation. What is it and why does it matter?
Some of you reading this might think that’s pretty basic and you don’t need more teaching. Praise God, you obviously have some background into your decision to make Jesus your Lord and Savior. Let’s be sure, as the apostle Peter said, always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15
Others of you may have made the decision to give your life to Christ, but never have even thought about what that means. Yes, you know Jesus died for your sins, and your confession of that seals the deal. Amen. You have the greatest gift God the Father could possibly have given, His only son. Believing this is vital, but the key to unlocking the power of your salvation, all that it accomplished for you, comes from a revelation or understanding of God’s truth the way He meant for it to be known. This is crucial to experiencing salvation here and now, not just in Heaven some day.
Lastly, if you’re someone who might say this salvation experience is what some people need, but you don’t…at least be smart enough to know what it is you are rejecting before you purposely do so. If you’re right, no harm done, but if you are wrong, there are certain losses in your life now, and eternal consequences.
So hopefully we’ve covered the bases, but whatever your position, it’s important to know why you believe what you profess, and if you don’t believe in God then your disbelief has just as much influenced your view of yourself as everything else in life.
Let’s look at the basics of the message of salvation. The Apostle Peter said always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15). An answer isn’t just to share with others, trying to win someone to Christ by having the “correct” answer. The word there really means “a defense”. However this isn’t referring to having a religious debate either. It means you are strongly willing to defend your belief in the good news of Christ. What justifies you acting that way? Thinking that way? Why are you calm in the midst of the storms of life, positive and full of hope? This hope is the subject that this verse is referring to.
I like the word hope, because it actually puts the emphasis on your positive expectation as a result of understanding your salvation. What is it people are seeing in you? Your heart needs to be assured by understanding what salvation is for you, or the enemy can come in and challenge you. So surely, we have received something so wonderful, it is our responsibility to be able to share it with confidence; but people can’t see it if you don’t actually possess this hope or positive assurance. If we don’t know what that hope is, you won’t experience it or if we aren’t absolutely convinced of it ourselves, we can’t be very effective witnessing to others.
I want to challenge you in what you understand of the Gospel of salvation by sharing with you some of the basics and highlights, so you can come away with a greater understanding and hunger to get in the Word and learn more fully what God has done for you. I want to light a fire that gives you such an assurance that nothing can shake you. You’ll want to tell people what God has done for you and through you in salvation. This hope is an anchor to your soul.
The basics of salvation: What is it and why do we need it?
Salvation or redemption is God’s plan to rescue (save) us, and reconcile us back into right relationship with Him. And to do this, He sent Jesus to take the barrier of sin away by placing his wrath for all sin on Jesus, so He can cause us to become righteous-in right standing before God.
That’s a mouthful, let’s break it down….
What is it?
1. Salvation is God’s plan to reconcile us back to himself
God reconciled the world back to himself
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
- Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This is God’s plan. He came up with it and He did it ALL-FOR us! He wanted to. AMEN
2. God carried out redemption/salvation Himself through Jesus
Jesus is the only way to God
- John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- John 17:2-3 As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
If this was God’s plan, and it was, He alone can decide HOW it will be done.
God gave Jesus the right (authority). All these statements were made by Jesus!
Paul states this in
- Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 10:4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
- Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
And in 1 Peter, Peter reiterates,
- 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- 1 Peter 2:24 Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Only Jesus had the ability to accomplish it
- Romans 5:17 Much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
- Romans 5:18-19 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
We’ve established God’s purpose for providing salvation and also His plan to carry it out through Jesus; now let’s look at what it IS, by 1st talking about what it is NOT!
3. Salvation is not behavior modification or mental assent
Salvation is an event that takes place in the spirit part of you.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This scripture establishes that you are a 3 part being and there is a spirit part of you. The real you!
- 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
- 1 John 4:17 …because as He is, so are we in this world.
Only God could accomplish this; all of our efforts and good works could never redeem us. More happens to you at salvation than a decision from your intellect. Something Spiritual within you happens when you make this decision to believe.