DISCHARGED & ACQUITTED FOR LIFE!

SALVATION: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT IS NOT!

Theme scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

INTRODUCTION:

God’s most important mission on earth is the salvation of man; which is why through the length of Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, it is outlined exhaustively. In fact, we see from (Genesis 1:1-3, 3:15) our first insights into what salvation is. 

Scriptures suggest that man is the greatest creation. The only one created after God’s image, man represented God’s authority on the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). However, man’s unbelief and rejection of God, expressed by disobedience to God in listening to his wife and ‘eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil’, scuttled this plan. (Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3).  His act of disobedience, birthed by unbelief, had resulted in death – spiritual death, which in truth, is separation from God, man’s life source (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12). Man then suffered physical death, which is the culmination of the debilitation of the human condition, which are the consequences of spiritual death. God decided to restore man and planned an elaborate process of redemption “from the foundation of the world”. Ephesians 2:10, 1:3-6; Titus 3:4-7; Revelations 13:8.

This plan would require:

A. A just payment for man’s disobedience, in fulfilment of divine law of sin = death.

B. A fit and adequate sacrifice to remove or cancel out sin.

ii. Sin manifested initially in Adam’s disobedience

it now manifests in the wicked and ungodly actions which draw from a mentality that has rejected God. 

iii. To reverse spiritual death, it would require a fit and proper compensation: perfect man (with a perfect spirit) to be exchanged. Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21.

C. A means by which the prospective beneficiaries of (a) and (b) would be able to access the gift they have been/are being offered. This would have to be similar but parallel to how they got into the mess in the first place (unbelief / faith).

D. A system to ensure that the problem corrected does not arise again, neither do its consequence.

1. WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE SALVATION POSSIBLE?

It is the fulfilment of Scriptures, scattered through the Old Testament, right from Genesis (Genesis 1:1-3), through the Law (the other books of Moses), the Prophets and the Psalms. Luke 24:44. It was made possible when Jesus Christ, the seed of David, died and was raised from the dead. God became man, lived and died, paid the full penalty for sin by suffering its physical and eternal consequences, and rose from the dead to destroy the power of sin and its effect of death. Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8.

In Jesus Christ’s death, He addressed the ‘curse’ of sin – eternal death – once and for all time and when He rose from the dead, He ensured that anyone, and everyone, who would believe in Him, will have eternal life! John 10:28; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 5:9.

Therefore, anyone who has experienced this birth will never ‘die’ again. Like Christ died once and now lives forever, so does the person who believes in Him – because it is appointed to man to ‘die’ once. Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 9:27, 10:14.

It is only possible by the hearing of faith; hearing the gospel preached that brings a man to salvation.

2. HOW IS SALVATION POSSIBLE?

A. The Gospel is preached! And this is simply and ONLY the Incarnation of God in the Man, Jesus Christ, who lived, died as the sacrifice for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

B. At the preaching of this Gospel, the Holy Spirit provides the faith to believe it. Romans 10:14-15, 17; Ephesians 2:8. 

C. With belief comes affirmation, and the person is saved. John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10, 13

3. THE RESULT

A. We are now free, not just from sin, but from the condemnation and consciousness of sin. Romans 8:1; Hebrews. 9:14, 10:22.

B. We are now free from judgment; that is, the believer is delivered from hell – the wrath which is to come. Mark 16:16; John 3:17; Hebrews 9:28-29.

C. You have been redeemed, made holy, righteous, blameless and fit for God’s presence. 

D. Your sins are blotted out, and there is no record of sins – past, present and future – against you. Not by your works, but by the working of grace through faith. Romans 4:8; 1 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:22; 

By God’s will we have been purified and made holy once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah! 

Yet every day priests still serve, ritually offering the same sacrifices again and again—sacrifices that can never take away sin’s guilt.

But when this Priest had offered the one supreme sacrifice for sin for all time he sat down on a throne at the right hand of God, waiting until all his whispering enemies are subdued and turn into his footstool. 

And by his one perfect sacrifice he made us perfectly holy and complete for all time! Hebrews 10:10‭-‬14 TPT https://bible.com/bible/1849/heb.10.10-14.TPT

E. You have the life of God in you now! The same Spirit, by which Christ lives forever, lives in you, and He will never leave you! Matthew 28:20; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 6:17; 

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13:5‭-‬6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/heb.13.5-6.KJV

F. You are in Christ! Christ is in you. You have an expectation and an assurance of eternal life. John 10:28-29; 1 Corinthians 2:23; Colossians 1:27.

“My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him . And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me— we live in union as one ! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine! Galatians 2:20 TPThttps://bible.com/bible/1849/gal.2.20.TPT

G. You are a habitation of God, a carrier of His Presence (since the Holy Ghost lives in you forever), and thus, a member of a global family. Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:18-22, 3:14-15; Hebrews 2:11-12.

And now, because we are united to Christ, we both have equal and direct access in the realm of the Holy Spirit to come before the Father! So, you are not foreigners or guests, but rather you are the children of the city of the holy ones, with all the rights as family members of the household of God. You are rising like the perfectly fitted stones of the temple ; and your lives are being built up together upon the ideal foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, and best of all, you are connected to the Head Cornerstone of the building, the Anointed One, Jesus Christ himself! Ephesians 2:18‭-‬20 TPT https://bible.com/bible/1849/eph.2.18-20.TPT

H. You can manifest and demonstrate the salvation of God to the world, by preaching, healing the sick, casting out demons, etc. – just like Jesus Christ did. Matthew 28:19; Mark 16: 17-18; Acts 10:38.

And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues.  They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them.” Mark 16:17‭-‬18 TPT https://bible.com/bible/1849/mrk.16.17-18.TPT

4. HOW TO MAXIMIZE THIS RESULT: OUR ‘WORKS’.

A. Believe it! You received salvation by faith in Jesus; you maintain salvation by faith in Jesus. 

B. Trust that it is God Who is doing the work in you, perfecting His salvation plan in you. Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 2:11-12. 

C. Grow in knowledge of what Christ has done by studying, meditating on and confessing the Word. Deuteronomy 32:47 Acts. 20:32; 1Peter 2:2. 

In the same way that nursing infants cry for milk, you must intensely crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word . For this “milk” will cause you to grow into maturity, fully nourished and strong for life. 1 Peter 2:2 TPT https://bible.com/bible/1849/1pe.2.2.TPT

D. Praying or communing with God, especially praying in the Spirit (praying in tongues). Jude 1:20, 1 Corinthians 14:4

E. Submit to the Holy Spirit. Yield to His continuing perfecting work in you, especially in manifesting the fruits of the Spirit.  1 Corinthians 2:14; Galatians 5:22; Hebrews 5:14.

Someone living on an entirely human level rejects the revelations of God’s Spirit, for they make no sense to him. He can’t understand the revelations of the Spirit because they are only discovered by the illumination of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 TPT https://bible.com/bible/1849/1co.2.14.TPT

F. Join the assembly of other saints in a good local church to help you grow in faith, and in your love walk towards others. 1 Thessalonnians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25.

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/1th.5.11.NLT

5. YOU ARE WRONG IF YOU THINK SALVATION IS;

A. A religion. The new birth is NOT a religion; that is, it is not a new set of ‘dos-and-don’ts’ that we must live by. These are called ‘dead works of the flesh’. It is not trying to make heaven by our works, either to get saved or to maintain our salvation. Neither is it becoming a member of a church or religious group. 1 Samuel 2:9; Isaiah 64:6; Titus 3:5-7.

B. Character change/repenting from sin. The new birth is NOT character modification or behavior change. One can choose to change their behavior without having heard/believed the gospel. John 3:1-8; Acts. 16:30-31

C. You giving something. The new birth does not mean ‘giving our lives to Christ’. It means receiving His life, accepting His Finished Work as the basis of our new life in Him.

CONCLUSION

Salvation is, and remains, a gift from God. Eternal life is, and remains, a gift from God. When we properly understand the Person and nature of the Saviour, we would have a better appreciation of the gift He has given us.