SALVATION - BIBLE
SCRIPTURES TO STUDY SALVATION
"For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of
the devil." (1 John 3:8)
(I) THE
DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST WAS NO ACCIDENT!
It was part of an elaborate
plan formulated in Heaven before the foundations of the world were laid!
The Bible speaks, "...of the Lamb slain from the foundations of the
world." (Revelation 13:8)
St. Peter declared,
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot:
"Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these
last times for you, who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from
the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in
God". (1 Peter 1:18-21)
And the Holy Scriptures state
unequivocally, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel, and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified
and slain;" (Acts 2:23) The amplified Bible translates this verse
thusly, "...according to the definite and final purpose and settled
plan and foreknowledge of God..."
(II) JESUS
CHRIST CAME INTO THE WORLD ON A HOLY MISSION!
"For God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might
be saved." (John 3:17)
Jesus declared, "For the
Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke
19:10)
THERE IS ONLY
ONE SAVIOR!
St. Peter stated,
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved". (Acts
4:12)
The Bible says, "For this
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior: Who will have all
men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
"For there is one God,
and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave
Himself a ransom for all..." (1 Timothy 2:3-6)
Jesus Christ said, "I am
the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
Me". (John 14:6)
(III) JESUS
CHRIST WAS BORN CRUCIFIED!
He was born to die. He came to
purchase our salvation through His sacrificial, vicarious (substitutionary)
death for us on the cross. As the sacrificial lambs died on the
altars in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ died on the cross as the 'Lamb of God'.
That's why John the Baptist could point to Jesus of Nazareth as
"…the Lamb of God, which taken away the sins of the world".
(John 1:29)
The Bible says, "Without
the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness) for sin".
(Heb. 9:22) "It is the blood that maketh
atonement (covering) for sin". (Lev. 17:11) "The blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin". (1 John 1:7)
Isaiah prophesied Jesus’
death 700 years before His birth in Bethlehem of Judaea! "Surely He
hath borne our griefs (heb. kholee-sickness) and carried our sorrows (heb.
makob-pains) yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted.
“But
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are
healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)
(IV)
CHRIST'S DEATH ON THE CROSS DEFEATED SATAN
& DESTROYED HIS POWER OVER US!
St. John wrote, "...For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested (revealed) that He might
destroy the works of the devil". (1 John 3:8)
“Who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear
Son:” (Colossians 1:13)
“Buried with Him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of
God, Who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him,
having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out
of the way, nailing it to His cross; And having spoiled principalities and
powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
(Colossians 2:12-15)
The writer to the Hebrews
(probably Paul. Martin Luther believed Appollos was the author) confirms
the staggering victory Jesus Christ obtained for us through His
efficacious death on Golgotha!
"...that
through DEATH He might DESTROY him that had the power of death, that is
the DEVIL: And DELIVER them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)
"Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galations 3:13-14)
“And they overcame him (the
devil) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony...”
(Revelation 12:11)
(V) THROUGH
HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH & GLORIOUS RESURRECTION, WE ARE SAVED &
MADE ONE WITH CHRIST!
"For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
"In Whom (Christ) also we
have obtained an inheritance...In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye
heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after
that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
"For by grace are ye
saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God;
Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Bible says that we shall
be declared righteous in God’s sight. “...if we believe on Him that
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead: Who was delivered for our offences
(sins), and was raised again for our justification.”
St. Paul declared, "Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with
Christ, (by grace are ye saved); And hath raised us up together, and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus". (Ephesians 2:5-6)
“THEREFORE
IF ANY MAN (PERSON) BE IN CHRIST JESUS, HE IS A NEW CREATION: OLD THINGS
ARE PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD, ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." (Galations 2:20)
The Bible says, "The
wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord". (Romans 6:23)
“Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:2-4)
(VI) THE
GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST HAS PURCHASED ETERNAL LIFE & TOTAL FREEDOM FOR
US!
Jesus Christ says, "Ye
shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free". (John 8:32)
You may ask "What is truth"? Pontius Pilate asked our Saviour
those same words during His infamous trial.
He was speaking to the
ULTIMATE TRUTH and didn't know it. Jesus Christ is truth personified. He
was God in the flesh! He is the Living Word of God and the Holy Bible is
the written Word of God!
"In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not
any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light
of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." (John
1-4, 14)
In his epistle, St. John
confirms that Jesus is the Logos, the Word of God. "That which
was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word
of Life;...declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:
and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus
Christ." (1 John 1:1-3)
Jesus said, "I am the
WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE..." (John 14:6) Not only is He the only
way to God and the Ultimate Truth but Jesus is the life! AND SINCE HE IS
LIFE, WE CAN RECEIVE LIFE FROM HIM!
The Bible says, "In Him
(Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men". (John 1:4)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
“Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of
the Son of God: and they that hear shall live...For as the Father hath
life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in
Himself;" (John 5:24-26)
"Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that bread
of life." (John 6:47-48)
Jesus said, "The thief
cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that
they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
(John 10:10)
(VII) THE HOLY
SPIRIT GUARANTEES OUR SALVATION!
By trusting in the work of
Jesus Christ on the cross, we are born again and receive eternal life. The
Bible says, “In Whom (Jesus Christ) also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest (GUARANTEE)
of our inheritance of the purchased possession...” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Here is the staggering truth -
the Baptism of Holy Spirit is the guarantee that God's seal is upon us and
the Blessed Holy Spirit Himself is 'the Guarantor' Who guarantees that we
are the Children of God. We are going to make it to Heaven. He has already
given us Eternal Life!
His guarantee will last until
we are glorified and presented unto our Heavenly Father by Jesus Christ
Himself! "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy." (Jude 24)
Jesus declared, “My Father,
Which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them
out of My Father’s hand”. (John 10:29)
A word of warning is necessary
here: God’s promises are conditioned upon our willingness to obey or not
obey Him. “No man can pluck us out of God’s hand”, but a believer
can unilaterally walk away from God through deception, pride, bitterness,
hated, lust or rebellion!
In such case, God’s mercy
would no longer be covering that individual because He cannot force anyone
against his own will to love God!
St. Paul again confirms the
work of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers who trust Jesus Christ as
their Saviour and Lord: “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who was
preached among you by us… was not the yeah and nay (yes and no) but in
Him was year (yes).
“For all the promises of God
in Him are yeah (yes), and in Him (Jesus Christ) the amen (even so be it),
unto the glory of God by us. Now He which stablisheth us with you in
Christ, and hath anointed us, in God:
“WHO HATH
SEALED US, AND GIVEN US THE EARNEST (PART PAYMENT OR DEPOSIT) OF THE
SPIRIT IN OUR HEARTS.” (2 Corinthians 1:19-22)
Jesus promises believers,
however: “...and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world (age)”. (Matthew 28:20) And St. Paul confirmed His words in
Hebrews 13:5: “...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee”.
Jesus used a double imperative
(gr.) which makes His promise even stronger. He actually said, “I WILL
NEVER, NO NEVER LEAVE THEE. I WILL NEVER, NO NEVER FORSAKE THEE”.
St. John declared, “Beloved,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it
knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall
be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:1, 2)
In closing this brief paper, I
present these awesome words from our Master: "Ye shall know the truth
and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you
free, ye shall be FREE INDEED". (John 8:32, 36).
