What Does The Bible Say?

Salvation

I am assuming if you are reading this you are a Christian, but this can be a vague term in today's world. Is everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian really a Christian? We hear the words: salvation, redemption, born again, I believe; but what actually are the requirements for being a Christian? What is faith and how does it work in salvation? How secure is salvation? All these are basic and legitimate questions for anyone seriously studying the Bible. I will attempt to answer these questions in the studies that follows.
Sin is the disobedience and rebellion that separates us from fellowship with God. In order to re-establish this fellowship, we must first get rid of the sin. It is an established law in the Bible that innocent blood has to be offered for corrupted blood, life for life. The very first sacrifice in the Bible is recorded (through implication) in the third chapter of Genesis:
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.¹
It is implied that, as opposed to creating just the skins, God actually sacrificed the animals who owned the skins to cover Adam and Eve. This is the actual meaning of the word for atone: to cover. The very first time it is used in the Bible it has this meaning:
So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.²
Because innocent blood has to be offered for corrupted blood, life for life, The final atonement had to be made with pure innocent blood. In other words, no man or animal could ever permanently atone for sin, because of Adam. Everyone and everything is guilty of sin, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.³ Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned,⁴ what was required to fulfill the law was blood untainted with sin, Christ's blood. Blood type can come from the mother, but the blood itself comes from the father. If my father's blood had sin in it, my blood will have sin in it. That is why Christ had to be born to a virgin⁵, to bypass the father's blood and be born without sin. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.⁶ This is very important to grasp what was accomplished through Christ's death.
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.⁷
This is a powerful verse, what it actually says is:
For the life-force/soul (nephesh) of flesh is in the blood, and I am [the given]^7a giving (it) to you on the altar to ransom [to atone by offering a substitute] for the life-force/soul (nephesh) of them, as the blood, it (is) in the life-force/soul (nephesh), shall make atonement.
Christ's act upon the cross involved three things:
it objectively and legally paid the penalty for sin, this also being a historical accomplishment. It is the sole basis for God's salvation to man.⁸
The gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.⁹
It acted as a ransom to redeem fallen man, according to the Oriental law of kinship, to be the next of kin and as such to buy back a relative's property, or the relative himself. Christ offered Himself as a substitute to us and completely and finally put an end to sin.¹⁰
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.¹¹
Thirdly, this legal and binding payment for our sin is conditional in that we must accept this payment by faith in Christ.¹²
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man.¹³
All that is reqired of you to receive this gift is to believe and confess. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.¹⁴ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.¹⁵
Now, what is faith? Basicly faith is belief in God. Throughout the Bible to believe and to have faith are synonymous terms. But this over-simplifies faith, for there are two kinds of belief in the Bible. There is a head belief:
yes, I believe there is a God, and I sincerely try to serve Him. I also believe that Jesus was both God and man, and that He died on the cross, and that He rose again on the third day.
This belief is the same as belief in any philosophy, and it is worthless.¹⁶
Then there is the heart belief:
yes, I believe in God, and I actively place my life and my future in Him. I also believe that Jesus was both God and man, and that He died on the cross for my sins, and that He rose again on the third day.
The first is a belief that is based on facts, the second is a belief that is based on action. It is this second type of faith that is required by God.
Hebrews 11:1 paints a beautiful picture of faith. Every legal action is only as strong and enforceable as those agreeing to it. Sin is a violation of God's law, the penalty for that violation is death. Once the penalty has been paid, the debt is made null and viod, as if it never happened. God exacted that penalty and Christ paid the debt on the cross. Faith is conviction in the truth of a matter and trust in that conviction, moreover conviction and trust is the foundation to wait in full confidence of that which has been done (legally), the proof not seen. Since God is the one enforcing and Christ is the one making full payment, our debt is now null and viod, as if it never happened. Because of this I am assured truely therefore that neither death nor life, neither messengers nor rulers nor powers^17a, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, neither any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.¹⁷ We, as Christians need never fear of loosing what Christ as gained for us.
But God has made us as creatures of choice. He did this so that we could willingly choose to love Him. The drawback in this is that we can also choose not to love Him. We do not loose this right to choose once we accept Christ and what He has done for us. Therefore, we must be carefull, for though we can never be separated from the love of God, we can choose to willingly and perversely turn from God. This would be a truly sad state of affairs indeed. Truely therefore (it is) impossible once those being enlightened, and experiencing of the heavenly gift, and becoming participants (in the) Holy Spirit, and experiencing (the) good spoken word (of) God and (the) works of power of a coming age, and falling aside [by traitorous betraying]¹⁸, again to renew to repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God and putting (Him) to open shame.¹⁹
If you have taken these steps and have asked Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior, then you are a Christian. If you have not taken these steps, then I invite you right now to do so. It can be done right where you are, in the privacy of your own home. Just open your heart to God and say:
Lord, I know I am a sinner and deserve to die for my sins. You have paid the penalty for my sins by sending Your Son Jesus to die on the cross. A accept this free gift now and ask that you come and abide with me and in me.
That's all there is to it. However, I would suggest, if you are not now attending a Church, that you find a good Bible teaching Church for fellowship. I would also like to hear from you if you have made a decission for Christ, either through what you have read on one of my pages, or elsewhere. You can reach me through DocGraphy@yahoo.com, or write to MD Owens, PO Box 852, Albion Mi, 49224
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