
Salvation in the general sense is the state of being saved from something. On the spiritual side it is the state of being saved from God’s wrath brought on by our sin.
Because God is a holy God, our sin separates us from God. We talked about that in the first pillar. The Bible tells us we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard (Ro 3:23) and the wage of our sins is death (Ro 6:23). The truth is EVERYONE is on their way to hell because we have all sinned against God and are cut off from His presence forever. But Romans 10:9 says, “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.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) sums it up with this… “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” And Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Jesus is the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6), because only Jesus could offer His life as the perfect sacrifice for sin. His life for our life. That’s the deal. No one else was, is or could be able to make that sacrifice. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t save our children. We can’t save anything. In fact, Paul tells us we are dead in our sins (Eph 2). How can a dead person save anyone? Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, had to come down to earth, live a sinless life and die on the cross as an “atoning” sacrifice (see the video) for the sins of the world. That was God’s plan before the creation of the world. And your name was written in that plan. Sin is not something that caught God by surprise and had to resort to plan B. NO, the plan for salvation was needed when He created us in His image with freedom to choose and think for ourselves. Because of freewill, “we are all like sheep who have gone astray…” (Isa 53:5-6). But God knows all things and planned our salvation before creation.
The Bible paints a clear picture. In the beginning things were all good. Until sin entered in. Now we live in a sin-filled and fallen world. All humanity is held sway by the curse (Genesis 3). All humanity needs Jesus. It’s not just a Jewish thing or American form of religion. And it’s not exclusive but rather inclusive. “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
The Gospel of Jesus (or Good News of Jesus) is that you can be saved today. Right now. You don’t have to try and make yourself right with God, you can’t. The only way to make yourself right is by trusting Jesus and what He did on the cross. Make Jesus your Lord and live for Him. Read the Bible, obey it, tell people about it and bring Him glory by building His kingdom. Experience life like never before. That’s good news. That’s the gospel of our salvation.
Because God is a holy God, our sin separates us from God. We talked about that in the first pillar. The Bible tells us we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard (Ro 3:23) and the wage of our sins is death (Ro 6:23). The truth is EVERYONE is on their way to hell because we have all sinned against God and are cut off from His presence forever. But Romans 10:9 says, “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.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) sums it up with this… “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” And Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Jesus is the only way to the Father (Jn 14:6), because only Jesus could offer His life as the perfect sacrifice for sin. His life for our life. That’s the deal. No one else was, is or could be able to make that sacrifice. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t save our children. We can’t save anything. In fact, Paul tells us we are dead in our sins (Eph 2). How can a dead person save anyone? Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, had to come down to earth, live a sinless life and die on the cross as an “atoning” sacrifice (see the video) for the sins of the world. That was God’s plan before the creation of the world. And your name was written in that plan. Sin is not something that caught God by surprise and had to resort to plan B. NO, the plan for salvation was needed when He created us in His image with freedom to choose and think for ourselves. Because of freewill, “we are all like sheep who have gone astray…” (Isa 53:5-6). But God knows all things and planned our salvation before creation.
The Bible paints a clear picture. In the beginning things were all good. Until sin entered in. Now we live in a sin-filled and fallen world. All humanity is held sway by the curse (Genesis 3). All humanity needs Jesus. It’s not just a Jewish thing or American form of religion. And it’s not exclusive but rather inclusive. “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
The Gospel of Jesus (or Good News of Jesus) is that you can be saved today. Right now. You don’t have to try and make yourself right with God, you can’t. The only way to make yourself right is by trusting Jesus and what He did on the cross. Make Jesus your Lord and live for Him. Read the Bible, obey it, tell people about it and bring Him glory by building His kingdom. Experience life like never before. That’s good news. That’s the gospel of our salvation.