Question 4-How Do We Receive the Gift of Salvation?
Scriptures:
•Ephesians 2:8-9
•2 Timothy 1:9
•Romans 10:9
•John 6:36
•2 Corinthians 4:7
I was very intent in wording the question for this section of the study. It initially seems illogical to ask the question “how do we receive something?” This concept remains true in our salvation because we do not as much do anything to receive it. Instead our salvation is totally the work of the Triune God. Ephesians 2:8-9 states:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
We in fact had no hand in our salvation: Christ works on the cross saved us from sin, we receive this gift by faith and that faith is actually a gift from God, in the form of the Holy Spirit. We are totally dependent on God and can do absolutely nothing to save ourselves. As 2 Timothy 1:9 says it:
who has saved us and called [us] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
We must understand that God, before the earth was even formed, elected a certain group of people that he would save. This elect people was elected by God, their sins were atoned for by the works of the Christ, and believe and have faith in Christ due to the witness of the Holy Spirit.
However we must also understand that we can’t disregard personal responsibility (which is actually carried out by the power of the Spirit). Romans 10:9 explains what we must do to be saved:
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Essentially, we must due two things to receive this salvation from Christ: confess Jesus is Lord, and believe that He did rise after his crucifixion.
To comprehend what it means to “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus” it is necessary to do two quick word studies.
First to define Lord:
Throughout the bible the word Lord is used in two forms. The first is the all caps “LORD” which actually is not LORD but the Hebrew word “Yahweh” which is a name of God deemed to holy to be written by the Old Testament authors. The second form, the one used in Romans 10:9 is the Greek word kyrios or the Hebrew ‘adown. The definition of this word is the more practical definition of Lord. That is the definition that describes a supreme ruler or master. Essentially it is a ruler or controller of something.
Secondly confess:
The Greek word used in this passage is homologeo which essentially means to confess. However, in this particular passage the word actually connotes some form of legal action that comes with this confession. Basically, in confessing a legally binding contract is verbally signed
So in conclusion, Paul instructs us in this verse to commit ourselves to Christ as our Lord, supreme controller, over our life. Confess Jesus Christ is our Lord and in doing so legally uphold our side of the deal and make Christ the ruler of our lives. This of course can only be done by the power granted to us through the Holy Spirit
However Paul also tells us we must believe in our hearts God raised him from the dead.
We must truly know in our hearts that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, he died on the cross for our sins, and he rose from the grave showing his supremacy over death. This by no means can be done on our own but is totally done by the power of the Spirit. See in John 6:36 which states:
But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
There is a large amount of people who physically saw Jesus. However, these people, despite seeing God manifested in flesh, did not truly believe he was the Son of God. We can do nothing ourselves to believe in Christ. Even the mere reading of bible is not enough for us to truly have faith in Christ works. Instead our belief and faith is totally the work of the Triune God in the witness of the Holy Spirit. See 2 Corinthians 4:7 which states:
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
We have seen God in the face of Christ and now have faith in Christ works solely by the witness of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Study Questions:
•What part do we play in our salvation?
•What “personal responsibility” is necessary in receiving salvation?
•What does it mean to confess the Lord Jesus Christ?
•How do we believe in God?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Gospel-Part 3
Question 3-How are our sins atoned for?
Scriptures:
•Leviticus 16:1-34
•Romans 3:20
•Romans 3:28
•Romans 5:6,8-10
•Galatians 2:16
•Romans 3: 23-25
Our sin problem has left us offensive to God and deserving of his wrath, the just penalty of death. The question is how are we to escape the wrath of God? To understand how we do this we must first understand the definition of the word atonement.
Dictionary definition: satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends
Definition of Hebrew word kaphar: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch
In the days of the Old Testament the people of Israel would yearly atone for their sins on the 10th day of the 7th month of the year, on the day they called the Day of Atonement. A high priest would enter into the temple, confess the sins of Israel on the head of a goat and send it into the wilderness. He would then take another goat and sacrifice it, take his blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle his blood seven times on and before the mercy seat. (Leviticus 16:1-34)
This atonement, however, was temporary. And we still search for a way to eternally atone for our sins.
Paul makes it obvious in Romans and Galatians that man is not the solution:
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. -Romans 3:20
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. -Romans 3:28
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. -Galatians 2:16
The law exposes what God deems as right and wrong. It defines what sin is. Therefore the declaration that the revelation of sin can’t justify us implies that man has no way to justify himself before God or atone for our sin issue. Basically, as long as man are sinners we will be unable to atone for our own sins because of our sin. CJ Mahaney states it in this way:
“I can’t atone for my sin. I cannot satisfy God’s righteous requirements. My disobedience condemns me before a righteous God. And I’m captive to sin. It is humanly impossible to free myself from sin. A divine rescue is necessary. I need a savior.”
Thank God a savior has been provided. As Romans 5:6 says:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ came and atoned for our sins when it was physically and spiritually impossible for us to do so. If we continue to read through Romans 5:8-10 we see Christ death is the necessary atonement for sin:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…
God’s righteous judgment declared that a man must die because of his sin. So Christ became a man and died the death for every sin that was and would be committed by the elect. His blood covered our sin and the wrath of God was satisfied in the death of Christ. Romans 3:24,25 states it:
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood, through faith…
God sent Jesus to be the propitiation by his blood. The Greek word for propitiation is hilasterion which means a way of appeasing or expiating. Essentially, God sent Jesus to die for our sins and appease or satisfy God’s wrath over sin. Jesus was the only man able to die for our sins because he was the only man sinless.
Therefore, Jesus came, and died on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God and his blood is propitiation that covers or atones for our sins
Study Questions:
What is atonement?
Why can’t man atone for their sins?
How does Christ atone for our sins?
What is propitiation?
How do receive the gift of salvation? (worded purposely)
Scriptures:
•Leviticus 16:1-34
•Romans 3:20
•Romans 3:28
•Romans 5:6,8-10
•Galatians 2:16
•Romans 3: 23-25
Our sin problem has left us offensive to God and deserving of his wrath, the just penalty of death. The question is how are we to escape the wrath of God? To understand how we do this we must first understand the definition of the word atonement.
Dictionary definition: satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends
Definition of Hebrew word kaphar: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch
In the days of the Old Testament the people of Israel would yearly atone for their sins on the 10th day of the 7th month of the year, on the day they called the Day of Atonement. A high priest would enter into the temple, confess the sins of Israel on the head of a goat and send it into the wilderness. He would then take another goat and sacrifice it, take his blood into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle his blood seven times on and before the mercy seat. (Leviticus 16:1-34)
This atonement, however, was temporary. And we still search for a way to eternally atone for our sins.
Paul makes it obvious in Romans and Galatians that man is not the solution:
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. -Romans 3:20
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. -Romans 3:28
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. -Galatians 2:16
The law exposes what God deems as right and wrong. It defines what sin is. Therefore the declaration that the revelation of sin can’t justify us implies that man has no way to justify himself before God or atone for our sin issue. Basically, as long as man are sinners we will be unable to atone for our own sins because of our sin. CJ Mahaney states it in this way:
“I can’t atone for my sin. I cannot satisfy God’s righteous requirements. My disobedience condemns me before a righteous God. And I’m captive to sin. It is humanly impossible to free myself from sin. A divine rescue is necessary. I need a savior.”
Thank God a savior has been provided. As Romans 5:6 says:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ came and atoned for our sins when it was physically and spiritually impossible for us to do so. If we continue to read through Romans 5:8-10 we see Christ death is the necessary atonement for sin:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…
God’s righteous judgment declared that a man must die because of his sin. So Christ became a man and died the death for every sin that was and would be committed by the elect. His blood covered our sin and the wrath of God was satisfied in the death of Christ. Romans 3:24,25 states it:
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood, through faith…
God sent Jesus to be the propitiation by his blood. The Greek word for propitiation is hilasterion which means a way of appeasing or expiating. Essentially, God sent Jesus to die for our sins and appease or satisfy God’s wrath over sin. Jesus was the only man able to die for our sins because he was the only man sinless.
Therefore, Jesus came, and died on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God and his blood is propitiation that covers or atones for our sins
Study Questions:
What is atonement?
Why can’t man atone for their sins?
How does Christ atone for our sins?
What is propitiation?
How do receive the gift of salvation? (worded purposely)
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