THE GOSPEL: FROM SIN TO SALVATION

THE GOSPEL: FROM SIN TO SALVATION

God created a wonderful world. After making this perfect planet and filling it with every good thing, the crowing act of Creation was the making of two individuals in the Creator’s own image.

“And God created the man in His image, in the image of Elohim He created him – male and female He created them.” (The Scriptures, Genesis 1:27)

Formed in the image of the Creator! One with the divine mind. Pure and perfect in every detail – this was the divine plan and the origin of the human race.

Then it was destroyed. Satan, the “adversary” of God and man, tempted our first parents to break the divine Law. When they listened to the tempter and turned their allegiance from their Creator to His enemy, a tragic transformation occurred.

Their thoughts and feelings, formed in the divine image, became enslaved to their new master, Satan. The thoughts and feelings of the human race would, ever after, reflect the evil image of Satan.

It was an emergency on an unprecedented scale. Scripture is clear:

“Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4)

Paradise contrasted with a barren land - "The wages of sin is death."The punishment for breaking the divine Law is, and always has been, death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in the Jesus Christ our Lord. (See Romans 6:23.)

It was to save mankind from the consequences of his sin, that God and His Son, Jesus Christ, joined in a holy covenant to save mankind at any cost to Themselves.

The beauty of the Father’s heart of love is that while He hates sin, He loves the sinner.

'For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth,' saith the Lord God. 'Therefore turn yourselves and live ye.' (See Ezekiel 18:32.)

The divine Law cannot be changed. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 7:12) God’s just and holy Law is a reflection of His own character. To change it would be to imply that God Himself is not perfect.

Thus, the divine Law could not be changed, even to save sinners. Satan knew this. He was counting on it. The death of Adam and Eve, as punishment for their sin, would plant doubts in the minds of the unfallen angels and give Satan an opening to accuse our Creator of being harsh and cruel.

But the Father and the Son were prepared to meet the crisis. From time immemorial, They held in reserve a solution. It was a secret, held in silence through the millennia in case the need should ever arise.

This solution was a complete shock to Satan. He was totally unprepared for the divine answer given to meet the satanic emergency.

Satan was unprepared for GRACE.

Grace is “the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him. . . . [It is] the application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner.” (Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828)

The universe had never witnessed grace before. In a perfect, holy environment, it had never been needed! Grace is the unmerited, undeserved favor of God, showered upon guilty sinners.

Praise be to God, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Romans 5:20)Grace

As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour. The divine solution to the crisis was that God’s own Son would step in as the Substitute. Jesus would die in man’s place so that man, forgiven and restored to divine favor, could inherit eternal life.

Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, came to bring light to sin-darkened minds, to reveal to all the beauty of the divine character, written in the Law of God.

“The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.” (Matthew 4:16, KJV)

While the divine Law could not be changed, infinite Love made provision within the Law to save sinners without changing the Law . . . but at immense personal sacrifice to the Creator Himself.

When asked, Jesus summed up the Law by stating:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38)

Then the Saviour added the reason why He had been willing to die for sinners:

"And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:39-40)

When Jesus willingly laid down His life to redeem the guilty, both the Father and Son were loving us, even in our fallen, sinful condition, more than Themselves. This is grace, hidden in the divine Law.

"But God commandeth his love toward us, in that,while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:Cool

Jesus is man’s substitute in death as well as in life. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the divine Law. At the end, He laid down His life and the sins of the human race were laid upon Him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: . . . 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.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

. . . by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. . . . He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (See Isaiah 53: 3-6, 11-12.)

Every sin, ever committed by everyone who has ever lived or will live, was laid upon Christ Jesus. He felt the accumulated guilt of the ages. It was this sense of guilt, the emotional pain of separation from His Father, that so quickly crushed out Christ’s life on Calvary’s cross.

The wonderful news is that Jesus did not stay in the grave! Although He died as our substitute for our sins, He Himself was sinless. Therefore, by the Law, God had the right to raise His Son back to life!

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest became us, Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens." (Hebrews 7:25-26)

By virtue of the laws of heredity, every son and daughter of Adam and Eve was doomed to sin and suffer the wages of sin: death.

However, because of Jesus’s death, we have all been granted a second chance: probationary time to choose for ourselves whether we will be loyal to our loving Creator, or continue in rebellion with the arch-enemy, Satan.

The purpose of the entire plan of Salvation encompasses much more than paying the ransom price to redeem sinners from the power of Satan. It includes the RESTORATION of sinners back into the image of God

As one faithful believer so eloquently stated:

"Redemption without Restoration is not Salvation."

To be redeemed, but still be a slave to the fallen nature is not true salvation. To be saved entirely, we must be recreated a new creature. This is done ONLY by faith in the Redeemer and His righteousness.

And you He made quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, . . . But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. . . For by grace ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in the Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath beforehand ordained that we should walk in them. (See Ephesians 2:1-10.)

By the death of Jesus, the Creator becomes the Re-Creator. A wonderful transformation takes place.

When we surrender entirely to Jesus, He will live out His life in and through us.

For the love of Christ Jesus constrains us, because . . . He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him that died for them, and rose again.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ , . . . that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation.

For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (See 2 Corinthians 5:14-19, 21)

True Biblical Christianity is set apart from every religion on Earth because salvation comes through personal surrender, not personal achievement.

As repentant children of God:

By faith, we accept the death of Christ on our behalf.
By faith, we then accept the righteousness of Christ to cover our defects and failings.
By faith, we become new people, restored to the image of God.

For I through the law, am died to the law that I might live unto God. 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.. (See Galatians 2:19-20.)

scarred hand knocking on door

The divine Law is too holy, too pure, for any to attain by their own efforts. Such a transformation is a divine gift, given to those who accept it by faith.

There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (See Romans 8:1-4.)

God sent His Son from Heaven to save you. Therefore, be “confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Time is short and probationary time will soon close. Now, while the invitation is still open, choose for yourself to surrender everything to your Redeemer. He will receive you as His son, His daughter and remake you in His own image.

"Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,To day if ye will hear his voice, harden your hearts..." (Hebrews 3:7-8

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20

We implore you, dearly beloved, surrender all to Jesus. Return the love that has been so freely lavished upon you. Commit yourself to His care. There is no greater joy, and no greater peace!

"And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life." (1 John 2:25

The choice is yours...