THE GIFT OF SALVATION. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." God’s justice demands one thing – eternally separated from God, cut off from any good gift from God and to live forever in hell. According to II Peter 2:4, this is the state of the fallen angels. "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;.." These angels sinned and have no ability to be redeemed or saved. This could have been us but because of God’s grace we have an opportunity to be redeemed. I Peter 1:18 says we have been redeemed. What God’s original purpose can be restored through the blood of Jesus Christ. "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." So what is the gift of God? I Peter 4:10 describes it as "the manifold grace of God." That means many colors, many forms like a rainbow. So, let’s look at some of the different ways the benefits of God’s salvation is described. Like John 3 says that salvation is like the wind. We don’t know where it comes from or where it goes, we only see the effect of it. So, we don’t understand how salvation works but you know it has happened because you see the effects of it. 1. We have been born in the family of God We are born in the family of God meaning we now share the nature of our father. II Corinthians 5: 17 says we are a "new creature." Just as a child is born in a one time event and they are forever have the nature of their father, his looks. We have been "born from above" and have the very nature of God now. 2. We have been adopted in the family of God But we have also been adopted. Romans 8: 15 "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Galatians 4: 5 "that we might receive the adoption as sons." As adopted sons, we can speak to him as Father. But another reason adoption is so vital is that an adopted son could never be refused inheritance. They were "chosen." Thus, an heir. We are heirs of God and it can never been reversed. 3. We have the forgiveness of our sins Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out," God has forgiven, blotted out, put our sins in the sea of forgetfulness never to be reminded against us. But forgiveness of sins would not solve our problems entirely. 4. We have been declared righteous So, we have been declared righteous. Romans 3: 26, 28 "to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." This is a legal term used to describe what God does when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. He declares we are righteous. 5. We have been credited with His righteousness But then he imputes righteousness to us. Romans 4: 6 "just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:" Philippians 3:9 "and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;" Adam imputed guilt to us Jesus imputes righteousness to us. When we are saved, God transfers the righteousness of Jesus into our account. 6. We have peace with God Romans 5: 1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Because our sins are forgiven and we are declared righteous apart from our works and have been born and adopted in the family of God, then we have peace with God. 7. We have been sanctified I Corinthians 6: 11 "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." We have been set aside for His use and glory. 8. We have a new nature prone to obedience and not sin I John 3:9 "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." He that hath spiritual seed (life generating and growing power) within him and that keeps him from continual sin. His pattern of life will not be indulgence in sin. But the characterization of a Christian will be obedient to Christ and obedience to the Scriptures. I John 2:29 "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." I John 3:24 "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." 9. We have a life that is not burdensome Its not hard. The way of a transgressor is hard. I John 5:3-4 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." Matthew 11: 28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 10. We are partakers of eternal life I John 2: 25 "And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life." Ephesians 2: 1, 4-5 "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)," Colossians 2:13 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." 11. We have a genuine love for others I John 2:10 "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him." I John 2: 19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." I John 3:23 "And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment." I John 4: 7-11 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 12. We have protection from Satan I John 5:18 "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him." I John 4: 4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 13. We have character traits likened to Christ Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;" These traits will be more and more evident in that person’s life. By contrast, those who are unbelievers, including those who are pretending to be believers but are not, will clearly lack these character traits. Matthew 7: 16 "You shall know them by their fruits." 14. We have the promise of resurrection I Corinthians 15: 22-23 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming." Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Philippians 3:20-21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." Christian activity and miracles are not signs of regeneration. Matthew 7: 22-23 "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" And the greatest part of this promise is that anyone can have it and no one will be denied. For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 "He who comes to me I will not cast out." John 6:37
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:01:49 +0000
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