Sin & Salvation - Part 2

John 1:1-4 & 12-14 In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

God the Son came to this lost and dying world in Jesus Christ, infinite God incarnate (God with skin on), fully God and fully Man, sent by God the Father to pay a debt that He didn’t owe, because every man, woman and child on Earth owed a debt that they could not pay to get to heaven. We could not earn or pay our way into heaven because of sin. We do not deserve forgiveness or salvation of our trespasses and sins of disobedience, willfully crossing forbidden lines and boundaries that God has set up for our protection. But by the grace of God, the unmerited favor of our loving and merciful Creator, Jesus the Christ was sent and given to us as a free gift to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the dead to purchase a place in heaven for you & I, who repent and by faith believe in Him (accepting the gift).

Ephesians 2:1-10 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 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), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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.

This was Father God’s plan of salvation … Romans 3:23-26 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 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, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Jesus assumed our sin guilt and paid the price by His atonement death while we, Believers, assumed His sinless righteousness. Christ’s final word from the cross was “Tetelestai”, meaning not only His mission in God’s plan of salvation for us was finished, but also that the debt we owed was “paid in full”. By God’s mercy, we did not get what we truly deserved for our sinful disobedience against our just & holy Lord, but by the grace of God, received by faith what we did not deserve.

John 3:14-16 & 36 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and He who does not believe the Son shall not see life , but the wrath of God abides on him.

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Faith in Jesus Christ is the key that opens the door to heaven. Saving faith is not intellectually knowing that Jesus existed and takes care of us and our daily needs. "Saving faith" is trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. All false religions demand works to earn your way and says “do”, but Christianity says “done” through our redeeming Savior Jesus Christ and restores completely our relationship with our Father God in heaven. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The word “gospel” means “good news” and we’ll never hear better news than salvation by Christ alone. Halleluiah! Praise the Lord!

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Romans 3:19-24 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Tell everyone the good news.
In Christ, Brian