9 Salvation
If you save a person from drowning what does that mean? You save them from danger. That is what the Bible means when it talks of salvation. You – removed from or protected from danger. But what is the danger? It is the consequences of our sin. The payment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). The judgement for sin is facing the wrath of God (Romans 2:5). The eternal consequence of rejecting God’s grace is hell (Revelation 20:14). Jesus saves you from that (Romans 5:9).
In this section we will briefly explore an overview of God’s gift of salvation to us.
The Cross
The main reason Jesus Christ came to live on earth was to go to the cross.
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
Why is the cross so important? Jesus was an innocent man. Neither Herod or Pilate found him guilty of any crime (Luke 23:14-15). The Roman officer who oversaw Jesus’s crucifixion declared Jesus innocent (Luke 23:47). Jesus did not deserve death.
Paul wrote: And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Jesus allowed himself to be killed on the cross so that he was the perfect innocent sacrifice that paid for our sins (Romans 5:8). God showed his love for humanity by sending his son to die in our place and take the punishment we deserve. His blood was shed to cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:7).
The Blood
The Bible teaches that life is in blood (Leviticus 17:11). Blood carries the essential nutrients powering all parts of a body. Essentially the pouring out of blood means the death of the living being. It is very unusual for us to see the animals we eat die. Many of us do not associate the fact that animals, birds and fish die – so that we can survive.
It is very hard in our culture to understand how blood can cleanse sin. This was not the case in the 1st Century. During Jesus’ life priests slaughtered animals in temples not only in the Jewish temple but in other nations and cultures. Adam and Eve when saw the first innocent animal die, because of their sin, God provided them with garments to cover their shame (Genesis 3:21). The sacrifice of animals is an illustration of innocence paying for sin and covering shame. Frequently people ate the meat of the sacrificed animals. So, people associated the sacrificial death of an animal providing life through food.
However, the author of Hebrews teaches “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Only the blood of the Son of God was able to pay for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (Revelation 1:5).
God paid a terrible price to cleanse us from our sin. God redeemed us from sin and death, but it cost him the death of his Son. The blood of Jesus washed us from our sins and freed us to be able to have a relationship with the Living God. Jesus Christ became the way to salvation (John 14:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).
Salvation By Grace Through Faith
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:9)
Salvation is a gift from God. There is nothing you can do to earn it. By the grace of God he offers a way to have a relationship with him. If you put your trust in God believing what he has taught us in the Bible that is faith.
You are saved by grace through faith.
Through Christ God made a way for us to be able to be in his presence
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, (Hebrews 10:19)
The grace of God is a vast topic in itself. There is no way to be able to explain it here. Grace is the very character and nature of God. God is forgiving, merciful, compassionate, long-suffering, patient, kind, faithful and most of all God is love (1 John 4:8; 4:16). We are saved by the grace of God.
A good way to summarise this section is this verse written by Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples:
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18-19)