Welcome back to my blog. Last week we began discussing the
chronological events of salvation. Although we make salvation efficacious to
ourselves buy a onetime belief in Christ’s forgiveness on the cross by faith,
the marvelous story of salvation begins before all time and ends at Christ’s
final glorious return.
Last week we recounted the events leading up to our decision to
believe In Christ’s saving work at the cross. These were in rough order:
· Christ choosing us to salvation
before all time
· The Holy Spirit convicting us
of sin, righteousness and judgment
· God dragging us to himself
Please see last week's blog for details at https://teleiosresearch.com/our-wonderful-salvation-how-did-it-all-begin/.
Today we consider Christ’s work on the cross to provide salvation.
This work was made efficacious to us upon our belief.
Christs sacrificial work on the cross
Scripture describes four key components of
Christ’s gracious actions on the cross bringing us eternal life through His
death:
§
Propitiation – Christ’s sacrifice was a full and sufficient
payment for our sins to God (Romans
3:25;
1
John 2:2).
§
Reconciliation – Christ’s sacrifice ended the hatred between man
and God because of our sins. Our holy God cannot be in the presence of sin. Our
sins, being forgiven through Christ, changed our status before God as we are
now innocent and without sin. This allowed peace between parties and healed (reconciled)
the relationship between God and man. (Romans
5:10-11;
Colossians
1:20-21:
Ephesians
2:16-19).
§
Redemption – Christ’s death purchased us from sin
for which we owed a payment of death (Romans
3:23-26;
Ephesians
1:7).
§
Substitution – Christ died in our place, taking the punishment
we deserved, that we could obtain eternal life (Mark
10:45;
1
Peter 3:18).
These four vital biblical concepts describe
Christ gracious work on the cross to forgive our sins, and correct our
relationship with God, that we might be saved.
What then must we do to be saved?
How then does someone make Christ’s actions on
the cross efficacious for themselves?
Here is an easy to learn gospel message (how to
become a Christian based on Ephesians
2:8-9;
Romans
3:23-26,
Romans
10:9):
·
Each person has sinned (done actions contrary to God’s
righteous character).
·
We each deserve judgment and punishment from a
perfect and just God.
·
However, God being loving, sent his Son, Jesus Christ,
to die for our sins to take the punishment that we deserved.
·
Consequently, by acknowledging through faith the
forgiveness that Christ provided by His death, and new life through His
resurrection, we gain eternal life!
God did all the work to provide salvation and no
credit is given to us. It is a gift with all glory and praise to God.
Wow what a great promise!
To summarize, to this point in our salvation
journey we have seen that God chooses us, the Holy Spirit convicts us and God drags
us to himself to the point of being saved. Then on our belief, salvation became
efficacious to us based on Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and His mighty
resurrection.
In gratitude and praise we owe Him our service and
praise until we go home to be with Him.
Thanks be to God for such a great salvation and
for eternal life.
Please join us next time as we discuss
what happened to us as a result of the cross. It's exciting stuff so don't miss
it!
For
questions or to view more of our research…
Disclaimer
- This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as
available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any
time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the
content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent
that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate
for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person
for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such
information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained
myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any
specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your
own research into the scriptures.
