What is salvation and who is Jesus Christ? The answer appears simple and in fact it is. He is the Son of God, sent to earth to redeem mankind and avoid separation from the one true God. Through His blood sacrifice our sin debt has been paid. He took the full wrath of God for you and me. He suffered the separation on the cross from God so that we may never have to know it. The God who created all there is and has an awesome love for mankind. He is the one way to reach forgiveness of sin and be reunited with our creator. He is the road to salvation by way of the cross. There are so many other descriptions and all tell the same story. Just as the disciples and apostles tell the same story. They as eye witnesses tell the same truth. Jesus is the only way to salvation. He truly is the truth the life and the way.
But He is even more than that. We, as humans cannot fathom all there is to know about God or Jesus, but what we do know comes from God Himself. Through Christ, we can get to know God. We get to know that our God is full of compassion and love. He has offered us a simple way to be forgiven and be saved from any condemnation. Jesus is not only from heaven and the word of God but, He was also a human man.
Jesus is the way the life and the truth. He is the actual word of God in the flesh. He spoke the word of God as was given Him by God Himself. He performed the miracles to show Gods awesome power and mercy at work in Him. To show the compassion the Lord God has for His creation. No one was asked to be sinless before receiving healing, but was assured that the healing came from God. Jesus made known that the miracles He performed were from the Father. He was clear that the words He spoke were from the Father. Since we can’t see God, or have a face to face with Him, we can know God’s character through Jesus. The miracles and signs and wonders He performed attested to the fact that He is the Son of the living God.
Jesus was humble as a man, powerful as God and loving as both. He was not self-centered as could have been the case with all the attention, He gave all the glory to God the Father. His purpose was to bring salvation, as is written, to the Jew first. He offered this and many accepted, but the Gentiles also accepted and were given salvation. This was His purpose when He walked and taught, when He healed and showed mercy on many. When He instructed in His sermons, He was offering a glimpse of our Holy God.
So what is the meaning of salvation? To be saved from the wages of sin. To be saved from the payment due by our own sinful way. To be free from our guilt brought on by our past. To keep from being separated from God for eternity. The law may say if you do such thing you will be stoned, but Jesus says, I forgive you. The law as given by Moses from God is very solid, but Jesus fulfilled the law of punishment. He is the cavalry that came to the rescue of all.
To be welcomed into the family of the most Holy God. Our God is God, not some manmade idol of stone or wood. Truly, how could something made by man from wood or stone or any other material be a God? Only the true living God is our Lord. And only He can provide release from our sin debt through His love and grace by way of Jesus Christ. He who has performed so many miracles in the past and present is God. The one who lives forever and can do anything, is our God.
Those who believe know that we do not need to see Him to know He is real. To know He is with us always. He has promised to be with us and never leave our side. This is faith on our part. To believe without seeing. Thomas had an issue with that in the upper room after Christ resurrection. He needed proof and Jesus supplied that. We live according to His Word and in faith. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Our faith allows us to know with confidence of our salvation. We also know that this salvation comes from God and is open to any who will receive it. The Lord has opened the door to Him and has offered the way for permanent cleansing. We must be willing to accept on our own. No one can do it for us or can force it upon us. This is our cross to bear. We must humble ourselves before God, admit our sins and be forgiven by Him then walk as Jesus did, in the commandment of God. This is done through the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. We must accept Christ as the Son of God and believe that through Him only, we are forgiven. We must confess that Jesus is who He says He is. We become baptized as a way to demonstrate our association with Jesus and represent being dead to the old self and the rebirth to the new person we become.
We start to live according to the Word of God as given by Jesus. We start to realize a new kind of peace in our minds. We start to grow our faith in Him through the way we live and speak. Our actions become very visible to others as we go through this change. Some are amazed and will be blessed by our new self while others will simply fade from our circle of friends. The new life is wonderful and peaceful, even in the most trying times. Our faith in God and His promise will guide us through even the toughest of times. We can live in perfect faith that He is with us always, He never sleeps or takes a break. He is with us completely all the time without fail. The love God has for us is immeasurable and complete. Yes salvation is simple but the benefits from that are not. The blessings are uncountable. The Lord says that your cup runs over and I firmly believe that. Blessings are more than material things, so much more.
Always forgive others quickly as we still sin even after we are saved. We must forgive as God forgives. By the way we forgive, the Lord will forgive us. Luke 17: 3 so watch yourselves. “If your brother or sisters in against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.
4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Remember how many times we have asked God for forgiveness, even for the same sin and He has given it. We are no better than those who sin against us.
Jesus has saved us from condemnation, He brought to us salvation and who have accepted this will live with the Lord forever. That is a promise from the God Almighty and it is a wonderful gift of grace. Because God loves us, He wants us to be with Him eternally. What an amazing reality when we think of it. The most powerful being desires us to be with Him and wants to show His love for us. To be saved from an eternity of separation from God is truly an act of love. And to do it by our acceptance of Jesus is an act of grace that can’t be measured. We can be happy and at peace knowing that the Lord God has saved us from being condemned of sin, washed clean before Him and accepted by Him into His kingdom. We being unable to cleanse ourselves and often sin again, are washed clean by the blood of Christ. We, no matter how sin stained our life may be, can still be counted as clean in the eyes of God. That is true mercy, true forgiveness and true unconditional love. As it is written, He loved us before we loved Him, and He loved us while we were still living in sin. Our faith, belief and hope does not come through stories, but through the truth of who Jesus is.
As is written in 2Peter 1: 16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
As we read the Gospels, we remember that these are accounts from those who knew Him personally. Who lived with Him for 3 years and are eye witnesses of God’s great love and power.
Jesus always spoke of the importance of faith. Belief is the key to our faith and our change in this life. The belief that you are truly free from your sins and any condemnations. Live free, and in the love of our Lord.
AMEN.