Jesus was qualified to be our saviour for the following
reasons:
1. He is fully God. Isaiah 43:10, 11 states that besides
the Lord GOD there is no Saviour. Jesus, however, is
called "the mighty God" (Is. 9:6) and "our
great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2.13).
It takes God to save sinners. This is one reason why
it matters if we believe the doctrine of the Trinity.
2. He is fully man. (1 Tim 2.4). Only as a man could
Jesus pay the price for the sins of mankind. Only as
a man could he be the representative head of the new
race of new men, born again of the spirit of God. He
is the last Adam and the Second Man. (1Cor 15:45, 47).
"For since by man came death, by Man also came
the resurrection of the dead." (1Corinthians 15:21)
3. He perfectly fulfilled the law of God, including
all of the Mosaic Law. If Jesus had sinned, he would
need a saviour. But Jesus "committed no sin, nor
was guilt found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2:22) and
is described as "a lamb without blemish and without
spot". (1 Peter 1:20). A careful study of the life
of Jesus as recorded in the gospels reveals no sin in
his life. Instead it reveals that he fulfilled both
the commandments and ordinances of the law and also
that he fulfilled the O.T. prophecies concerning the
promised Messiah and Saviour.
4. What he did for us, he did willingly. In John 10:17,18
Jesus states:
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay
down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh
it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power
to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father."
Jesus began to reveal Himself as saviour, deliverer
and healer in his ministry to the sick and oppressed
in Galilee and Judea. It is recorded that he cast out
demons, healed the sick (Mt 4:23) declared God's forgiveness
to sinners (Mark 2:5) and brought provision and joy
where it was needed (Jn 2:1-12; Mk 6:30-34). All these
things were signs that indeed Jesus was the promised
Messiah (Christ), Saviour and Deliverer of Mankind.
We know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today
and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and that He wants to do these
things today for people also. However, we must understand
that Jesus' greatest work was not any of these miracles
but rather his work of suffering on the cross. This
is where He conquered evil, by paying the price for
sin and taking upon Himself the consequences of man's
rebellion against God. God demonstrated this by raising
Christ physically from the dead.
What did Jesus do for us at the cross?
It is extremely important that we understand what Jesus
did for us at the cross. This is where we were legally
delivered from all the consequences of Adam's rebellion.
This is where a great exchange took place.
"Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) and
carried our sorrows (pains) ... But He was wounded for
our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by
His stripes we are healed." (Is. 53:4,5)
In the moment that we truly put all our trust in Jesus
and commit ourselves fully to Him, receiving Him and
confessing Him as our Lord and Saviour for all time,
we are in Christ. When we are in Christ, all the promises
of God and all the benefits of calvary become available
to us (2 Corinthians 1:20). We can receive them. Then
we can declare:
- Jesus took my sin, I receive his righteousness. (Is.
53:5)
- Jesus took my punishment, I receive his forgiveness.
(Rom. 3:25; 1Jn 1:9; 1Jn 2:2; 1Pet 3:18)
- Jesus took my diseases and pains, I receive healing,
for by His wounds I am healed. (Is 53:4,5; Mt. 8:16,17)
- Jesus took my sickly nature, I receive His divine
health. (Is. 53:10) We need to look at the Hebrew words
in vs 4 and 10 of this chapter. Jesus was made sick
on the cross.
- Jesus took my sadness, and gives me His joy. (Isaiah.
61:3; John 15:11)
- Jesus took my curse, I receive His blessing. (Galatians
3:13,14)
- Jesus took my old life, I receive His new divine life.
(Galatians 2:20; John 10:10)
- Jesus took my poverty, I receive His riches. (2 Corinthians
8:9; Deuteronomy 28:48; Galatians 3:13,14)
- Jesus took my rejection, I receive acceptance from
God. (Mark 15:34,37; Ephesians 1:6)
Be sure to look up these Scriptures and read them out
loud for yourself. Our salvation is based on what God
has declared to be true in His Word, not on the words
of a man or a church.
The most important thing for us to remember and present
to people is that Jesus Christ through his death on
the cross paid for all our sins and rebellion - everything
that separates us from God. This means that God is now
able to offer a way back to Him, through Jesus, for
everyone who wants to be reconciled with God again.
It means that now we can have a relationship with God
again, because all our sins which destroy that relationship
and give room to the devil in our lives have been paid
for at the cross. Knowing the truth of this can make
us free. (Jn 8:32)
The Resurrection as proof of Christianity
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is recorded as an historical
event in all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
This was not just a spiritual resurrection but a bodily
resurrection. (Luke 24:37-43). As Christians we too
have the promise from God that we will be physically
resurrected with new bodies, just as Christ was. (1
Corinthians 15:42, 52-54; 1Thessalonians 4:16,17)
Jesus' resurrection is significant because:
1. It means we do not serve a dead God, or a dead prophet,
or a philosophy, but a living Saviour who is "the
same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
2. It proves that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son
of God. (Rom. 1:4)
3. It proves that we are justified through the death
of Jesus, "Who was delivered for our offences,
and was raised again for our justification" (Rom
4.25). The resurrection shows that God accepted Jesus'
payment for our sins, that Jesus' death was not just
like the death of some righteous man. "And if Christ
is not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in
your sins!" (1Cor 15:17)
4. Through the resurrection, we too may share in the
resurrection life of Christ, beginning with the new
birth. (Jn 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 6:4,5,8,9). We may
walk in newness of life.
5. It gives us a living hope, and a hope of life after
death. (1 Peter 1:3)
What Evidence is there for the Resurrection?
This subject is very well treated in books by Josh McDowell,
especially "Evidence that Demands a Verdict".
He shows that the resurrection is a well- documented
historical event. Here are some points which support
the claim that Jesus rose from the dead.
1. The grave was empty. The Pharisees knew where the
body was put, and they had the tomb sealed and guarded.
Something happened so that they spread the story that
the disciples stole the body of Jesus. They knew the
tomb was empty. If they knew the body was there, they
could have easily stopped the preaching of the apostles
later on.
2. The disciples claimed they saw Jesus as resurrected,
not just as individuals, but as a group and on more
than one occasion. (Luke 24:37-43; Acts 1:1-11). "This
Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses."
(Acts 2:32). If they knew they were lying, why would
they go on to die willingly for their lie, as so many
did? If they were deceived, and having mass hallucinations,
then why would the grave be empty?
3. The disciples then and many disciples today through
their changed lives and many miracles of healing done
in the name of Jesus give us another powerful evidence
that Jesus is really alive.
Some unbelieving scholars and eastern gurus have made
various feeble attempts to deny the resurrection. Some
say that Jesus didn't really die on the cross, that
He only swooned and revived in the cool of the garden
tomb. Leaving aside John's testimony of the blood and
the water which demonstrate medically that Jesus' heart
had failed, how would a beaten, crucified Jesus roll
the stone away, get past the roman guard and convince
his disciples that He was resurrected? It is amazing
what kind of theories men will invent to deny the truth.
How to Be Born Again
You must accept this salvation as a gift. You cannot
earn it (Eph 2:8,9). To receive a new life from God
you must receive Jesus into your life. (John 1:12).
He will then give you a new life and the possibility
to change. To do this, you must respond to God’s
Holy Spirit, who urges you to forsake your excuses and
commit yourself wholeheartedly to Christ. This wholehearted
commitment, this faith, this believing in Christ, brings
God into your life.
Romans 10:9 declares:
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This believing in Christ’s resurrection means
believing from the heart, with full conviction, that
God is real, and that Jesus is really alive. The Greek
tense of the word “confess” in this verse
tells us that our confession of Jesus as Lord needs
to be an ongoing one. The idea is that we don’t
deny Him as Lord. We say with our mouth before men and
act with our lives as if He is Lord - our Lord. This
confession will have an influence on what we say and
do. Since Jesus is the Word of God, our salvation is
received and maintained by an ongoing confession of
what the Word of God says. Jesus said, “... by
your words you will be justified, and by your words
you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:37). So our confession
of God’s Word (literally from Gk: homologeo -
saying the same thing as God’s Word), is the key
to our salvation.
When you repent, believe and confess the Lord Jesus
Christ, God gives you a new heart (Jer. 31:33) and a
new desire to please God. Out of gratitude and respect
you will allow God to change you more and more and direct
your life in the future. Why not put your trust in Jesus
right now for this salvation and forgiveness. You can
do this by praying this prayer to God right now:
O God, I come to you because I need your forgiveness.
Like all others, I have been selfish and rebellious
and have broken your laws for life. I confess all my
sins to you (name them). I’m sorry for these sins.
I want to change. I turn from my sin to You. I believe
that you died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe
that you rose from the dead and are alive. Come and
live in my heart, Lord Jesus. I give my whole life -
including my mind and body - to you. I receive and confess
you as my Lord and Saviour now and always. Wash away
my sins. Give me your free forgiveness. I believe that
you have made me a child of God. I thank you, Father,
for new life in Christ and a new relationship with You.
And Father, just as you forgive me my sins, I also forgive
all those who have sinned against me. Lead me in the
way I should go, fill me with the Holy Spirit and keep
me from the evil one all the days of my life. In Jesus’
name, Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer from your heart then
you have become a new person in Christ! The old has
gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17). Give thanks verbally
to Christ for coming into your life. Remember always
that you have solemnly received Him as your Lord and
Saviour. Let His Spirit and His Word guide you always,
and keep your trust in Him for all the new decisions
you will be making in working out the application of
your new life in Christ. Please contact me if you have
prayed this prayer, so we can celebrate with you and
help you go on with God. The Lord bless you.
Full Salvation - from pardon to union with God
Through the death and resurrection of Christ a way has
been made for us to enter into fellowship with God once
again. (1 Cor. 1:9; 1Jn 1:3; Heb 10:19,20). It is not
just that we may be forgiven, although this is part
of it (1 Jn 1:9). We may be justified before God (declared
righteous, just as if we had never sinned) (Rom. 3:24)
and thereby have peace with God. (Rom. 5:1). Of course,
peace with God is not possible if we still want to be
rebels against God and His word. That is one reason
why repentance (change of mind and life) is necessary
for us to be saved. Repentance is something we must
embrace, but we know also from the Scriptures that it
is a gift from God (Acts 3:26; Acts 11:18). At the time
of our new birth (John 3:3) we are regenerated spiritually,
we receive new life, and new hope. The old has gone,
the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Our full salvation includes more than this. It includes
being adopted as sons of God, being reconciled to God
(so that we talk to each other in loving acceptance),
changed in our nature, receiving a recreated, new spirit
which is perfect, and the ability to "put on Christ
and put off the deeds of the flesh" (Rom 13:14;
Col. 3).
Full salvation is not received at the moment we receive
Christ, except as a legal inheritance. Some parts of
it are received instantly, such as justification, forgiveness
and the new birth, but other parts of our full salvation
must be "worked out with fear and trembling"
(Philippians 2:13), especially our sanctification and
holiness, which like everything else in salvation, is
received by and through faith. The salvation of the
soul (the mind, will and emotions) is a process and
not an event. (1 Peter 1:9)
The other things that Jesus bought for us at the cross
are also part of our full salvation. Deliverance from
the curse, deliverance from demons, healing, health,
prosperity, the revelation of God's love, the baptism
of the Holy Spirit - all these things must be received
by faith and don't usually happen at the moment we are
born again. Sometimes we must be patient to receive
these blessings (Hebrews 6:12), but we should never
doubt that God wants us to have and enjoy them.
The pinnacle of salvation is to be united to God in
spirit and soul and body. Our bodies, the temples of
the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), were made to receive
God (John 1:12) and to reveal God (John 14:12; Galatians
2:20; 1 John 4:12,17). Only when we come to the place
where our soul moves in absolute unity with the heart
and mind of God can we say we have actually received
the fulness of salvation. Legally we have the mind of
Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) but we must appropriate
it. In this state of unity and dependence, God moves
with full power and authority through his trusting child
who by faith is kept from all sin, and the wicked one
touches him not. (1 John 5:18).
Every child of God, no matter how much of God's great
salvation he actually appropriates before he dies, has
the wonderful salvation promise of heaven and an eternity
free from sin, evil, disease and all the wonderful blessings
of God (John 14:2,3). We should therefore understand
how to receive this salvation and keep hold of the hope
of everlasting life with God (Hebrews 10:23). For this
it will be necessary to understand more about the doctrines
of repentance and faith, which are the two abiding conditions
for the receiving of salvation.
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