Salvation

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“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”
Acts 16: 29-31 NIV

Since the day you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, you have been saved. In this lesson you will learn what it means to be saved.
The first question I asked when my Pastor told me that I was saved by my confession of faith in Jesus was, “saved from what”? Every Christian should be able to answer that question. But, before we talk about what we are saved from, let us review how you came to be saved.

The Bible says you were chosen or predestined by God to be saved.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV
Having been chosen, you were positioned by God’s providence to hear the gospel (the good news) of salvation in Jesus Christ. Upon hearing, you were convicted by the Spirit of God who brought to your understanding that without Christ you were a sinner (Romans 3: 9-12) and therefore, in need of a Savior because without one you are eternally cursed (Romans 6:23). You were compelled to make a decision to accept the gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). You accepted and were saved.
Can you remember the time, circumstances or season in which you believed and received?

You made a decision to believe what the Bible says about Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus is the Son of God, was born in time, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to save us from eternal death, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day. (I Corinthians 15:1-5) When asked if you believe these things you said, “Yes” I believe that Jesus was the Son of God. “Yes”, I believe that Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for my sin. And, “yes” I believe that on the third day God raised Jesus from the dead. Then came the prayer inviting Jesus to come into your heart (Revelation 3:19). By faith you received salvation from God who heard your sincere prayer and responded by sending the Holy Spirit to take up His permanent residence in your heart (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Romans 10: 9-10)

At the moment of your confession of faith and your invitation to the Holy Spirit to live in your heart, you were saved. At that point God enacted a spiritual transaction in your life. You were baptized by the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:8) You became a member of the universal body of Christ (the church). The Holy Spirit immersed you once for all times into the mystical body of Christ. You were anointed by the presence of the Holy Spirit with the only anointing you will ever need, in as much as He took up His permanent presence in your life. (I John 2:27) You were sanctified, because the Holy Spirit set you aside and positioned you in favor with God. You were saved by grace through your faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift that has been made available to everyone who believes through Jesus Christ.

Saved From What?

What does it mean to be saved from sin? What are we saved from? To be saved means:
· You have been rescued from the penalty of sin,
· You are being rescued the power of sin,
· You will be rescued from the presence of sin.

You have been saved from the penalty of sin. The Bible teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Roman 3:23. We were all born with a sinful nature as a result of Adam’s sin. That being the case, we would all be guilty if we had to stand before God to be judged. Any sin that we had ever committed, whether intentional or accidental would bring an eternal death penalty. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death…” Roman 6:23a. When Jesus died on the cross, He gave his life as a sacrifice to God the Father on our behalf. He became our substitute on the cross. By doing so, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. For those of us who have faith in Jesus, our sin debt (the punishment that God justly requires for the sins we have committed) has been paid by Jesus. So, when we are saved we accept “The gift of God, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Roman 6:23b

We are being saved from the power of sin. It is obvious that we will not live perfectly (without sin) as long as we are in the body. We sin in thought, word and deed everyday. There are sins of omission, which means we don’t do what God commands us in his word to do; and there are sins of commission, which means doing the things that God commands us in his word not to do. If it were possible for any person, other than Jesus, to live a perfect (sinless) life then Jesus would not had to die.

Unfortunately, although we are saved we still sin. I John 1: 8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Nevertheless, sin does not have the power to condemn us to hell. Because of God’s great love for us provision has been made for forgiveness when we sin. I John 1:9 say, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” This means, sin’s power in nullified because, “we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins”. (I John 2:1)

So, while the Christian should make every effort to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,” (Hebrews 12:1b) when we do sin it does not have the power to condemn us to hell because we are being saved continually, from the power of sin. (Romans 5:16-17, 20-21)

Finally, we will be saved from the presence of sin. It is appointed for every person to die. The time will come when our bodies will go back to the dust from which it came. The Bible teaches that when the believer is “away from the body and at home with the Lord”. (II Corinthians 5:6-8) At the death of the human body the spirit goes back to the Lord who gave it. In the presence of the Lord there is no sin. The Apostle Paul taught that when the body dies a transformation takes place immediately, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality.” I Corinthians 15:53 At the death of the body, we will be removed from this world that is decaying as a result of sin and take up residence in the perfect presence of God.




Consider This

The message of the Gospel motivates a person to receive salvation. The word “Gospel” means good news. The good news is concerning God’s love, grace and provision for eternal life, joy and peace through Jesus Christ.

God’s love is made known;
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans: 5:8

The results of grace;
For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2: 8&9

God’s gift of eternal life;
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Roman 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Scripture Lesson

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this; God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brother, what shall we do?’ 38Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ 40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Acts 2:36-41


Fill in the blank spaces with the correct word.
We are saved by _____________ through _____________ and not of _______________.
We have been saved from the ________________________of sin.
We are being saved from the _________________________of sin.
We will be saved from the ___________________________of sin.
Upon my confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was _________ into the mystical body of Christ. I was ______________________by the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. And I was __________________ or set a part or____________ to be in favor with God.