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This is Part 5 of an ongoing series on Salvation.
This post is especially appropriate for the day after Palm Sunday. Jesus entered Jerusalem, and everyone had Messiah Fever! They expected Jesus to be something He wasn't, an earthly King with and earthly throne. That's not what Jesus came to do though. In this post in particular, we talk about 3 things to believe about Jesus. Has anyone ever taught you to believe like this? These tenets are core elements of Christian faith, the faith that saves you from your sins. If you want the guarantee of eternal live, you should consider them.
A summary of all posts can be found here:
Salvation Page.
Please take your time and read each post in turn, you'll get a better picture of what's going on.
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Salvation is Through Faith in Jesus
The Bible asks us to believe many things about Jesus. By believe, we mean that we assert something is true, we trust that result, and it produces good fruit in us. Let’s look at three things you must believe about Jesus if you want to be saved by the Grace of God through the righteousness of Jesus. These three beliefs are what drive me to be a disciple of Christ. I am someone who follows Jesus wholly, completely devoted to Him and His teaching. I do this because I see what Jesus did in the past, I know what He’s done for us today, and I look forward to what He’s doing in the future.
1. Jesus is the Son of God.
In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asks a question of His disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” He asks them this to contrast His disciples with the people of the world. In this world people believe things about Jesus that tie Him to the world, but not to their souls. He’s a good man, a good prophet, one who showed us great teachings. For some, He’s a political malcontent opposing the state and status quo. Jesus then asks them to tell Him who they say He is, and the answer is astonishing. Matthew records Peter’s answer forever: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The identity of Jesus is the well from which the living water flows. Our salvation comes from who Jesus is. By God’s Grace Jesus’ righteousness is the substitute for our sins, if we obey the Gospel given to us by God’s son.
2. Jesus Died for our sins, was buried and Rose again on the third day.
At the heart of Christianity is Good News. The Good News is sometimes called “The Gospel”, and it’s what I wish to proclaim with my whole life until I either die, or Jesus returns. The Gospel is an assertion about the power of God at work through His Grace. God knows we have a sin problem, and He knows that He’s the only one who can solve it. Listen to how the Apostle Paul taught this assertion:
“1Co 15:1-4 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, (2) and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, (4) that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
Paul then describes the list of people who saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion. These were people who wept at His flogging, and who saw His dead body. They wrapped Him in linen and spices and put Him in a tomb. Then, He is alive! All at once! There were people who saw Jesus alive who didn’t believe him at first, like his own brother, and Paul himself, who experienced Jesus late “as one untimely born.” The thing is, just dying, and coming back, that’s nothing new. In the Old Testament, God raised people from the dead, and while Jesus was here, He resurrected people from the dead. Jesus’ special case is that He died for a reason, promised of old, and He’s never dying again. The Word of God in the Old Testament is full of clues that show us who Jesus was, and what He’s going to do. The Apostle Paul was skilled at showing people in his day how the Old Testament promised the coming of Jesus. In one example, while on a missionary journey to tell people about Jesus, he stopped at a Synagogue and gave a quick Bible lesson:
Acts 13:14-43 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. (15) After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” (16) So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. (17) The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. (18) And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. (19) And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. (20) All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. (21) Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. (22) And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (23) Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. (24) Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. (25) And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ (26) “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. (27) For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. (28) And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. (29) And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. (30) But God raised him from the dead, (31) and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. (32) And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, (33) this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ (34) And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ (35) Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ (36) For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, (37) but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. (38) Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, (39) and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. (40) Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: (41) “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” (42) As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. (43) And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Notice how Paul presents the truth, the religious leaders of his day didn’t know it, but they were fulfilling prophecy with their treatment of Jesus. So many times, we have a part to play in God’s plan, and we are unaware. These people received the word with an eager longing in part because they were expecting Jesus to come, and there were people to proclaim Jesus. When Jesus came to earth, many rejected Him because He wasn’t what they were looking for. Enough people saw who Jesus was though, and their belief grew until they acted. They followed Him when He was here, they believed His words because they saw His miracles, and when He was resurrected, they proclaimed the Truth until they died. We Christians today proclaim that same thing, Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. There’s more to say about this. You might want to look at how God’s Scriptures promised Jesus. I’d love to talk to you about it. Study of the promise of Jesus is a subject beyond this post. It’s a wonderful journey that starts in Genesis, and weaves all the way through Malachi. Let’s schedule a time to study this together soon.
3. Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead.
The promise of Jesus’ return is given as soon as He’s gone. Acts 1:10-11 says “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, (11) and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ “ There’s a lot of disagreement of when and how judgement takes place, but most Christians believe the writer of Hebrews when they say: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, (28) so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” The Bible promises you will face judgment when you die. In this world, you’ll be judged as well by those who come after you. Their judgement is imperfect, but it’s there. God’s judgement is perfect and able to show everyone the truth. Jesus said it like this in the gospel of John: “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” Jesus’ words are the words of God, can you measure up to them?
I have met a lot of people who want to know the will of what they would call Divine. They will engage in all manners of sophisticated superstition, and capricious rituals to guess at the will of God. From childish “cootie catchers” to horoscopes, and “tv psychics”, they all seek after something found in the Bible, spoken in plain language. Listen to Jesus’ teaching at the end of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 7:24-27:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
How will you be judged? Wise or foolish? Jesus says if you do what He says, you are wise. If you don’t do what He said, you’re foolish. Let’s talk more about being wise and foolish together sometime.
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Next Post:
How are We Saved? When We Repent of Our Sins and Confess Jesus is Lord.
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