In Genesis, God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden and gave them the freedom to choose between right and wrong. They willfully chose to sin. Sin is doing that which is contrary or opposite to the nature and will of God.

Their sin of disobedience resulted in their fellowship with God being broken, they were expelled from the Garden and evil and death entered the world. As a result of their sin, all of us inherited a sinful nature.

Unless we accept God’s plan for salvation, we are "dead in trespasses and sins," (Eph. 2:1-3,12). Unless a person willing chooses God's plan for salvation during his or her lifetime, he or she will experience everlasting separation from God (carefully read Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20:10-15 and especially Jesus’ own words in Matthew 24:40-42,46 and Mark 9:43-48).

Through personal salvation, a person can avoid Hell and receive eternal life with God.

Salvation refers to deliverance from an undesirable state or condition. In theology, the study of salvation is called soteriology. From Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for salvation is soteria (so-tay-ree'-ah) and occurs 41 times and is defined as rescue or safety, deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.

Jesus is the most complete revelation of God. We cannot fully know God apart from knowing Jesus Christ. Because God appointed Jesus to bring God and man together, we cannot come to God by any other path. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ. Jesus said that there is no other name than His to call on for salvation:

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

There is no other way to receive forgiveness from sin.

The Apostle Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Likewise, the Apostle Paul consistently taught that salvation begins and ends with God. We can do nothing to be saved on our own merit - we must accept God's gift of salvation:

“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” (Ephesians 1:4-6).

Salvation is the deliverance by God of a sinner from His own righteous judgment. Salvation comes from God and is not based on human logic, but on the sacrificial death of Jesus. We must understand that God is holy, pure, and righteous.

God gave us the Ten Commandments. The law is a standard of righteousness which all people are obligated to follow whether they are aware of it or not. The law guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior, convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness, and drives us to trust in the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep theTen Commandments perfectly.

There is no law that is a law without a punishment or consequence for breaking that law. God says that anyone who breaks His law will die (Ezekiel 18:4). But God provided a way out of this damnation. The only provision is through His Son Jesus (John 1:1,14; 3:16; Acts 4:12), who died on the Cross while He bore our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). Salvation is deliverance of the sinner from the righteous judgment of God. Salvation means that we are saved from God’s righteous judgment.

If you have ever lied, stolen, lusted, coveted, or been angry with someone unjustly, then you have sinned. Your sin is against a Holy God because you have broken His law. Nothing you can do can undo the damage caused by your sins.

The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). What this means is that your sins have caused a separation between you and God (Isaiah 59:2) - the result is death (Rom. 6:23) and wrath (Eph. 2:3). The only provision is to be saved by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must trust in what Jesus did on the Cross to forgive you of your sins.

Jesus is the only One who can forgive you of your sin (Luke 5:20; Mth. 9:2). Only He can remove your guilt. He, and He alone, can do this because He bore sin in His body on the Cross (1 Peter. 2:24) that those who trust in Him would be saved.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that our Christian lives, which began with faith in Christ and Him crucified and were certified by the gift of the Holy Spirit, are altogether apart from the law. We begin our Christian life by the Holy Spirit (salvation), we continue to be changed by the Holy Spirit (sanctification), and we will be glorified by the Holy Spirit (glorification). The same Spirit who regenerated us causes our new life to grow. It is only by the Holy Spirit - when we consciously and deliberately choose to submit to His control and actively walk in Him - who enables us to die to the flesh (Galatians 5:16,17), delivers us from the tyranny of the law (Galatians 5:18), and causes the fruit of holiness to grow in our lives (Galatians 5:22,23).

Justification is the work of God where the righteousness of Jesus is reckoned to the sinner - the sinner is declared by God as being righteous under the law (Rom. 4:3; 5:1,9; Gal. 2:16; 3:11). This righteousness is not earned or kept by any effort of the saved. Justification is an instantaneous occurrence with the result being eternal life. It is based completely and solely upon Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and is received by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). No works are necessary whatsoever to obtain justification. Otherwise, it is not a gift (Rom. 6:23). We are justified by faith (Romans 5:1).

Sanctification is an ongoing process of Christian growth where the Holy Spirit makes us like Christ (Romans 8:29). Sanctification involves in our submitting to God's will, resisting sin, seeking holiness, and actively desiring and becoming more Christ-like (Gal. 5:22-23). Sanctification has no bearing on justification - even if we don't live a perfect life, we are still justified – based on what Christ Jesus has done, not on what we do. It is my deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost. We transform our natural life into a spiritual life by obedience to Him - the conflict of the believer is waged over turning his or her natural life into a spiritual life.

Justification is a legal declaration that is instantaneous. Sanctification is a process. Justification comes from without, from God. Sanctification comes from God within us by the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the Bible.

Key Words:

Justification: (Romans 4:25; 5:18)
God’s act of declaring us not guilty for our sins; initial experience and occurrence.

Propitiation: (Romans 3:25)
The removal of God’s punishment for sin through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Redemption: (Romans 3:24; 8:23)
Jesus Christ has paid the price so we can go free. The price of sin is death; Jesus paid the price.

Sanctification: (Romans 5:2; 15:16)
Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit; an ongoing process.

Glorification: (Romans 8:18-19, 30)
The ultimate state of the believer after death when he or she becomes like Christ (1 John 3:2); ultimate experience and occurrence.

God offers salvation to you right now. Don’t put off a decision for Christ thinking that there is always tomorrow - you could easily miss your opportunity altogether. There is no time like right now to receive God's forgiveness. Don't let anything hold you back from coming to Christ.

If you are not a Christian, and want to be delivered from the consequence of your sin, which is damnation, then you must come to the One who loves you, turn from your sins, accept God’s free gift and plan for salvation through Jesus - who is God in flesh, who died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4) as your Lord and Savior (John 1:12). Ask Jesus to forgive you, to come into your heart, and to wash you clean from your sins. Salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process - if you believe in your heart and say with your mouth that Christ is the risen Lord, you will be saved (Rom. 10:8-10).

Pray to Jesus. Seek Him. Ask Him to save you. He will.

Next lesson we will look at: “Eternal Security”

Grow in grace and truth,

Doug Morrell

CORE Notes From Doug