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Key verse: Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Biblical truth: God is holy and created mankind and this world perfect and without sin. Through man's own disobedience, or sin, his perfection was lost and he fell under the curse of sin and death. From Adam's original sin until now, every man is born with that sin curse on them and will have to have a Savior or face an eternal punishment. The only Savior that could satisfy God is the one He provided for us, His Son Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ is God, God has provided Himself for us as the only acceptable Savior.
The key verse (Acts 4:12) says it very clearly. There is no salvation in any other (person, thing or belief). Salvation is in the name of Jesus Christ and all that He did for us to save us.
To be saved, a person first has to recognize that they are a sinner.
The condition of a man without Christ or without Christ's salvation is plainly presented in the Bible.
a. All have Sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10-13)
b. There is none righteous and none that do good or seek after God.
c. All have gone out of the way.
d. The person who does not know Jesus Christ is condemned already. (John 3:18)
e. There is no person that does not sin (I Kings 8:46)
f. Every person takes their own way rather than God's way (Romans 3:12, Isaiah 53:6)
g. The Scripture (Bible) says that all have sinned. (Galatians 3:22)
Sin is the breaking of God's law, or the transgression of the law. (I John 3:4)
a. Sin includes violating any of God's rules, commandments or laws. (James 2:9-10)
b. Sin carries the penalty of death. (Romans 5:12, 6:23)
c. God is angry because of our sin. (Matthew 3:7, John 3:36)
d. Sin separates man from God. (Isaiah 59:2)
Man is not capable of saving himself or paying for his own sin. (Titus 3:5)
a. He has nothing to give to redeem himself and must recognize that there is only one Savior. (Acts 4:12)
b. Jesus paid for the sins of all men through his death on the cross. Because he died for all, it proves that all were sinful and need His sacrifice. (II Corinthians 5:14-15)
Describe the time you understood that you were a sinner and that you had no relationship with God?
The next step is to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He is the only Savior.
God so loved the world that He created, that He gave His only begotten (born to a body) Son that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal and everlasting life. (John 3:15-16)
a. God delivered His Son for us to die in our place. (Romans 8:32)
b. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
c. There is only one way to God and that is through the person of Jesus Christ. (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)
d. God loved us while we were yet sinners. (Romans 5:8), but our sin separated us from God. Someone had to take our sins. Jesus took our sins on Himself for us so that we did not have to bear them. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
e. He became the propitiation or the full and acceptable payment
for our sins.
(I John 2:2)
God loved us but could not love our sin. Because of our sin, we were enemies with God. Someone had to reconcile us. We did not agree with God to meet in the middle because God does not compromise. Jesus is the mediator that reconciles us to God.
a. Reconciliation happens through the death of Jesus Christ for us. (Romans 5:10)
b. Reconciliation is possible only through salvation. Jesus does not impute (or account) our trespasses and sins unto us, but does impute (account or transfer) His righteousness to us so that we can come to the presence of God. (II Corinthians 5:18-21)
c. Through reconciliation, Jesus takes us to God. We do not meet in the middle as a compromise. (I Peter 3:18)
d. Jesus is the mediator (and only mediator) between God and man. (I Timothy 2:5)
e. Jesus was both man and God (and is God) and so could mediate between God and men. (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus, the Savior, paid the price to redeem all mankind by taking on the sin of the world and dying for us, thereby redeeming us. (Romans 3:24, Galatians 3:13, Titus 2:14)
How would you expect a person to respond to this kind of love for mankind?
Salvation must be accepted by faith in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ.
Salvation is received by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
a. Grace is the favor God shows toward us that we do not deserve. Faith is merely believing what God says as fact. (Ephesians 2:5)
b. It is not by our works but His. We access His finished work through faith in Him. (Titus 3:5) A person must have Jesus to have life. (I John 5:12)
c. To the one who believes, his faith in Jesus is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:5) God no longer counts his sins as those have all been paid for in Jesus, and counts him now as righteous. (Romans4:6-8)
It is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin and makes us righteous. (I John 1:7-9) He washed us clean from sin in His own blood. (Revelation 1:5)
a. Salvation cannot be bought with money, but is received as a free gift. (I Peter 1:18-19)
b. We are brought close to God because of the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
Confession of sin must be made and the name of Jesus must be called on.
a. The first step in confessing Jesus is acknowledging sin and repenting of it. Repentance means to turn from pursuing it. It does not mean that a person has to confess every single sin or that they have to become a good person first. It is a change of mind about sin that sees sin as God sees it, (evil and ugly) and deciding to turn from it to Jesus. (II Peter 3:9, Psalm 119:59)
b. Man believes with His heart and (Romans 10:13)
c. Confession is made with the mouth. (Romans 10:9)
d. Salvation is the work of the Savior. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Salvation happens when a person understands that they are a sinner, repents (decides, or changes their mind about) of sin as a way of life and accepts Jesus Christ as their personal (personally needed) Savior. His work of salvation is once and permanent as future lessons will show.
Personal study time:
Reading: Philemon and the story of Onesimus. The story is about a disobedient servant and a loving protector named Paul (who is a picture of the savior) who leads the runaway slave to salvation in Jesus. Paul also bears the expense of Onesimus and shows him tremendous, undeserved favor.