- So this is Christianity for Beginners lesson number five in
this seven-lesson series. Tonight's topic, the topic of salvation. And I've mentioned already that this is a special group of lessons to introduce the Christian religion to those who may not be familiar with it. And also for those who want
just a refresher course about the basic things of Christianity. So far in our series we
have discussed number one, belief in God, in other
words why do Christians believe in God. Second lesson, the
Christian religion itself. We compared the Christian
religion to other world religions to see
how it was different, what were the advantages
of the Christian religion in comparison to Buddhism
for example, or Islam. Then we studies the
history and the writing of the Bible itself. How did we get the Bible? How did it come to us
and some of the reasons why we believe that the
Bible is inspired of God. And then last time we studied
the person of Jesus Christ, who is Jesus Christ
according to what the Bible says about Him. In our lesson today
we're going to talk about the subject of salvation, the most important issue in the Bible spoken of by Jesus and of
course the Christian religion. Now first of all we need to
realize that every religion has an idea of salvation. That's not unique to Christianity. Usually salvation, whatever the religion you're looking at, usually
refers to some altered or improved state of being in this life or a new existence of
some kind after death. Every religion, we have
learned, has a different name for salvation. For example the Taoists called it balance. Finding the balance between
the ying and the yang. That's the ultimate state of being. Buddhists refer to salvation as nirvana. The Hindus call it Muksha. Islam speaks of paradise. So no matter what other
religions call it or describe its experience, however, they all share a similar pathway to their
own concept of salvation. Each religion has a way
to get to that salvation, each one of them has it
in the point I'm making is it's the same pathway for
all of these other religions. In all religion except Christianity, salvation is achieved by
some kind of human effort. For example, Buddhism requires
meditation and knowledge, self-denial, in order to
reach its salvific goal. Islam demands that its adherence, practice and maintain the five spiritual exercises, the five pillars, we talked about that, if they wish to arrive at paradise. So these are only two examples, but all other religions,
aside from Christianity, demand some form of moral
or religious law keeping in order to become worthy or acceptable to a higher power and thus saved. That's one thing that all religions all Christianity share. So the basic premise is always the same from religion to religion. Mankind is flawed and subject to death. God or a higher power or a
higher force of some kind provides the knowledge and the method to improve this flawed
condition and ultimately escape death in some way. That knowledge and method is mediated by religious leaders
who teach and maintain the spiritual discipline
to eventually be saved. Again, salvation has different names depending on the religion. And then if the individual
works hard enough, trains well enough, is
zealous enough in his practice of religious customs and rules, he or she will win the prize of salvation. Now except for customs
and names, this has been the pattern for obtaining
salvation outlined by most of the major
religions in the world throughout the history of mankind. They have different names,
different practices, different languages, different outfits, you know, different everything. But the pattern is always the same. The way to achieve salvation,
whatever you call it, always the same in all of these religions. Christianity's idea and
approach to salvation, however, is completely different. And that's what we want
to talk about tonight. So let's talk about Christianity now and the issue of salvation,
the problem first of all. Christianity begins with the same premise concerning mankind's general condition than other religions have. Human beings are flawed. They're subject to moral failure and physical suffering ultimately death. The Bible, which reveals
Christianity's view on human salvation,
teaches that the source of this condition is mankind's sinfulness. Paul, for example, the Apostle, summarizes this idea in
his epistle to the Romans when he says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There in one verse he
summarizes man's condition. And then he declares what the consequences of this sinfulness is. In Romans 6:23 he says for
the wages of sin is death. What causes death? Sin, sinfulness. In another epistle, John the
Apostle this time describes what sin is. He says everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness. And sin is lawlessness. In other words, disobedience, breaking of God's law. That's what sin is. And then in the Book of Isaiah,
the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah explains in more detail the effect that sin has on us and
why it leads to death. So Isaiah says the following. He says but your inequities, that's your lawlessness, your sins, but your inequities have made a separation between you and your God. And your sins have
hidden His face from you so that he does not hear. So if were to summarize these few verses about sin and its effect, we could say the following in summary. Sin is disobedience to God's will. Everyone at one time or another sins. This disobedience therefore
separates us from God. The word death in the Hebrew
actually means separation, it means to separate. You're separated from God. This separation ultimate
leads to our physical death as well as our spiritual
suffering because our spirit cannot be at peace or experience joy if it is separated from the spirit of God in whose image it was originally created. Genesis 1:26. So I want to give you a
kind of a visual example of this phenomenon of separation
and sin and its effect. And for this a prop here. So let's say for argument's
sake that this plant is God and His people. God is the main stem and
the people are the leaves that are attached to the main stem. Now we know that so long as the leaves are attached to the plant, they are alive and they
produce more leaves and they produce blossoms
and so on and so forth. However, if I were to
take a pair of scissors and if I were to cut one of the leaves away from this lovely, healthy plant here, what would happen? Well, I could, I would look at these
leaves and I would say, well, this leaf over here, it looks exactly the same as this leaf. It's green, it has smell, it's moist. I can even feel the
moisture from the stem. But what is it in reality? Well, we know that after
a certain amount of time, this leaf over here would start to decay and it would turn brown
and eventually just, eventually decay, turn brown, rot, and just blow away as dust. Now, the main plant, however, would continue to grow. I mean this leaf, even
though for a moment or two it looks like this leaf over here, eventually this one would die. This one would continue
to grow and to blossom. Why? Well, it's simple. These leaves are attached to the stem which gives it life. These leaves have been cut away. They've been separated from the main stem. And so therefore what
gives it life and nutrients to stay alive is no longer there, and so therefore they die. Well, this is not a perfect example. But it does demonstrate the process that takes place through human sinfulness and the need for salvation. The word salvation,
another word for salvation again in the Greek is rescue. We were born sinless were joined to God who brings us into being and sustains our physical and spiritual lives because we're attached to Him. Eventually we sin. We disobey His commands and His laws concerning moral and spiritual behavior. And in doing this we
separate ourselves from Him. Just like I cut away that
leaf from the main stem, we do that when we sin. We separate ourselves from Him. And in doing so we become
subject to further moral decay, physical death, and a spiritual separation from God after death. The idea is, remember I
said this leaf over here for a time, it looks like the leaves that are attached, you can't
really tell the difference. Only with time this leaf
begins to rot and decay. Well, in the same way, when
we're separated from God, for a time we look okay. We're healthy, we're walking around, we're producing children,
we're building things, we're happy, we laugh, we
have all kinds of activities, but we know the clock is ticking. It's only a matter of time before we start to decay and grow older, and eventually die. The problem here of course is that once we're cutoff from God, we don't have the ability to
reattach ourselves to Him. And thus we are doomed. Just like the dead leaf
cannot reattach itself back to the plant, it is doomed. This is the essential difference between Christianity and all other religions. Let me explain. Other religions believe
and teach that human beings are able to reattach themselves to God through some kind of human effort. I repeat that. Other religions believe that
they can reattach themselves to God, to the force,
to the power, whatever, through some kind of
human or religious effort. For example, gaining some kind of religious knowledge and insight. Or perhaps practicing religious discipline such as worship or meditation or secret rituals or pilgrimages. Some people try to achieve
it through extreme denial of human appetites or food restrictions. Whatever the culture, whatever
the tradition or religion, the method is always the same. An attempt to be reunited with God by human effort in order
to avoid suffering, death, and the separation of the soul from its natural place with God forever. All right. Christianity, as I
mentioned, is unique in that it reveals a method for rescuing
man based on God's actions and not on human actions. That's so very important. And so the Bible teaches
how God rescues or saves us from the death caused by
our separation from Him due to our sins and disobedience. Here's how that works. Number one. God pays the moral debt that we owe Him. Each sin we make, each law we break creates a moral debt that we owe to God. Why? Because He's the law maker. He makes the laws. He's the one who says though shall not, though shall not. And when we break His law,
we owe Him a moral debt. This moral debt is the
cause of our guilt and shame and fear of death and judgment because we know that we're guilty. We cannot repay this moral debt because we are polluted by sin. And we can't produce
the sinless perfect life required to remove a lifetime
of imperfection and sin. So in Christianity, what does God do that doesn't happen in other religions? Well in Christianity, God
himself pays the moral debt through Jesus Christ. It is in this way that God rescues us. Paul the Apostle explains it in this way in Romans chapter five
verses six through 11. And I read, he says, for while we were still helpless. Well, here's helpless. This is helpless. While were still helpless, unable to reattach
ourselves to the stem, okay? So while e were still
helpless at the right time God died for the ungodly,. For one will hardly die
for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates
His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having now
been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but
we also exalt in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the reconciliation. So Paul explains very clearly, and this passage where he
explains and points out certain features of
the Christian religion. So let me break it down
for you a little bit through a question and answer method. Number one, so why did
God take on a human form in Jesus Christ? Answer. Only a perfect life could be offered for the moral indebtedness of man and only God in the form
of man could accomplish this perfect life. You can't offer an imperfect sinful life to pay for the sins of
an imperfect sinful life. It doesn't work. You have to have a perfect
life in order to substitute for an imperfect life,
to pay for those debts. And only God in the form of
man could live a perfect life. Another question. Why did Jesus have to die in order to obtain this forgiveness
for man's moral debt? Answer. Debt, death rather, was required because according to God's spiritual laws, human sinfulness could only
be atoned for through death. That's the only way that
you can atone for sin. Somebody say, why? Who thought that up? God did. That's His spiritual law. Where do we see that? Well, let's read Hebrews 9:22. It says according to the law, one may almost say all
things are cleansed, atoned for, made pure with blood. And without shedding of blood,
there is no forgiveness. That's not a physical law. That's not like a
scientific law like gravity or something like that. That's a spiritual law. It wasn't made up by human beings. God made this law. I read again. According to the law, meaning God's law, one may almost say all
things are cleansed, purified with blood. What does he mean blood? Well, with life because
the life is in the blood. Without the shedding of blood, without death, without someone sacrificing their life, he says,
there is no forgiveness. That's what the Old
Testament is all about. All those animals sacrificed. They were simply a preview
of what was to come, the real thing to come
which is Jesus Christ. And so a perfect life
was required to make up for the imperfect life of mankind that was destroyed by sin. And so God takes the
form of a human being, we call Him Jesus Christ, and offers His innocent and perfect life as a sacrifice to pay
the moral debt of sin for all of mankind. All right, another question. Well, how does Jesus' sacrifice pay for the sins of everyone? Answer. If Jesus were only a man, even a good and holy man, His sacrifice could atone for himself and perhaps for another person. One man pays for another person. But because Jesus is also God and has a divine nature, the intrinsic value of His life and thus his sacrifice is different. As God, the sacrifice of His divine life is able to pay for the
sins of all mankind. The divine life, the intrinsic quality, value of His life, different
than any other life is such that it is worth the life of every human being ever born. That's why we needed the divine Son of God to offer the human life. An interesting passage in I Peter 3:18. Peter talks about this. He says for Christ also died for sins, once for all the just for the unjust so that He bring us to God having put to death in the flesh butt made alive in the spirit. Another interesting
passage in Hebrews 7:25. The writer says therefore
He, meaning Jesus, therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since he always lives to
make intercession for them. He has an eternal life. He is always able to offer
His sacrifice forever for our sins. The value of His sacrifice
is such that it pays for everybody's sin forever. Another possible question. What was the purpose of the Jewish people? What role did they play in all of this? Well, as I've explained in other places, God chose one man, Abraham. And form him he created a special people. He gave them their religion. He gave them a country, he gave them laws and formed their culture and history and their religion. We read about this in the old testament. Now the reason for this
was to provide a religious cultural and historical stage upon which he would appear as Jesus Christ. His purpose was to offer his
life for the sins of mankind. The Jewish people were the vehicle used to make his human
appearance and to be also the first nation to whom this
forgiveness would be offered. And then one of the question,
or another question, what is the role of the Bible? Well, the Bible is the inspired account of God's plan to save
humanity through Jesus Christ. It records the beginning
of the world but then it focuses in on the forming
of the Jewish people, and then it continues to tell their story until the appearance of Jesus and follows with the eyewitness accounts of His death and burial,
resurrection, his ascension. And then the Bible ends with the history of the forming of His church and the spread of Christianity
in the first century. Its main theme, however is
the salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ. Paul the Apostle summarizes this idea in writing to a young minister when he says the following. And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings. Those are the scriptures. Which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 3:15. And so Christianity presents a unique way to deal with the consequences of human weakness and moral failure, not by human effort and religious practice or attempts to achieve moral perfection. But God offers himself
through Jesus Christ as a payment for the death of our sins. Now, in Christianity God
rescues us from death, from separation, from condemnation because we do not have the
power to rescue ourselves. And if you remember
anything from this lesson, try to remember the
main difference between Christianity and all
other organized religions is that in Christianity God
is the one who rescues us. And all other religions,
human beings try to rescue themselves with God's help. A very big difference. Now, this is not to say that humans have no participation in the rescue. We do offer something to God. But it's the only thing we
truly have to give to God and that is our faith. It's the only thing that belongs to us that we have to offer. Everything else God gives us. But we own our faith. We own the yes or the no. We own the ability to say
yes to God, I believe, or no to God, I don't believe. That is ours to give. And that's exactly what God asks of us the thing that we have,
the ability to give Him. And this brings us to the second important teaching in the Bible concerning this subject of salvation. And that is salvation is based on faith not human effort. So in Christianity, God does
what is impossible for mankind. And that is pay the moral debt for sin, and man does what is humanly possible, he trusts God. That's what man can do. This is the sum of salvation. God offers man rescue from death and separation caused by sin. And man believes and trusts in God to accomplish this on His behalf. That's the deal. I rescue you. You trust me to do the work. This beautiful reconciliation is described in various ways in the Bible. For example, in Romans
5:1 Paul says therefore having been justified by faith, that term justified means made right, means made okay, made
acceptable, forgiven, it means all those things. So therefore we have
been justified by faith. We have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. In other place in John
chapter three verse 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. If I were to go back to
my example of separation with the plant used a little
earlier in this lesson. In Christianity it's as if
God takes the cutoff branch and he reattaches it back to Himself. And we know this, people who garden and our little plant example here you see there on that branch there, that little brown thing? People do this with plants and
damaged trees all the time. It's called grafting, right? They cut a wedge and they reattach the severed branch of leaf or whatever, and they hold it in place
with some kind of wrapping. In the same way God grafts
us back into himself and the element that holds us into place so to speak is faith. Faith is what holds us and grafts us back into God's life, God's person. This is the key doctrine
of the Christian religion. Salvation by faith through grace. In other words because of
God's kindness, His grace, He offers us salvation, rescue, based on our faith on Jesus Christ and not based on personal
goodness or human effort. Paul the Apostle says it in this way. But now apart from the law, the righteousness of
God has been manifested being witnessed by the
law and the prophets. Even the righteousness
of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe for there is no distinction. Paul is saying that right now aside from the law and
the righteousness of God, His goodness, His right ways, if you wish, have been manifested. How? He's offered us salvation based on faith. That's how right He is. That's how good He is. That's what He's saying here, all right? Of course there are
many facets and details to the Christian religion that I've not mentioned here. But the issue of salvation and how it is produced by God and received by a man is the core teaching of the Bible and the Christian faith. Now, there are some questions
that naturally arise from this teaching and what most of us already know about Christianity. Here's one of the questions. What is faith and what
exactly are we to believe? Well, first of all belief,
by simple definition, is to accept something as true. That's the definition of believing. I accept that this is
true, that's believing. In Christianity, we accept as true that Jesus Christ is the son of God. That's what we believe,
that's what we accept as true. When challenged to believe,
Peter, one of the apostles, demonstrated the essence
of the Christian belief when he said the following. You are the Christ, the
son of the living God. Matthew 16:16. Now there are many other
teachings and details of the Christian faith that one must know and understand and believe. However, for salvation's sake, the essential issue is what we believe about Jesus Christ. Of course this belief includes our trust that His death pays for our
sins and our faith in Him makes us right before God. Okay, that's what we're
supposed to believe. Another question. Well, what about repentance and baptism? 'Cause the Bible talks about that. Well, in the Bible faith is almost always associated and accompanied
by repentance and baptism, in the New Testament it is. Repentance refers to a change of heart, a turning from disbelief and sin to belief and a desire to please God. I've mentioned before that repentance is a forward-looking thing. When I repent I'm looking into the future. I'm saying in the future,
this is how I will act. This is how what I will think. This is what I will do. I will not do what I did in the past. That's why repentance
isn't trying to go back and fix things. Repentance is looking
forward and making a change in the future. The English word baptism
comes from a Greek word which means to plunge
or to immerse in water. And so in the Bible those
who believed in Jesus expressed that belief or that faith through repentance, that
decision to change their ways and baptism, immersion in water. And so when Peter the Apostle preached about Jesus' death and resurrection, he encouraged people to believe. And when they responded to him and asked how they were to do this,
this is what he said to them. Repent and each of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. And, you know, we quote
that passage a lot here. And one of the reasons
we do is because it is the first response after the death and resurrection of
Jesus and His ascension. Peter is preaching the first sermon, the first full gospel sermon
on the day of Pentecost, first time the full
gospel is being preached. And the first time he's finished preaching and that people say to him,
well, so what do we do now? And his answer is, in Acts
2:38, repent and be baptized. That's why 2,000 years later
when I'm teaching someone and they're thinking and they
say, well I believe in Jesus. What do I do now? My answer is always Acts
2:38 because my point is if it was good enough for Peter, as his response to people who are hearing the gospel for the first time, then it's good enough for me as an answer to people who are asking me. What do I do now? Yeah, repent and be baptized. In another passage, Paul the Apostle describes what was said to him before he was baptized
by a man called Ananias. It says, now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized
and wash away your sins calling on His name. To summarize them. God offers salvation through
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And we accept that sacrifice
for our personal sins by faith, that is by believing that Jesus is the son of God. And we express that faith according to God's command in
repentance and in baptism. Perhaps one last question. Who can become a Christian? And when can a person be baptized? Jesus answer this question when He spoke to His apostles recorded
in the Gospel of Mark. He said to them, go into
all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has
been baptized shall be saved. But He who has disbelieved
shall be condemned. And so Jesus himself
says that the good news of salvation is for everybody. Everybody. Anyone who believes and is baptized, according to Jesus, is saved. No exceptions based on
color or race, excuse me. Education, gender, social position. However, he also makes clear that those who refused to believe have no
alternative way to be saved. This means that when we come to belief, then we shouldn't hesitate
to express that faith in the way that God intended, and that of course is through
repentance and baptism. So as we close this lesson on salvation, let me encourage everybody
hearing this message to believe in Jesus Christ
and trust in the way of salvation that only He offers. No one else offers that. And if you have not yet
expressed your faith and repentance and baptism, then you need to do so
as soon as possible. Okay, well, that's our
lesson on salvation. Next time we get together we're
going to talk about the church. What does the Bible say about the church. All right, that's our
lesson for this evening. Thank you very much for your attention.
