What does salvation mean?
Salvation simply means to be saved or delivered from sin. Sin is violating God’s commandment. The consequence of living in sin is eternal death. Salvation also means to be born again. Being born again is a conscious attempt to live according to the ordinances of the scripture through the power of God.
According to the Scriptures, Adam and Eve sinned in Eden and turned away from God. Because of their disobedience, sin was brought into the world and turned the whole human race away from God.
We receive salvation in Christ through repentance and faith. This means turning away from sinful ways (repentance) and turning to God ( by faith), trusting in Christ.
Why do we need salvation?
In the beginning, man was created by God with a pure heart and without sin. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being [soul, King James Version].
God placed man in the garden and gave him liberty and freedom to rule the world. He told man that he can have everything in the garden except he should NOT eat from the tree of good and evil. Genesis 2:17; “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. Adam and Eve were deceived by satan to eat from the forbidden tree.
Since then every human being has sinned. Romans 3:23 declares, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. The penalty for sin is death. Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Ezekiel 18:4 says, “Behold all souls are Mine; the soul of the father, as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die” This is repeated again in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul who sins shall die.”
How did man fall into sin?
Let us look at Genesis 3:1-11 “The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But God did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.’ ”
4 “You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.”
6 The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. 7 Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realized they were naked. So they sewed together fig leaves and made clothes for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking in the garden. It was during the coolest time of the day. They hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called out to the man. “Where are you?” he asked.
10 “I heard you in the garden,” the man answered. “I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid.”
11 The Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten fruit from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?”
Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned” Apostle Paul is saying here that just as sin entered the world through one person, salvation also entered the world through one person, and just as Adam brought death to all who followed him, Christ brought life to all who follow him.
In many places in the Bible human life is described as “mortal” (Romans 6:12; Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 4:11). All human beings face the same inevitable fate—we will now all die one day. But the good news is that those that believe the doctrine of salvation can be delivered from eternal death.
God’s promise of redemption to mankind
The Bible shows that God the Father and Jesus Christ loved human beings immensely. They created us in their image and wanted to share eternal life with us.
Once mankind fell into sin, he earned the penalty of death and there’s nothing we can do to remove that penalty ourselves. We have to be saved or deliveredfrom it!
That is why salvation is necessary, and why Jesus came to the earth as a human being. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
We are all lostto the penalty of sin—eternal death—and the only way to be delivered from that penalty is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Is Jesus Christ the ONLY way to be saved (to the Father)?
God makes it very clear in His Word, the Bible, that Jesus is the only way to the Father. This verse also confirms that there are no other names under heaven by which we must be saved. No matter your family name or your standing in society; we all need Jesus.
Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.
In order for that to happen, God had to provide a way for us to be saved—or delivered—from sin and death. Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a perfect life—not earning the penalty of death due to sin for He was sinless and then gave His life for us at the cross of cavalry. Because He was “God in the flesh,” His sacrifice qualified to pay the penalty for all human sins.
John 3:16; “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life”.
Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus gave His life, a life of perfection, without sin, so that we can be saved. It is by His shed blood that salvation is now made possible for all humans.
God makes it very clear in His Word, the Bible, that Jesus is the only way to the Father. This verse also confirms that there are no other names under heaven by which we must be saved. No matter your family name or your standing in society; we all need Jesus.
Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.
The five steps to salvation include
1. Faith in God / Savior Jesus Christ
2. Repentance,
3. Water Baptism,
4. Spirit Infilling,
5. Continuance
How does one inherit eternal life?
Jesus was once asked a question about how to inherit eternal life –
Luke 10:25-28; “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ So he answered and said, ‘“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live’’.
Earlier, another man asked Jesus in Matthew 19:16-17, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments”.
Is it true that “once you are saved, you will always remain saved and that you cannot lose your salvation?
The Bible makes it clear that we need to accept His sacrifice, but that we also need to repent (turn away from sin) and keep God’s commandment.
The Bible is also clear that salvation is a gift, and it cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8). But that doesn’t mean we can live anyway we want and still be saved! We have been called to be “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Keeping the commandments of God are some of the good works Jesus told us we need to do.
The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 55:6-7; “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon”
According to 1 John 3:4, “Sin is the transgression of the law” Transgressions are violations of God’s law and His way of life. Therefore, part of being saved from the penalty of past sin is violating God’s commandment and falling into sin.
As the apostle Paul wrote: “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:2). We are to leave sin and pursue a life of righteousness, which is based on God’s Commandments (Psalm 119:172).
Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Apostle Paul again pointed out this principle in verse 12: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”
Paul also asked an important question in the same chapter Romans 6:16: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
The answer is obvious sin leads to death, obedience leads to righteousness and eternal life. Apostle Paul understood that he would receive a crown of righteousness at Jesus Christ’s return (2 Timothy 4:8).
He also understood that this promise was for more than just him— “but also to all who have loved His appearing.” That means receiving eternal life when the salvation process is complete.
CONCLUSION
Jesus came to die for our sins, which are actions that break God’s law. He paid the penalty of death for us, so that we can have eternal life. He reconciled us to God the Father, justified us of our past sins through His blood.
Hence, after we repent of our sins and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then our salvation and our deliverance from eternal death—is possible. We are therefore required to continue in righteousness.
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