06.15. From the Fall to the Father

From the Fall to the Father

Acts 4:12

We know the Scripture plainly teaches that man and God were separated by the fall of man. The relationship between God the Father and man was severed. How can sinful man ever get back to a right relationship with the Father? Salvation is mankind getting back to a right relationship to God on God’s terms not on mans terms. Our objective today will be to define salvation as we see the source, the false hopes of salvation, the work of the trinity in salvation as well as security of our salvation.

I- The Meaning of Salvation:

The Baptist Faith and Message states, "The word salvation has various meanings in the Scriptures. For instance, in the New Testament this word and its verb form are sometimes used in the sense of rescuing from danger or destruction (Matthew 8:25 ; Acts 27:20 ) and of healing from disease (Matthew 9:22 ), or even solving a problem (Php 2:12 ). But its greatest use is with regard to spiritual salvation through Christ (Matthew 19:25 ; John 3:17 )." Hobbs, Herschel; The Baptist Faith and Message, Revised 1996; Convention Press, Nashville, p.48-49. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia states, "salvation is the total work of God in bringing men from the state of sin to the state of glory through Jesus Christ the god-man." It goes on to say, "salvation is the total present and future enjoyment by true believers in Christ..." Pfeiffer, Charles; Howard F. Vos; Joh Rea; editors, Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, Moody Press, Chicago, 1975 p.1506.Salvation means to effect successfully the full delivery of someone or something from impending danger. Salvation is more than religion. It is not found in the person of a priest, preacher, or church membership. Salvation carries with it a twofold implication. 1- Someone or something need saved. Genesis 2:17 teaches us it is man that need saved. 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. We are like a criminal on death row awaiting the electric chair and having terminal cancer. Doomed if we do doomed if we don’t Man is dead spiritually and dying physically. Man need saved. 2- Someone is able and willing to save. The second implied fact about salvation is some can and will be the savior. Physicians stand at the foot of dying patients beds and want to give life with all their heart but cannot save. They are willing but are not able. The second part is critical because even if you are willing you must have the power to save. In 1978 a man was dying of a rare blood disease. He died because his near-kin would not donate blood for a transfusion and thus save his live. He was able to save but was unwilling.

    This brings us to another point about getting back to the Father. No matter how much faith or how much someone wills something to be so does not make it so. Beloved many men stand in self-righteousness, some place their hope in the wrong person or object for salvation. Remember it must be someone who is able not only willing to save. I am willing but unable so you must not trust in me. You are willing but not able so you must not trust in you.

II- Source of Salvation:

Our text says, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." We know that our Savior was not only willing but He alone was able to bring salvation to mankind. He alone meets the criteria for a Savior. Hebrews 7:25 tells us Christ is "...able to save them to the uttermost." 2 Timothy 1:12 says He is, "Able to keep." We can also see that according to the Scriptures He is willing to save. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 states He "will have all men to be saved." 2 Peter 3:9 says He is "not willing that any should perish." We know that the reason that Jesus Christ alone, the God-man can save is that He lived a perfect life to make a perfect sacrifice for our sins. "...he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin..." 2 Corinthians 5:21 . The perfect life of Christ shows that God is just in requiring that man be righteous.

III- False Hopes of Salvation:

Proverbs 14:12 teaches us that man thinks he knows better than God when it says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end therof are the ways of death." H.A. Ironside said there are only two religions. "The one covers all who expect salvation by doing; the other, all who have been saved by something done. So you see the whole question is very simple. Can you save yourself, or must you be saved by another?" Quoted in Knight’s Master Book of Illustrations, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Com., Grands Rapids Mich. 1956. p. 600. Man has always been guilty of trying to save himself or denying that he is bad enough to need a Ssavior. Education, Church membership, good works, baptism, living by the golden rule, sincerity, organization memberships, tithing etc. has sent many men to hell. To be a child of the King you must be from royal blood. Salvation can be had only in the right bloodline. Not natural blood line but the blood of Christ. Any other way is a false hope.

IV- Threefold Method of Salvation:

a- Salvation is always by blood. Hebrews 9:22 states the biblical truth, "without shedding of blood is no remission." The blood must be innocent, shed and applied. b- Salvation is through a person. Acts 4:12 shows us it is through the person Christ and also through a person who witnesses. c- Salvation is always by grace. Zephaniah 2:8-9 "...by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Grace is "God’s unmerited favor." Salvation is by God giving us what we don’t deserve.

V- Work of the Trinity in Salvation:

We know that the trinity has been and is very active in the salvation of man. The Father planned salvation and is now active in drawing mankind to Christ. John 6:44 says, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him..." The plan of the Father was laid before the foundation of the world. The Son was the sacrifice for our sin. He is called many names in the Scriptures that speaks of His part in our salvation. He certainly is called Savior (Luke 1:47 ; Luke 2:11 ; John 4:42 ). He is also called our Advocate (1 John 2:1 ), Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2 ). He is also called the Deliverer (Romans 11:26 ) and the Friend of Sinners (Matthew 11:19 ) as well as Ramson (1 Timothy 2:6 ). He is our salvation my friends. The greatest name that Christ is known as in relation to our Salvation is the Lamb of God. John 1:29, 36. The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince mankind they need a Savior. John 16:8-11 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ Of sin, because they believe not on me; ¹⁰ Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; ¹¹ Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

. Our birth into the family of God is a spiritual birth by the Holy Spirit.

VI- Security of Our Salvation:

We must remember that our salvation is not by our power and therefore we can state that our security is not in our hands as well. Hebrews 7:25 states that Christ after He had saved man, "...ever liveth to make intercession for them." He is the one who keeps us saved. Zephaniah 4:30 teaches us that we as believers are "sealed unto the day of redemption" by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:33-39 shows our security from condemnation and from separation. Romans 8:33-39 "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. ³⁴ Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is a question in the Scriptures for which there is no answer. Hebrews 2:3 asks, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation..."

Conclusion:

    D.L. Moody told: "An old man got up in one of our meetings and said, ’I have been forty-two years learning three things.’ I pricked up my ears at that. I thought if I could find out in three minutes what a man had taken forty-two years to learn, I should like to do it. The first thing he said he had learned was that he could do nothing toward his own salvation. ’Well,’ I said to myself, ’that is worth learning.’ The second thing he found out was that God did not require him to do anything. Well, that was worth finding out, too. And the third thing was that the Lord Jesus Christ had done it all, that salvation was finished, and that all he had to do was to take it." Quoted in Knight’s Master Book of Illustrations, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Com., Grands Rapids Mich. 1956. p. 590-1