During this most wonderful holy week for Christians let’s take a moment to reflect on just what it all means. Yesterday was Good Friday and it is indeed a time to offer up to God our highest expression of thanksgiving for what Jesus did by going to the cross for us. Calvary is the ultimate answer to the question of why does God allow so much suffering and evil to take place in our world. At the cross God used the absolute worst thing in history, the death of Jesus, the perfect Son of God, to result in the absolute best thing in history – our salvation.
You see at Calvary God gives us not only an explanation of how He can turn evil into good, but He begins to define salvation for us. Pastor Rick Warren shares the following insightful comment: “Salvation is not a religion. It’s not rules or regulations or rituals. Salvation is a relationship. That relationship doesn’t begin when you get to Heaven; it begins here on Earth.”1 If I might add, salvation is a very special type of a relationship. It is deeply personal and yet is available to all who put their faith in Jesus.
Salvation can be defined as being delivered, through the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion, from sin and its consequences of eternal punishment, and being raised to newness of life. It comes to all those who repent of their sins and, by faith, receive Jesus alone as personal Savior and Lord. Salvation is also totally transformational. When we accept Jesus into our lives and repent of our sins a radical change of nature takes place. Our old sin nature is replaced by a brand new creation nature. While we still can struggle with sin we now have the power to say no to the deeds of the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit which now dwells in us.
On Calvary Jesus took all of our sins onto His body and in return gave us His righteousness. What an incredible exchange! And Easter Sunday sealed the deal because when Christ rose from the dead, He defeated Satan, and made a pathway for us back to Himself.
So tomorrow, when you wake up, take time out on this Easter Sunday to thank the Lord for this monumental event. Imagine, because of Christ, you once were blind but now you see. You once were lost but now are found. And you once were a slave to sin but now you are free indeed in Christ!
1 700 QUOTES BY RICK WARREN [PAGE – 12] | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
I appreciate your daily posts and this one as well, however to an unsaved person or even a new Christian, it might be confusing at the least.
As Pastor Warren says, salvation is not rules and regulations but a relationship. Praise God, for we ( nor anyone ever) could keep the needed rules and obey the regulations. Thus the cross and the words “ it is finished”.
However, a paragraph later, it states, salvation comes to those who accept Jesus Christ, (his death, burial, and resurrection) as payment for our sins and repents. What I am reading is salvation consists of faith PLUS keeping rules and regulations after all??
While not wanting to get into the actual meaning of the greek word repentance, I feel the unsaved would then ask, which is it? Faith or faith and works for salvation?
Paul makes it abundantly clear in dozens of verses ( Rom 3:28 for one) as we read in all of Galatians as well as the agreement of James and Peter in Acts 15, salvation comes by faith alone ( 1 Cor 15:1-4).
I agree once Jesus Christ is accepted, one is a new creation with new desires and way of living etc, as He now lives in us, But to say one needs faith and works ( repentance as is stated in the article) for salvation, is confusing in the least and anti-scriptural at the worst.
I don’t usually respond to any articles etc but felt the need to do so here.
Again thank you for your dedication and faithfulness in posting and article daily which i do read every morning.
Hi Mike:
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to this post. I can see where I might have been confusing. Salvation is definitely not faith plus repentance (works). Yes, I totally agree that salvation is by faith in Christ alone. Repentance will naturally flow from this newfound faith in Jesus and being repentant for our sins helps to show that we have been truly changed by Christ. I appreciate your helping to clarify this point. The last thing I want to do is cause confusion or teach anything unscriptural.
Thanks again Mike for your important comment.
Curt
Hi Curt and thanks for your quick reply. Please do not think i was trying to be antagonistic or “ one of those guys” who is always nit picking and such. I truly appreciate all the encouragement and Biblical advice, encouragement and instruction you give daily, not to mention the pictures!!!
Thanks again and blessings to you and yours and your ministry. Mike