Christian Salvation

Introduction One of the most often repeated mistakes in Christianity is that of the Galatians. They started out in faith, and fell back into works. It is so easily done. Once we are saved we generally start to read the Bible, go to church and so on. s we do these things we will inevitably receive a message that tells us about all the effort we should be making, how much God e!pects from us and so on. This comes, firstly, because most preachers"teachers do not understand the Gospel and, secondly, because #as $esus% encounter in the desert with the devil, in &atthew '(), illustrates* the devil is fully capable of trying to use the +criptures against us. The overall message of the Gospel is that we are saved by grace, through faith , and that the faith itself is a gift from God #-ph .(/*. God does lay down a standard by which we should live , 0ust as 1e did for the Israelites through the Old Covenant. But now, as with the Old Covenant, 1e knows that we will not live according to what 1e has laid down. That%s why we, and the Israelites, need a +aviour , even after we are Christians that need never stops2 The following +criptures show that we are saved by faith, and faith alone. +ome also illustrate why we do not live the way we want to, and thus encourage us to press on despite the ups and downs we may encounter in our day3to3day lives. NB: Throughout this study you will read the term 4legalist.5 These are the modern day 6harisees who, because they do not understand God%s grace, emphasise the 4outside of the dish.5 These legalists will call themselves Christians 3 0ust as the 6harisees called themselves 4children of Abraham.5 The reality is that many will not be saved, but claiming that they are and, having all the outward appearances, this causes confusion within the Christian Church. There are some genuine Christians who, through bad teaching and the influence of legalists, peddle this false gospel of being saved by grace, and then having to live a certain way in order not to lose our salvation. These people, being genuine Christians, are saved7 and are generally less dogmatic than the legalists , they know they must rely on God%s grace, but they don%t know what to do with all the +criptures that appear to point to works. The postle 6aul describes legalists as 4dogs5 , a serious insult in those days, when dogs were considered unclean7 but it illustrates e!actly what he
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thinks of anyone who tries to undermine, and preach against, the sufficiency of the cross of Christ. I think 6aul%s approach is appropriate considering the damage these people do, the torment they cause many a genuine Christian and the insult they direct towards the sacrifice of Christ in suggesting it is not all sufficient. Defining Salvation &any Christians have a very limited understanding of the meaning of salvation. 9or too many it simply means staying out of hell, and going to heaven, when we die. The Biblical teaching is that salvation means we are brought into an immediate and eternal relationship with God, witnessed by the indwelling of the 1oly +pirit and intended to be e!perienced every day. The word salvation is used, throughout this study, in this conte!t , in other words, in the conte!t of a current, daily, uninterrupted and eternal relationship with God7 and not the limited sense of 4+taying out of hell and going to heaven.5 The legalists understand this definition and use their teachings of the necessity of good works in terms of maintaining the daily relationship , rather than directly teaching that good works will get us into heaven. Thus, for too many Christians, their relationship with God #their salvation* is an intermittent affair depending each moment upon their 4performance5 #and their resultant emotions , usually ones including sense of failure, condemnation etc.* instead of being totally dependent upon the cleansing, saving Blood of the :amb. BIBLICAL SALVATION Matthew :! Then, behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you. #+ee also( &ark .(;* <hat was their faith in= It wasn%t in Christ%s ability to forgive sins , because people didn%t realise 1e could do that #in fact, 1e uses this occasion to demonstrate that 1e can forgive sins*. It was faith that $esus could heal. 6ut in a conte!t that includes us today( They knew that they had a problem they couldn%t deal with, and they knew that $esus had the power to deal with that problem. They thought their problem was the need for physical healing, $esus knew it was for spiritual healing , so that%s what he gave in response to their faith. 1e only physically healed the man to demonstrate 1is authority to forgive sins.

Christian Salvation
+o forgiveness of sins comes through recognising that we have a problem #our sins* that we can%t deal with, but we have faith that $esus can deal with that problem , and has dealt with it. nd that faith brings forgiveness. Matthew "#:!$%!& 'Therefore the !ingdom of heaven is li!e a certain !ing who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. "ut as he was not able to pay his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, #aster, have patience with me, and $ will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. The man did nothing to deserve the forgiveness of the debt, he simply cried out for mercy. nd that%s how it is for us. <e can never deserve forgiveness of our sins, we can only cry out to God for mercy and know , based upon this and many other +criptures , that 1e is a God who has compassion on all who call upon 1im. nd 1e freely forgives the debt we owe 1im. 1e freely forgives our sins. >elying on God%s mercy brings forgiveness. &atthew .)(.?3./ 4Then He too! the cup, and gave than!s, and gave it to them, saying, %rin! from it, all of you. &or this is #y blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.5 9orgiveness of our sins was achieved for us by $esus, through the shedding of 1is blood. <e can never add to that, contribute to that, earn it etc. $esus laid down 1is life, and we are forgiven simply by believing that. :uke ?('83'@ There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. 'ne owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave then both. Tell #e, therefore, which of them will love him the more( Simon answered Him and said, $ suppose the one whom he forgave more. And He said to him, you have answered rightly. This is one of those +criptures that indicates why some Christians struggle to be the person they want to be in Christ, and it is because so many Christians do not know 0ust how much God has forgiven them , particularly those who then receive teaching that says that having been saved they must now work for God or risk losing their salvation. That message won%t stimulate a great deal of love for God. nd as the rest of chapter ? describes, from verse @) to verse ;8, knowing how much we are forgiven is a powerful motivator that leads to costly acts of service. +o before we can serve Christ in the way we
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Christian Salvation
may want, we have first to receive what 1e has done for us, the way 1e has served us. -ven then we will struggle with the flesh, but as our love for God grows, so will our service. :uke ?('/3;A Then He said to her, )our sins are forgiven. And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins( Then He said to the woman, )our faith has saved you. *o in peace. The woman served $esus #by washing 1is feet etc* because she was saved. +he wasn%t saved by what she did. +he was saved by faith. It works for her, the paralytic, the debtor , it works for us. 9aith, and faith alone. :uke 8;(8/3.A 4$ will arise and go to my father and will say to him, &ather, $ have sinned against heaven and before you and $ am no longer worthy to be called your son. #a!e me li!e one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. "ut when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on him, and ran and fell on his nec! and !issed him. The well3known story of the 6rodigal +on. The son returns, the author of his own salvation. 1e is going to live separated from his father and work to repay the debt he owes. 1e is not repentant. But the father showers him with love, and it is that which brings the son to repentance , that is, back into a relationship with #and therefore under the authority of* his father. This is confirmed in >omans .(', where it says that it is God%s kindness that leads us to repentance. Too many Christians are seeking to be repentant #that is, in a relationship with and under the authority of God* in order to receive God%s kindness and love , through the forgiveness of their sins. That%s 4putting the cart before the horse.5 It is only after we receive God%s kindness and love #like the prodigal* that we truly become repentant. s we place our faith in the fact that through Christ our sins are forgiven, so we enter into a relationship with God and, through a process of time and e!perience, come under 1is authority. +o we, like the prodigal, are saved #rescued* by an acceptance of God%s love and kindness, not by what we do , for that has nothing at all to do with our salvation. :uke 8)(83/ 4He also said to His disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, What is this $ hear about you( *ive an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall $ do( &or my
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master is ta!ing the stewardship away from me. $ cannot dig+ $ am ashamed to beg. $ have resolved what to do, that when $ am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his master,s debtors to him, and said to the first, How much do you owe my master( And he said, A hundred measures of oil. So he said to him, Ta!e your bill, and sit down -uic!ly and write fifty. Then he said to another, And how much do you owe( So he said, A hundred measure of wheat. And he said to him, Ta!e your bill, and write eighty. So the master commended the un.ust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. The first thing to note is that this is a parable told by $esus to the disciples , so it is a message for Believers, not for unbelievers. nd the message is Buite simple. <e must rely totally upon God%s mercy and grace as our only means of salvation. The steward had a problem #he was fired* and we have a problem #sin*. The steward e!periences the master%s mercy #he is fired, not gaoled*, we e!perience God%s mercy #our sins are forgiven*. The steward realised he could do nothing to help himself #couldn%t dig or beg*, we realise there is nothing we can do to help ourselves #we still go on sinning even after receiving God%s mercy*. The steward knows his only hope is to continue to rely on his master%s mercy #and he is rewarded by his ongoing salvation, with a commendation for his wisdom and not a rebuke for abusing that mercy*7 we know that our only hope is to continue to rely on God%s mercy #and we are rewarded with ongoing salvation and the same commendation for our wisdom and lack of rebuke for abusing God%s grace*. The steward perfectly illustrates the position of the Christian. +aved by grace, kept saved by grace. :uke 8/(C38' Also He spo!e this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others/ Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a 0harisee and the other a ta1 collector. The 0harisee stood and prayed thus with himself, *od, $ than! )ou that $ am not li!e other men 2 e1tortioners, un.ust, adulterers, or even as this ta1 collector. $ fast twice a wee!+ $ give tithes of all that $ possess. And the ta1 collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, *od, be merciful to me a sinner3 $ tell you, this man went down to his house .ustified rather than the other+ for everyone who e1alts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be e1alted. nother parable where $esus is trying to convince people that they must rely totally on God%s mercy for their salvation. <hat we do, or don%t do, will never contribute towards how God sees us. The 6harisee didn%t do e!tortion,
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Christian Salvation
adultery etc.7 he did do all the right religious e!ercises. But he went home not 0ustified , in other words, unsaved. The ta! collector relied totally on God%s mercy, and went home 0ustified, saved. It%s a fairly clear message. It%s not what we do, or don%t do , it%s what we believe, that counts. :uke .@(@' Then Jesus said, &ather, forgive them, for they do not !now what they do. The :aw was still in force , because $esus had not died and risen again. These people who were murdering $esus had done nothing to allow forgiveness under the :aw. +o by what right does $esus ask God to forgive them= It is an important Buestion because it is on the same basis that we are forgiven , and our forgiveness occurred at the same time. $esus can make the reBuest for their forgiveness #and ours* because 1e knows that 1e is about to bear the full conseBuences for their sins #and everyone else%s , 8 $ohn .(.*. 9orgiveness comes only on the basis of $esus death and resurrection. +o all our sins, past, present and future were forgiven .,AAA years ago. 9aith simply allows us to enter into that forgiveness , a forgiveness that has been available to everyone for .,AAA years. It is modern, incorrect teaching that says our sins are forgiven on an ongoing basis , and that therefore God may not be pleased with us today because of the way we have lived the day. There is only one thing that pleases or displeases God , and that is whether or not we have faith in 1is +on , and what 1e achieved for us all on the cross. 1ebrews 88() "ut without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to *od must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently see! Him. 9aith, not lifestyle, is what God is looking for #and 1e gives us that faith #-phesians .(/*. :uke .@('.3'@ Then he said to Jesus, 4ord, remember me when )ou come into )our !ingdom. And Jesus said to him, Assuredly, $ say to you, today you will be with #e in 0aradise. This is the thief on the cross. It is possibly the clearest demonstration in +cripture that faith, and faith alone, is what is reBuired for salvation. ll the other things that can be stressed through bad teaching are absent. There is no reBuest for forgiveness. There is no declaration that with a second chance the thief would live such a different life. There are no works. 6eople will say, 4<ell obviously there are no works, he%s about to die.5 But even a pledge to have done works, if only there was time, is missing. This scenario is a repeat of the paralytic in &atthew C, and the Dn0ust +teward in :uke 8). In all three cases, the main players simply recognised they had a problem which they could do nothing about , in the thief%s case, his obviously sinful life ,
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and each one turned to the One they trusted could do something about their respective problems which they could not do for themselves. nd if it is that simple for this thief, it is that simple for us. Eo works, no promises to do better, no pledges about changing our lives, not even a clear reBuest for forgiveness. $ust simple faith in Christ%s love. 9or the paralytic that brought healing and forgiveness, for the un0ust steward it brought ongoing salvation and for this thief it brought salvation. This incident is the perfect illustration of the >omans 8A(8@ , which is a Buote from $oel .(@.* that 'Whoever calls on the name of the 4ord shall be saved.5 That%s what the Bible says, and that%s what the Bible means. It%s as simple as that2 $ohn 8(.C The ne1t day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, "ehold3 The 4amb of *od who ta!es away the sin of the world. This is the simple truth. $esus took away our sins , all of them. +o there is no longer any reason for God to be displeased with people , e!cept that given in $ohn @(8/ #see below*. nd the postle $ohn confirms that completeness of Christ%s achievement when he writes, in 8 $ohn .(., And He Himself is the sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. +in , as in the way we live , is no longer an issue for God. 9aith is all that counts, faith in Christ%s sacrifice on our behalf. $ohn @(8) 4&or *od so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. +alvation is a work of God for man. God initiated it. God carried it through. nd God completes and guarantees it #-ph 8(8@38'*. nd all that is reBuired for a man to benefit from this great work of God, is faith in 1is +on $esus. $ohn @(8? &or *od did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. <e are saved by $esus, that%s why 1e came. It is nothing to do with anything we do. God isn%t looking to condemn us, salvation is 1is purpose. $ohn @(8/ He who believes in Him is not condemned+ but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of *od. Two very important points, and very simply put( #8* <hoever B-:I-F-+ is saved, #.* <hoever does not believe is condemned B-C D+- he has not believed. It is faith in Christ that determines our eternal destiny , and nothing else. Only the devil and bad teaching point us to lifestyle as part of
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the package of salvation. +atan does it to render us ineffective for the Gospel #. 6et 8(C*, and preachers and teachers do it simply because they have not understood the Gospel themselves , the blind leading the blind. $ohn ;(.' 4#ost assuredly, $ say to you, he who hears #y word and believes in Him who sent #e has everlasting life, and shall not come into .udgement, but has passed from death into life. 9aith alone is the reBuirement to receive everlasting life. nd note that is says 4GHAS passed from death to life. It is something that has already occurred for the Believer , it%s not something that we are waiting for, so how we live today or tomorrow cannot affect the fact that we have already passed from death to life , everlasting life. $ohn )(./3.C Then they said to Him, What shall we do, that we may wor! the wor!s of *od( Jesus answered and said to them, This is the wor! of *od, that you believe in Him whom He sent. Eo call from $esus to feed the poor, clothe the naked, evangelise the world , because these things will come after we are saved, they are not the means by which we are saved. ll God reBuires is that we believe in $esus. Of course, 1e wants us to then reflect $esus by feed the poor etc, but these things are the witness of salvation and not the means of, or contribution towards, our salvation. $ohn )(@? All that the &ather gives #e will come to #e, and the one who comes to #e $ will by no means cast out. The thief on the cross came to $esus, and he is the pattern for all of us. <e only need to come to $esus, and 1e will receive and accept us , 0ust as 1e did with the thief. Eothing about works or lifestyle in this +cripture , but very similar to the ta! collector in :uke 8/, 0ust calling on the :ord brings salvation. $ohn )('' 5o6one can come to #e unless the &ather who sent #e draws him, and $ will raise him up at the last day. The fact that anyone confesses Christ as :ord and +aviour is a work of the 9ather, through the +pirit. +o the mere confession of Christ is the witness of predestined salvation #-ph 8('3;*. Eot our works for God, but 1is work for us2 $ohn )('? #ost assuredly, $ say to you, he who believes in #e has everlasting life. +imple as that2 9aith, not works. <orks contribute nothing to our salvation.
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$ohn )(); And He said, Therefore $ have said to you that no6one can come to #e unless it has been granted to him by #y &ather. The fact that a person turns to Christ, and recognises 1im as :ord and +aviour is an indication that the person has been predestined by the 9ather for salvation. gain, 1is work for us , and totally unrelated to anything other than God%s sovereign choice. cts ;(@8 Him *od has e1alted to His right hand to be 0rince and Saviour, to give repentance to $srael and forgiveness of sins. >epentance and forgiveness of sins are both gifts from $esus. <hen we understand the true nature of repentance #as demonstrated by the father in :uke 8;, and how he facilitated the young man%s repentance*, and when we understand the true nature of forgiveness #that it is something that was achieved fort us .,AAA years ago*, this verse makes a lot of sense. It is all a gift from God, through $esus, to us. Our only part in this is to believe #1e gives us the faith #-ph .(/* and then to receive the Good Eews. cts 8A('@ To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins. ll our sins forgiven, through faith alone. nd note that all the prophets witness to this fact. +o, in other words, it is not a Buestion of picking out a few verses to support a particular viewpoint about salvation. The Bible itself testifies, in this verse, that salvation by grace through faith is the consistent message of the Bible throughout both Testaments. >omans 8(83' 40aul, a bondservant of Jesus 7hrist, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of *od which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus 7hrist our 4ord, who was born of the seed of %avid according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of *od with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 9ollowing on from cts 8A('@, here is the first confirmation that the message of God has been consistent throughout both Testaments 3 that salvation would come through 1is +on. &an was always supposed to look to God for salvation, from the very beginning this was the case. God only gave the :aw #as it says in Galatians @(.'* to lead people to Christ, by making them aware of their sinfulness.

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>omans 8(8) 4&or $ am not ashamed of the gospel of 7hrist, for it is the power of *od to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the *ree!. +alvation for all who B-:I-F-. 1ow on earth did the idea of works contributing to our salvation ever take hold in the church= The answer, of course, is that people do not know the +criptures , and, in part for that reason, they have ignored the bit about not everyone wanting to be a teacher. +o today every man and his dog thinks they are Bualified to teach the <ord, and the result is the appalling level of mis3teaching that now e!ists. 9or 4Greek5 , in this verse 3 read non3$ew , otherwise it gets a bit limited222 >omans @(.A3.. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be .ustified in His sight, for by the law is the !nowledge of sin. "ut now the righteousness of *od apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of *od, through faith in Jesus 7hrist, to all and on all who believe. >eally straightforward +cripture( righteousness comes from God, not from our lifestyle, and it comes to all who have faith and believe in $esus , 0ust as the prophets had been saying all along. >omans @(.@3.' 4Gall have sinned and fall short of the glory of *od, being .ustified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in 7hrist Jesus.5 The important, and simple, point of this +cripture is that we have been 9>--:H 0ustified. 9ree means 0ust that, no strings, no cost to us, no 4paying back5 , 0ustification is free to us. nd it is free because of $esus, as it says in this verse. >edemption comes through the blood of $esus. It is only bad teaching that would seek to add something such as our own lifestyle. >omans @(.;3.) 4Gin His forebearance *od had passed over the sins that were previously committed, that He might be .ust and the .ustified of the one who has faith in Jesus. +o God is perfectly 0ust and will not set aside the punishment due to us in , as we read in all those scary +criptures that the legalists like to point Christians to, but 1e is also the 4.ustifier5 , in other words, the One who provides 0ustification for 4the one who has faith in Jesus.5 +o our 0ustification is a work of God for man. nd it was Christ%s death on the cross .,AAA years ago. >omans @(./ Therefore we conclude that a man is .ustified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

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+o that%s 6aul%s conclusion , that we are 0ustified by our faith. 9or deeds of the law5 read lifestyle, the way we live , because that%s what the devil and the legalists will always point a Christian to. It%s the same thing, and the message is Buite simple( the way we live , provided we have faith in $esus , has no bearing on our salvation whatsoever. If we truly have faith in Christ then there will be changes in our lives #see the letter of $ames*, but these in no way contribute to our salvation. nd those changes will vary from person to person depending upon a whole host of circumstances. >omans '(; "ut to him who does not wor! but believes on Him who .ustifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. God is our 0ustified, but 1e 0ustifies the ungodly, not the godly. +o 1e 0ustifies all us struggling Christians who want to be so different to what we are, but who fail to live up to that desire. s $esus said, #in &atthew C(8.*, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sic!. +o our inability to be who we want to be, who we read in the Bible we should be, becomes a stepping stone to praising God because we know in such a situation #and every situation* 1e 0ustifies us. 1e is the Great 6hysician sorting out all us sick Christians2 >omans '(8@ 4&or the promise that he would be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. n illustration from the life of braham that God%s plan was always righteousness through faith, and separate from any works that we may or may not do. nd that promise of righteousness by faith was for braham and his seed. nd that means D+2 s 6aul e!plains in Galatians @(.C( 4And if you are 7hrist,s #in other words, a Christian , a Believer in Christ8 then )'9 are Abraham,s seed, and heirs according to the promise. >omans '(.A3.; 4He # braham* did not waver at the promise of *od through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to *od, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore, $t was accounted to him for righteousness. 5ow it was not written for his sa!e alone that it #righteousness* was imputed to him, but also for us. $t shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our 4ord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised because of our .ustification. 1ere is the linking of the Old and Eew Testaments in revealing God%s plan of salvation through faith. It happened for braham, and also for all who
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believe in God through $esus. nd these verses again make the point that $esus died for our sins, and was raised for our 0ustification. +o again it is clearly laid out that salvation is a work of God for man. >omans ;(83. 4Therefore, having been .ustified by faith, we have peace with *od through our 4ord Jesus 7hrist, through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and re.oice in hope of the glory of *od. <henever there is a 4therefore5 look back and see what it is there for2 +o looking back to chapter ' of >omans, 6aul has been writing e!tensively about how righteousness comes through faith , with braham as the pattern. 1aving e!plained all that, and e!pecting the reader to accept what he has written, 6aul then says, 4Therefore:.5 meaning 4+o then, because of thatG..5 and he then goes on with some great truths in 0ust two verses. 9irst, we are 4.ustified by faith,5 it%s black and white, dead simple, that%s it2 +econd, it is only as we accept that truth that we en0oy 4peace with *od.5 ny lack of peace in our relationship with God will be caused by only one thing 3 we have taken our eyes off the fact that we are 4.ustified by faith.5 Third, we en0oy that peace 4through our 4ord Jesus 7hrist.5 It is only as we look to $esus, and accept what 1e has achieved for us, that we can live in 4peace with *od.5 That is what we have faith in , what $esus has done for us. :ook to ourselves, and not $esus, and the peace goes2 9ourth, it is faith that allows us to enter into God%s grace , 1is grace for salvation, and also 1is grace for day to day living and security in our salvation. 9ifth, as we enter into the grace by faith, we 4stand5 , we are able to resist the devil, refute bad teaching, endure what life throws at us. +i!th, as we live by faith, have peace with God, receive 1is grace, stand day by day, so we know 0oy and hope. nd all that hinges on simple faith2 >omans ;(/ 4"ut *od demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, 7hrist died for us. &any Christians believe that God loves us because Christ died for us. The truth is, importantly, the reverse of that. Christ died for us because God loves us2 1e has always loved us. 1e didn%t start loving us after Calvary. God thinks we%re great22 That%s why 1e sent $esus. Eow, with sin out of the way thanks to $esus, the way is open for God to pour out 1is love into our lives, and for us to simply receive what was always there. #see also( $ohn @(8) , God loved, therefore 1e sentG.*.

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>omans ;(8? &or if by the one man,s offence death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the 'ne, Jesus 7hrist. It is by receiving, not by 4doing,5 that the Christian reigns in life. nd by reigning we can stand against the devil, and recognise bad teaching, as well as cope with whatever life has in store for us, and we can be forever secure in our salvation , with all the 0oy and peace of that. nd, of course, this verse is yet one more that describes 4righteousness5 as a 4gift.5 >omans )(8A 4&or the death that He died, He died to sin once for all+ but the life that He lives, He lives to *od. +in is a done deal. $esus died for sin, 1e died once, and 1e died for everyone. Eo3one will go to hell because of the way they live, because of their 4sins.5 6eople will go to hell only because they have not believed in $esus. #$ohn @(8/* >omans )(.@ &or the wages of sin in death, but the gift of *od is eternal life in 7hrist Jesus our 4ord. -ternal life is a 4gift.5 <e don%t earn it, nor contribute towards it. It%s free , 0ust like any gift. $esus earned it for us. Thank God for $esus2 >omans ?(8?38/ "ut now, it is no longer $ who do it, but sin that dwells in me. &or $ !now that in me ;that is, in my flesh8 nothing good dwells+ for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good $ do not find. These verses illustrate the battle the 6aul, and every Christian, has with sin. 6aul makes a difference between the acts of the flesh, and the desires of the spirit. nd it is this difference that shows the individual is born again, made alive in the spirit, even whilst being dead in the flesh. It is the unredeemed flesh that sins7 whereas the redeemed spirit within a man does not , and as it says in 8 $ohn @(C , 4cannot5 sin. The legalists do not make this difference between the acts of the flesh and the desires of the spirit, and therefore falsely teach that the acts of the flesh can affect our salvation. The Biblical truth is simple( a Christian 4cannot5 sin. 9ear of licence, and fear of Iivine punishment, will , because they do not know the <ord , never allow a legalist to accept this truth. >omans ?(..3.; 4&or $ delight in the law of *od according to the inner man. "ut $ see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ' wretched man that $ am3 Who will deliver me from this body of

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death( $ than! *od 2 through Jesus 7hrist our 4ord. So then, with the mind $ myself serve the law of *od, but with the flesh the law of sin. In this well known passage, and the verses before, 6aul has been writing about his struggle with sin. 1e says here that in his spirit he desires to serve God, but in his flesh he desires to serve sinful desires. nd there is a war between the two desires, and the desire to serve the sinful desires often wins the day. But this does not cause 6aul to despair #although he is a bit hacked off that he can%t be the person he wants to be , 4' wretched man that $ am5*, it causes him instead to give thanks to God as 6aul looks to and relies upon $esus, and 1is sacrifice. The message for us is clear, and simple. <e will often live in ways that are sinful, and the fact that we recognise them as sinful is witness to the fact that we have been born again. But even when we carry on sinning, after we are Christian, the blood of Christ secures our salvation , because 1e died for all of our sins, past, present and future. <e look to $esus, and keep our peace with God. >omans /(83. 4There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in 7hrist Jesus, who do not wal! according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The 4therefore5 is there because 6aul has 0ust been e!plaining that even when we sin Christ remains our +aviour, so that%s why there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ $esus. 1is sacrifice is all sufficient to cover every sin we have or will ever commit. nd we know that we are in Christ because our spirit is alive, and aware of the battle between who we want to be and who we actually are , 0ust like 6aul was. +ome Christians will interpret the second part of the verse as meaning that there is no condemnation for those who don%t sin, but who live wonderfully +pirit led lives. That%s pure salvation by works. It%s rubbish to believe that this verse applies to those who never give into the flesh. If the postle 6aul wrestled with the flesh, and often lost, are they saying he wasn%t saved2 <hat utter tosh , as they say2 The difference between the Christian #including 6aul* and the unsaved, is that we recognise sin, we recognise the battle and we desire , as 6aul did , to live according to the law of God that was in his inner man , in his spirit. >omans /(88 "ut if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised 7hrist from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. +alvation is a work of God for man. nd here is some more Good Eews , the changes that come in our lives after we are saved are also a work of God
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for man. ny changes we make through our own effort are simply the result of striving, and a recipe for a sense of failure and condemnation. It is a case of, as 6aul writes in 8 Corinthians 8;(8A, 4&or by the grace of *od $ am what $ am. God saves us, God conforms us into the image of 1is +on. s it is God%s 0ob to bring the changes in us, we can never let 1im down, and 1e can never get disappointed or annoyed with us. >omans /(@/3@C &or $ am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of *od which is in 7hrist Jesus our 4ord. 6aul writes, 4nor things present nor things to come.5 The things present and to come must include our lifestyle, because we live in the present and the rest of our lives is yet to come. +o God is saying, through 6aul, that there is nothing in today, tomorrow or the rest of our lives that can separate us from the love of God. Interestingly, when people talk about these verse they tend to concentrate on the death and life, and the angels and principalities, bits , I don%t know that many Christians grasp the wonderfully reassuring power contained in the phrase, 4nor things present nor things to come.5 <e can rela!, God%s got it covered , whatever it is. >omans C(@A3@@ What shall we say then( That *entiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith+ but $srael, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why not( "ecause they did not see! it by faith, but as it were, by the wor!s of the law. +o those who pursue righteousness through works and lifestyle will never achieve it7 however, those who do not pursue their own righteousness, but receive the righteousness that comes from God through faith, these are the ones who are righteous in God%s sight. >omans 8A(' &or 7hrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. >ighteousness #and therefore, salvation* for all who believe. It is repeated a hundred times or more throughout the Eew Testament. Those who would have us believe that we must in some way contribute towards the getting or keeping of our salvation are preaching against a mass of +cripture. >omans 8A(C :that if you confess with your mouth the 4ord Jesus and believe in your heart that *od has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
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Hou , Christian 3 do both, ergo, you 3 Christian 3 are saved222 It%s wonderfully simple. Eothing at all in there about lifestyle. >omans 8A(88 4&or the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. +imple faith, once again , and this time from the prophet Isaiah. It is one illustration of cts 8A('@ that, All the prophets witness:.. +alvation through faith alone was always God%s plan , and is testified to as far back as Genesis 8;(). >omans 8A(8@ 4&or whoever calls on the name of the 4ord shall be saved. It worked for the ta! collector in :uke 8/, it worked for the thief on the cross in :uke .@, it worked for many others in +cripture , and it works for us. ll it takes is faith in $esus, nothing else, in order to be saved. nd this is another e!ample of 4All the prophets: because 6aul is Buoting from the prophet $oel , so another illustration that God%s message to mankind has never changed, it was always going to be salvation through faith. >omans 88(;3) <ven so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of wor!s+ otherwise grace is no longer grace. "ut if it is of wor!s, it is no longer grace, otherwise wor! is no longer wor!. Grace, to be grace, must carry no strings. &any Christians have a false gospel #0ust like the Galatians* which is a combination of grace and works. 6aul says that such a situation cannot e!ist. It is either salvation by grace, or salvation by works. nd these verses make the point , confirmed elsewhere in the +criptures , that our salvation is God%s sovereign choice, it is by 4election5, by predestination. <e did not choose $esus, 1e chose us #$ohn 8;(8)*. nd we know that we have been chosen because 8 $ohn '(8; says, 4Whoever confesses that Jesus in the Son of *od, *od abides in him, and he in *od. +o whoever recognises $esus as the +on of God knows Biblically that they are saved, and Biblically that their salvation is an act of God%s grace and 1is sovereign choice. 1ow ridiculous for the legalists to try and convince us that we have to earn or contribute towards our salvation2 6aul rightly gets very annoyed with such false preachers"teachers in Galatians 8(/3C.

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>omans 8.(8 4$ beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of *od, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to *od, which is your reasonable service. ny acts of service that we do come only after we are saved and are our response to being saved, and they are empowered by the 1oly +pirit #>om /(88, 6hp.(8@*. This is not a call to a life of striving , there is no such call anywhere in the Bible #although the legalists will twist the meaning of verse to try and make out that we are called to strive2* >omans 8.() 41aving then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use themG.5 <e should never compare ourselves to another Christian. If we think they are a better Christian than us, we are discouraged and our effective for the Gospel suffers7 if we think we are a better Christian than them, we are arrogant, we risk bringing disunity into the Church. It is, as 6aul says in 8 Corinthians 8;(8A, ..by the grace of *od, $ am what $ am.5 -ach one should be content to be who he is. It is God%s responsibility to change us if 1e wants us to be different. nd it is God%s grace that eBuips us if 1e has any particular ministry in minds for us. +o rela!, be yourself, and wait upon the :ord.

>omans 8'(' Who are you to .udge another,s servant( To his own master he stands or falls. $ndeed, he will be made to stand, for *od is able to ma!e him stand. nother verse making the point that our salvation, and our ongoing salvation, is God%s responsibility. 1e will make us stand , because 1e chose us in the first place. Of course 1e will make us stand , that is, ensure our salvation , 1e chose us, and 1e is God2 <ho or what could possibly negatively impact upon a sovereign choice that God made before the beginning of the world #-ph 8('*. <e are rock solid in our salvation, regardless of how we live, and it is God who ensures that. 8 Corinthians .(8' 4"ut the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of *od, for they are foolishness to him+ nor can he !now them, because they are spiritually discerned. They fact that a Christians acknowledges $esus as the +on of God, and +aviour of the world, and the fact that the Christian reads and understands , to whatever e!tent , the +criptures prove that he or she is born again. To
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someone who is not born again the concept of $esus being God, dying for our sins, and the fact that the Bible is the <ord of God, are complete nonsense. nd, of course, if the Christian is born again, or 4saved5 then it means that that Christian is forever saved. 8 Corinthians 8;(@ &or $ delivered to you first of all that which $ also received/ that 7hrist died for our sins according to the Scriptures. 6aul is saying that the thing of first importance that we grasp is that Christ has died for our sins. Dntil we grasp that most basic truth we will not be able to move on into spiritual maturity. That%s why it is of first importance to understand this simple truth, it is the foundation upon which everything else is built #+ee . 6eter 8(C*. It is also worth noting that 6aul refers to the fact the Christ died, 4according to the Scriptures.5 Bearing in mind that the Eew Testament had not been written at this stage, 6aul is referring to what we call the Old Testament. +o he is once again confirming that God%s message has always been that 1e himself would rescue us from our sins , that is the message of both Testaments. . Corinthians ;(8/38C 5ow all things are of *od, who has reconciled to Himself through Jesus 7hrist, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that *od was in 7hrist reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. These are really important verse because they actually contain the instruction on what we should be preaching, teaching and proclaiming. gain, because so3called preachers and teachers do not know the <ord, a different gospel, which is no gospel #Gal 8()3?* is being preached. :ook at these verses carefully. 6aul says that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation , in other words, the ministry of bringing man back into a relationship with God. nd then 6aul defines the ministry , in other words , he tells us how we are supposed to bring about that reconciliation. nd he says it is by proclaiming that God has done all that is necessary. 1e has reconciled the world to 1imself through the death and resurrection of $esus and so #and this is what the false preachers and teachers haven%t grasped, and therefore don%t proclaim* God does not count men%s sins against them. That is the really Good Eews22 God does not count our sins against us , 1e counted them against Christ .,AAA years ago. +o that is what we should be preaching and teaching in order, according to 6aul, to carry out the ministry of reconciliation that we have been given by God. nd this is the Good Eews that we should also be living in personally.
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It%s worth saying again( God does not count our sins against us. The only issue between God and man is faith in $esus Christ #$ohn @(8/*. Galatians 8(@3' *race and peace from *od the &ather and our 4ord Jesus 7hrist, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our *od and &ather. 9irstly, $esus gave 1imself #died* for our sins7 so our sins are dealt with. <e don%t have to do anything about them. +econdly, 1e did that in order to deliver us from this present evil age. These are evil times, and it may be increasingly harder to 4walk the walk5 in a disbelieving world. But God knows that, and when we fail, we are covered by the blood , delivered from the penalty of our sins. But the Good Eews is that the 1oly +pirit can empower us to overcome even in this evil age. +o, either way, living the life, or giving in to sin, we are covered , and it%s all a work of God for us. Galatians .(8;38) We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the *entiles, !nowing that a man is not .ustified by the wor!s of the law but by faith in Jesus 7hrist, even we have believed in 7hrist Jesus, that we might be .ustified by faith in 7hrist and not by the wor!s of the law+ for by the wor!s of the law no flesh shall be .ustified. 6retty clear then2 $ustified by faith, and not by works. +o simple , and so easy that people simply refuse to believe it. They cannot grasp the completeness of what God has, through Christ, done for us. But false preachers and teachers insist on trying to convince us that we still have to do our bit. Eo2 It is by faith, and faith alone, that we are saved, and kept saved. Galatians .(.8 $ do not set aside the grace of *od+ for if righteousness comes through the law, then 7hrist died in vain. In some ways this is as clear as the Bible puts the matter of salvation by grace. If we have to contribute anything at all towards being saved, or being kept saved, then Christ achieved nothing 3 it still ultimately, according to the legalists, comes down to our effort to live the life. +o Calvary was a waste of time. It is a graphic and simple as that. -ither the cross was sufficient, or Christ%s suffering and death was a waste of time. It%s one or the other. 1e didn%t die 0ust so that we could spend the rest of our lives trying to live to a standard we can never achieve, 1e died to save us.

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Galatians @(.3@ This only $ want to learn from you/ %id you receive the Spirit by the wor!s of the law, or by the hearing of faith( Are you so foolish( Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made prefect by the flesh( This is the pivotal Buestion that needs to be asked of so many Christians, They have made the mistake of the Galatians. They have started out in simple faith, and known the 0oy of their salvation, only to fall back into thinking that they must work to keep their salvation. Hou, Christian, became a Christian and received the +pirit through faith , and, Biblically, you must have received the +pirit in order to confess Christ. Hou did nothing to try and impress God, and you knew the 0oy of your salvation. Ion%t fall back into works, Ion%t make the mistake of the Galatians. nd don%t listen to the legalists2 Galatians @(8@38' 7hrist redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us ;for it is written, 7ursed is everyone who hangs on a tree 8 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the *entiles in 7hrist Jesus, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. The 4curse of the law5 is not the law itself , which is how many may read this verse , it is the curses God announced for those who broke the law. In other words, the curse is the punishment due for not living the way God commands. $esus took away that curse, 1e took away that punishment that was due to us for not living the way God commands. +o the way we live has no bearing on our salvation. nd we receive the +pirit, that is, we are saved, through faith , because works no longer play any role in our relationship with God in terms of salvation. Galatians ;(8 4Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which 7hrist has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yo!e of bondage. 6aul knew that there will be those who will try to rob Christians of the freedom they have in Christ. +o his instruction is that we, 4Stand fast..5 The verse definitely suggests that there will be attacks upon the Christian%s freedom , and that is certainly the case today, as it was in the time of the Galatians. It becomes confusing because most of those attacks come from other Christians, mostly sincere people who see that freedom as licence. The reality is that such people do not know the +criptures. <e should never allow anyone to put us under the bondage of works , for bondage it certainly is2 -phesians 8('3; ..He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus 7hrist to Himself, according to
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the good measure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the "eloved. <e were chosen for salvation before the world began, how then can our daily living have any impact upon that2 God knew , because 1e knows everything , how we would live after we were saved. nd that makes 1is choice, and 1is grace, even more amaJing2 1e chose to see us as 4holy and without blame5 because of $esus. <hat Christians need to do is start accepting what +cripture says about how God sees us , and stop all the striving to be better. 1ow do we get any better than, 4holy and without blame 2=2 It was God%s will that we become adopted sons through $esus, not our decision to 4invite $esus into your heart.5 +alvation is God%s decision and work, not man%s. nd the final point here is that we are accepted in the "eloved , in other words, it is all because of $esus. -phesians 8(?3/ $n Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. It is made clear that forgiveness of our sins is only through the blood of Christ, and that blood is all sufficient, we do not need to try and add to it. <e are forgiven, faith simply allows us to enter into that forgiveness. nd an important point is that God%s grace came to us with all. 4wisdom and prudence.5 In other words, God knew e!actly what 1e was doing when 1e chose us, and e!tended 1is grace to us. God is not surprised by the way we react to salvation. 1e is not disappointed that we don%t suddenly start living perfectly. 1e knew all that before 1e chose us, yet, in 1is wisdom, 1e still chose us. nd surely at least part of the reason and confirmation of that is in -phesians .(?, where is says, :that in the coming ages He might show the e1ceeding riches of His grace in His !indness towards us in 7hrist Jesus. The way we live does not 0eopardise our salvation, it highlights God%s grace. 4&or where sin abounded, grace abounded much more5 , that%s what the Bible says #>omans ;(.A* , Christians 0ust need to accept it, instead of being afraid of licence. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. "ut he who fears has not been made perfect in love. #8 $ohn '(8/*. In other words, that fear of licence has to do with fear of being punished #tormented* , yet there is no punishment due to the Christian, for that is the whole point of that Gospel, that Christ was punished for us. -phesians 8(8@38' 4$n Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the *ospel of your salvation+ in whom also, having believed, you were
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sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. <hen we confess Christ 3 which we can only do, according to the Bible, by the 1oly +pirit , we are saved. nd once we are saved, the same 1oly +pirit 4seals5 us in that salvation. In other words, 0ust as a mark of his seal was used as a sign, the signature in effect, of a king or noble in the past, so the 1oly +pirit, in effect, marks us with a sign, indicating that we belong to 1im. nd this marking, or sealing, acts as a guarantee of our salvation because no3one can snatch us from the 9ather%s hand, as $esus 1imself said. nd that guarantee applies until we are fully redeemed by the One who purchased us, in other words until Christ comes for 1is own, or calls us home individually before 1is +econd Coming. +o absolutely nothing can affect our salvation. nd all that is reBuired for salvation is faith in $esus. -phesians .('3; "ut *od, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive in 7hrist ;by grace you have been saved8: It%s interesting to note that the Bible doesn%t 0ust say that God loves us. It says things like, in $ohn @(8), &or *od so loved the world: nd there is passion in that word 4so.5 nd here is another e!ample( it speaks of God%s 4great love5 for us. 1ard to grasp, maybe, but Biblically true , God thinks we%re great2 nd these verse repeat the point that it was while we were sinners that God did all the work to make us alive in Christ. 1is work for us, not ours for 1im, is what makes this covenant work. -phesians .(/3C &or it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves+ it is the gift of *od, not of wor!s, lest anyone should boast. It%s hard to put it any simpler2 +aved, by grace, through faith , and specifically EOT by works2 nd neither do works play any part in our relationship with God after salvation. #EB( The way we live can have implications on how effective we are as a witness for the Gospel, but it does not affect our relationship or our rightstanding before God, because that was achieved for us by Christ, and all we can do is receive what is freely on offer. But God determines in advance the works 1e wants us to do #-ph .(8A* and God, being all knowing, will have allocated those works on the basis of our pre3known response to salvation. +o we can never let God down , 1e has no false e!pectations of us. nd those works, however grand, or however limited and humble, are

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allocated to people who are already saved, so their completion adds nothing to our salvation.* 6hilippians 8(.C 4&or to you it has been granted on behalf of 7hrist, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sa!e: repeat of the point in -phesians .(/3C, that faith to believe is something that is 4granted5 by God. +o salvation is a work of God for man. 6hilippians .(8@ :for it is *od who wor!s in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. This verse lays upon God the responsibility for bringing our will to point of wanting to do something for the Gospel, and then empowering the actual doing as well. +o our willingness and our actual doing, both are a work of God within us. 6hilippians @(@3' "eware of dogs, beware of evil doers, beware of the mutilation3 &or we are the circumcision, who worship *od in the Spirit, re.oice in 7hrist Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. The battle with those who have not received God%s grace through faith and with their attempts to drag Believers back under law, and into a legalistic relationship with God based on works, is one that has been raging since the very beginnings of the Eew Covenant. 6aul has some very strong things to say about such people, and this is one e!ample. Iogs were considered unclean in the time of 6aul, so to call these legalists 4dogs5 is a very strong statement, revealing e!actly how 6aul feels about them. nd rightly so, for they oppose the Gospel of Christ , they may think it is for right reason, but that doesn%t alter the fact that any re3direction of a Christian to a works based relationship with God is an insult to the +pirit of Grace #1ebrews 8A(.C*. Eot only does 6aul reveal what he thinks of those who oppose Christ, but he specifically says that we should place EO confidence in the acts of the flesh, the works that the legalists would have us do. 6hilippians @(C38A 4)et indeed $ also count all things loss for the e1cellence of the !nowledge of 7hrist Jesus my 4ord, for whom $ have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that $ may gain 7hrist, and may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is faith in 7hrist, the righteousness which is from *od by faith.. 6aul has spent the previous few verses e!plaining why he, if anyone at all, could have confidence in the flesh #6hp @('3)*. But having e!plained how
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Jealously he kept the law, he then says that righteousness is only through faith in Christ and, furthermore, our righteousness comes &='# God, and is not something that we give to God, or work to produce in our own strength. It is a gift #>om ;(8?*. +o 4working5 to impress God is a total waste of time and actual harmful to our relationship with God. Colossians 8(;3) 4Gthe word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and !new the grace of *od in truth. Those dogs who would have us striving to produce for the Kingdom , allegedly safeguarding our salvation in the process , do not understand this verse at all. It is only after we understand God%s grace that we can start to produce fruit for the Kingdom. nything else is 0ust striving, and counts for nothing, and won%t last anyway. +o the way to be more effective for the Gospel, Biblically, is not to make lots of effort, but to receive more grace. #>om ;(8?, 8 Cor 8;(8A*. Colossians 8(8A38. :that you may wal! worthy of the 4ord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good wor! and increasing in the !nowledge of *od+ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with .oy+ giving than!s to the &ather who has -ualified us to be parta!ers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Eow this is a verse the legalists will love2 4Wal! worthy, being fruitful5 , 0ust the sort of thing to get a chap striving2 But the key element in understanding this verse, and understanding the whole of our relationship with God, is that we do these things, 4according to His glorious power.5 s 6hilippians .(8@ puts it( :for it is *od who wor!s in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. There is no denying that we as Christians are called into a certain way of living, and the legalists will find plenty of verses to support that truth, but what the Bible clearly teaches, and what the legalists overlook, or simply don%t know, is that it is God%s responsibility to see that we live out that lifestyle, not ours. It%s even 1is responsibility to put within us the will, the desire, to live the life. That%s what the Bible says. nd the verses from Colossians go on to make the point that it is God who has Bualified us to be saved, not us. Colossians 8(8@38' 4He has delivered us from the power of dar!ness and conveyed us into the !ingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

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God has delivered us, God has conveyed us, we have redemption through 1is blood. The Eew Covenant is all about what God has done, is doing and will do for us as Christians. nd these verses illustrate that point. It is also worth noting the past tense that is used 4has delivered, conveyed5 , our salvation is a done deal. It is finished. Colossians 8(8C3.A &or it pleased the &ather that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. There is no mention of man in these verses2 It was God%s pleasure #to reconcile*, we are reconciled to God, and by God, through $esus% blood. It%s all a work of God for man. That%s the glory of the Eew Covenant. Colossians 8(.83.. And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wic!ed wor!s, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight: These verses make the point that God has done the reconciling, and that it was done .,AAA years ago through the death #and resurrection* of $esus. nd as a result of that event we are now seen by God as holy, blameless and beyond reproach #free from accusation*. nd that all occurred .,AAA years ago, faith #which is God3given* simply allows us to enter into Christ%s achievement. Eo matter how hard we worked, could we ever become holy by those works= Of course not2 That%s why holiness is yet another gift from a loving God. nd we can%t add to God3given holiness , so what on earth is the point of the striving that the legalists love to point us to and demand from us=2= Colossians 8(.C To this end $ also labour, striving according to His wor!ing, which wor!s in me mightily. This is how God intends us to live. Hes, there may be effort, even striving for the Gospel, but only in the strength that God supplies as he works through us. Dltimately it is God doing the work, not us , yet, amaJingly, we still get the credit for whatever we do2 8 Cor 8;(8A, 6hp .(8@, 8 6eter '(88 and others all say the same thing , we serve only in the strength and ability which God supplies. nything else is worthless. Colossians .(8@ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses:.

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Christian Salvation
gain the point is made that it is what God has done for us that counts, not what we do for 1im. 1e has forgiven :: our trespasses , so that must include the ones we commit after we become a Christian. They are :: dealt with. <e cannot fall back, in the eyes of God, into being sinful because every sin ever committed was paid for at the cross. Eow, it is only belief or unbelief in Christ that matters. 8 Thessalonians 8(8A :and to wait for His Son from heaven, who He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. God%s wrath will be poured out upon this earth, and it will be a terrible thing when it happens, but the Christian need not fear that wrath because $esus protects and delivers us from it. . Thessalonians .(8838. And for this reason *od will send them a strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 6eople will be condemned because they have not believed in $esus, and that leads to them to have pleasure in their sinful ways. <e who are saved may still engage in unrighteousness, but there is a godly sorrow within us as the flesh wins over the spirit. nd that sorrow is the witness that our spirit has been made alive in Christ7 whereas the unbeliever e!periences no such sorrow because their spirit is dead in sin, so the flesh reigns. Our flesh does not reign, but it does battle , and it does win7 but on other occasions our spirit wins. $ust as $esus said, in &atthew .)('8 The spirit is willing, but the flesh is wea!. 8 Timothy 8(8;38) This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus 7hrist came into the world to save sinners, of whom $ am the chief. However, for this reason $ obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus 7hrist might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 6aul persecuted, imprisoned and encouraged the murder of Christians. fter he was saved he continued to battle with the flesh and with sin, and very often lost that battle #>omans ?*. nd he says here that it is precisely because he was such a sinner that $esus chose him as an illustration of Christ%s love and mercy. +o we are supposed to receive encouragement from what happened to 6aul, because he is the pattern , in other words, if Christ can forgive 6aul, he can forgive us, and he does. nd that pattern is applicable to all 4who believe on Him5 , so it is all about faith, and nothing

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Christian Salvation
to do with how good we are or how bad we are, how much we strive or how little we strive. nd that%s Good Eews2 . Timothy .(/3C 4Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our 4ord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of *od, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our wor!s, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in 7hrist Jesus before time began. +ome good stuff here to defeat the legalists arguments2 Hes, we are called to suffer for the Gospel, but only according to the power of God, not in our own strength. nd the point is made that it is God who has saved us and God who has called us, and 6aul then specifically states that that salvation and calling are nothing to do with 4our wor!s.5 It is hard to state it any more clearly2 Our salvation is nothing to do with 4our wor!s,5 but is a result of God%s works on our behalf. nd 1e has saved and called us for 1is own purpose #+ee -ph .(? for e!ample*. <e don%t need to understand why God saved us, 1e did7 and 1e did it for 1is purpose , and, as 4*od is love,5 we can know that that purpose will be a loving one. nd finally, that purpose was decided, and we were included in it, and grace was e!tended as we were predestined, before time began. +o once again, how can anything I do, or do not do today, possibly impact upon , let alone change 3 a Iivine decision made before time began= It can%t222 +o en0oy the day, and accept who you are today7 and if God so wills and empowers, you may be different tomorrow , but that is 1is choice, and 1is responsibility. Titus @('3? 4"ut when the !indness and the love of *od our Saviour toward man appeared, not by wor!s of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus 7hrist our Saviour, that having been .ustified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Het again, the clear statement that we are saved by God%s mercy, and not by any 4wor!s of righteousness5 that we may have done. nd once we are saved, God pours out the 1oly +pirit on us, and the +pirit%s 0ob, in part, is to secure our salvation for eternity, by sealing us, thus guaranteeing that which is to come #-ph 8(8@38'*. +o whenever the Bible talks about us being 4saved5 it doesn%t 0ust mean that initial coming to faith, it includes the coming of the 1oly +pirit and the sealing and guaranteeing of our salvation. &ost legalists accept we are saved by grace, their big problem is believing that we are, from that point on, eternally secure in our salvation , that%s why
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Christian Salvation
they emphasise works, to allegedly secure our salvation so we don%t lose it. It%s a case, for them, that, 4Hes, God%s done this for us, but now we need to do that for 1im.5 They need to 4work5 less, and read the Bible more , and look for grace and mercy when they do read it, instead of searching for verses to undermine the achievement of the cross. <hat a misuse of +cripture2 nd these verses state again the fundamental truth that we are 4.ustified by His grace.5 1ebrews 8(@ :.who being the brightness of His glory and the e1press image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the #a.esty on High: This verse, in conte!t, is all about $esus. nd the simple point for this study is that it is $esus who purged our sins. $esus is the One who has dealt with our sins. It is the same point that is repeated over and over in the Eew Testament, that Christ died for our sins, therefore they are not an issue between us and God. 1ebrews .(88 &or both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Our sanctification is a work carried out by $esus for us. 1e does it. nd because 1e does it, it is achieved and secure, and $esus is not ashamed to call us 1is brothers. 1ow awesome is that22 Brothers of Christ , according to Christ. nd our sanctification cannot be lost, or undone in some way, because it was achieved in the first place by God. 1ebrews .(8? Therefore, in all things He had to be made li!e His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High 0riest in things pertaining to *od, to ma!e propitiation for the sins of the people. 1ere is the basic Gospel( $esus was the sacrifice for our sins. nd that sacrifice is al sufficient. <e don%t need to add to it, nothing can take away from it, we don%t need to safeguard it #the 1oly +pirit does that*. s $esus said, 4$t is finished.5 1ebrews @(8/38C And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who disobeyed( So we see they could not enter in because of unbelief. These are pretty important verses. The previous verses in the chapter have been talking about Israel, and saying that they were, after being called out of
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Christian Salvation
-gypt, unable to enter the 6romised :and because of their rebellion against the :ord. nd then we get to these verses. nd they are important because they make an absolutely crucial point in relationship to the Eew Covenant and our relationship with God. The Israelites were unable to enter the 6romised :and because they 4disobeyed,5 and the ne!t verse says they couldn%t enter because of 4unbelief.5 It links disobedience and unbelief. $ust as >omans 8(; links the two when it speaks of, :obedience to the faith..5 nd this link between having faith and being obedient being one and the same thing is further confirmed in 1ebrews '(@ which says, 4&or we who have believed do enter that rest:5 Dnbelief kept Israel out, faith gets the Christian in , the 6romised :and, a relationship with God, heaven, all through faith. ll God ever wants is faith in 1is +on, and 1e counts that as obedience , all the day3to3day commands that we break or ignore all the time, they are the sins that Christ died for. The only sin that 1e didn%t die for is the sin of unbelief #$ohn @(8/*, but every Christian believes and is therefore welcomed into a relationship with God and by God. +o no Christian should worry that their 4disobedience5 affects their relationship with God or their salvation because, according to God, no Christian , because they believe in $esus , is ever disobedient. That%s why we stay in a relationship with God, and remain saved, despite the way we live. 1ebrews '(8A 4&or he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his wor!s as *od did from His.5 +o, once we are saved, we cease to work. There is nothing to work for2 It has all been done for us by God. nd 0ust as God rested on the seventh day of creation, so we rest from our labours. Eo more striving. <e are saved through faith, and enter into a Iivinely given rest. 6raise the :ord22 1ebrews ?(.; 4Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to *od through Him, since He always lives to ma!e intercession for them. $esus saves, and 1e does it 4to the uttermost,5 to the utter e!treme, completely and utterly saved. $esus Christ is interceding for us. <e may not know how that works, or why 1e has to make intercession7 but one thing is absolutely certain, the 9ather will never say 4Eo5 to an intercessory prayer from the +on #because the +on%s 8AAL obedience always allows 1im to pray in accordance with the 9ather%s will*. +o we can be utterly, completely confident that our salvation is totally secure in Christ%s intercessory prayers. 1ebrews /(8. 4&or $ will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds $ will remember no more.5

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God has been describing the nature of the Eew Covenant, and as part of that description 1e says this. 1ow good is that2 nd because 1e has chosen not to remember our sins we are, as it says in -phesians 8(', :holy and without blame in His sight.5 It all ties together Buite nicely when we bring all the different +criptures together. The legalists simply take occasional verses, use them out of conte!t, and seek to divert a Christian%s gaJe way from the cross of Christ and re3focus it, wrongly, onto their own individual effort. 1ebrews 8A(8. 4"ut this #an, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of *od. One sacrifice for sin, for all time. -very sin dealt with at one go. That%s why $ohn the Baptist said, in $ohn 8(.C, "ehold3 The 4amb of *od who ta!es away the sin of the world3 nd the postle $ohn, writing in 8 $ohn .(. says of $esus, 4And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.5 +in is dealt with. It is tragic that so many Christian preaching and teaching still focuses on the 4sins5 of the Christian , on their lifestyle. +uch messages are completely unBiblical, and should be totally ignored. Christ died for our sins, for everyone%s sins , once for all. It is faith in Christ #or lack of it* that is the only issue outstanding between God and man. 1ebrews 8A(8' 4&or by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. <e have been made perfect forever , so our salvation is forever secure7 and at the same time our sanctification is an ongoing process. But sanctification #being set aside for God* should not be confused with salvation. +alvation is a once3off act, a gift from God. +anctification is the outworking of our salvation so that the fact that we are saved becomes more and more evident in our lives. nd 1ebrews .(88 lays the responsibility for our sanctification sBuarely upon the shoulders of $esus. +o we don%t need to worry that we are not sanctified 4enough.5 $esus is on the 0ob2 1ebrews 8A(8? :then He adds, Their sins and their lawless deeds $ will remember no more. Obviously such an awesome truth that God, knowing we would have trouble receiving it, put it in the +criptures twice in the space of . chapters #see 1ebrews /(8.*. God simply doesn%t see the Christian as a sinner. The devil, on the other hand, is desperate that we Christians should still see ourselves as sinners, because that will hinder our fellowshipping with God and assist
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in rendering us ineffective for the Gospel. In God%s eyes, Christians are not sinners, -F->2 It is as simple, and as Biblical as that. #+ee -ph 8(', and many other such verses*. 1ebrews 8A(.?3./ 4&or if we sin willfully after we have received the !nowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful e1pectation of .udgement, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. These two verses are often used to frighten Christians. But in reality they don%t apply to Christians at all. They are written about the 4adversaries5 of God, 1is enemies, yet $esus calls the Christian 4friend5 and 4brother.5 lso, if these verses are applied to the Christian, it would mean that absolutely no3 one is saved. If applied to Christians these verses would completely wipe out the achievement of the cross, and render it a totally pointless act. -very sin is wilful, because the Bible says that with every temptation God 1imself provides a way out. +o we don%t ever need give in to any sin. But we chose to , it%s 0ust that many of us prefer to make e!cuses, rather than accept the truth that our sin is a wilful choice. This is talking about sin in the conte!t of unbelief , which is why it talks about people who have 4received the !nowledge of the truth.5 +in, in the Eew Covenant is unbelief, not 4lawless deeds,5 as it e!plains in 1ebrews @ and '. It is their re0ection of that knowledge, despite the fact that they know it is true, that makes the sin unforgivable , in that there is no further sacrifice available. These verses are simply about blasphemy of the 1oly +pirit , not about the day3to3day living of the Christian who is saved to the uttermost through his or her faith in Christ. 8 6eter 8(@3; "lessed by the *od and &ather of our 4ord Jesus 7hrist, who according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus 7hrist from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are !ept by the power of *od through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. These verses are all about what God has done, and continues to do, for us. 1e has 4begotten us again,5 meaning that we are born again by 1is work, and we are born again into a hope that is for today 3 a living hope , through the resurrection. It is by the resurrection, according to the Bible, that we are 0ustified , that is, made sinless in the eyes of God. nd because we have faith in salvation by grace, we receive the inheritance of eternal life. nd this inheritance cannot thereafter be affected by anything , that%s what these
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verses say. +o they are very clearly stating that, 4Once saved, always saved.5 The gift of eternal life, the inheritance, is reserved in heaven for us, and until we are fully redeemed , when we go to glory and are set free from these mortal bodies that so get in the way of who we want to be , we are kept safe by nothing less than, 4the power of *od.5 8 6eter 8(8A 4'f this salvation the prophets have en-uired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you:. This verse confirms that salvation by grace was always God%s plan. nd the prophets, even though they lived at a time when the :aw was still in force, knew that salvation could never come by works. They knew that man needed to be saved by God, that we could never do it ourselves. nd that is the essences of the Eew Covenant , we have been saved by God, 0ust as 1e foretold through 1is prophets. nd once we are saved by God, that salvation is kept secure and guaranteed by God. +ee above verse and also -ph 858@3 8'*. 8 6eter 8(8@ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus 7hrist+ Eotice that it is our 4minds5 that we are to 4gird.5 That is the real battleground. <e battle in what the Bible calls the members of our bodies , our eyes #what we look at*, our ears #what we listen to*, our tongues #the things we say*, and a list of other parts of our bodies that we use for ungodly purposes. But that battle is only about the way we live, and when we lose that battle we rest in the fact that it is covered by the blood of $esus. The real battle is in the mind, because that is about what we believe. nd that is what we need to focus on strengthening, mainly by getting to know the <ord of God so that it is firmly inside us and able to defeat every attack by the enemy 3 attacks that often come through other people who are either Christians with a poor understanding of +cripture or people who are legalists #modern day 6harisees* masBuerading as Christians and causing confusion. nd this verse goes on with a very clear instruction , that we should fi! our hope 4fully on the grace5 that has already been partly revealed, but which will be fully revealed when $esus comes again #or calls us home before the +econd Coming* and we receive our new, immortal bodies. If the Bible says we should rest on hope fully on grace, then that is what we should do #see :uke 8)(83/* , and there is no place in that for works in any way, shape or form2

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8 6eter @(8/ &or 7hrist also suffered once for sins, the .ust for the un.ust, that He might bring us to *od, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. nother verse making it clear that our salvation is entirely a work of God for man. nd also making clear that sin is a dead issue, a done deal , Christ died for our sins. nd it is $esus who brings us to the 9ather, it is nothing to do with any effort that we may make, or not make. . 6eter 8(C &or he who lac!s these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 6eter has been talking about the process of maturing as a Christian, and he is saying that if we are not maturing it is because we have forgotten that our sins are forgiven. Eow we can see why the devil puts so much time and effort into reminding Christians of their sins , it renders them ineffective for the Gospel. That%s what this mis3teaching is all about. It is a ploy by satan to stop the Church becoming the ma0or threat to him that we should be. nd that%s why any mention of self3effort, works, sins etc should be utterly disregarded and totally resisted. <e are saved by grace through faith, by the shed blood and the resurrection, and that salvation is then sealed and guaranteed by the 1oly +pirit. 1ebrews ;(8@ makes a similar point when it says that we fail to mature because we have not understood what the Bible teaches about righteousness. The Bible clearly teaches that righteousness is a gift from God. The devil would have us believe that we have to in some way earn, or contribute towards, our righteousness , for that is what all this teaching about living right, obeying the commands of +cripture, living a holy life etc are all about, allegedly increasing our righteousness. nd the devil would have us believe that because it will make sure we do not mature and become effective for the Gospel. The truth is, that :: our sins are forgiven, and we have a given righteousness. 8 $ohn 8(/3C 4$f we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. $f we confess our sins, He is faithful and .ust to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Christian should not be afraid of their sinfulness. <e are all still sinning #in terms of day3to3day living*, but we are not all still sinners2 In the new Covenant, the only thing that God regards as sin is unbelief. +ince a Christian believes in $esus, God does not see the Christian as a sinner. nd all our sins of day3to3day living rest upon $esus at Calvary. To 4confess5
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means 4to agree5 3 it doesn%t mean, as many people think, telling God everything we have done wrong. +o this verse is saying that as long as we agree that we are sinners, and therefore need a +aviour, then we are saved. -very Christians accepts that he"she is a sinner, that%s why we turn to Christ and trust 1im for our salvation , we have realised we can%t do it by ourselves. On the other hand, the legalists, and many unbelievers, think that their 4good5 lifestyle contributes towards them getting into heaven , and they remain dead in the sins. The story of the 6harisee and the ta! collector in :uke 8/(C38' also e!presses what $ohn is writing here. <e should acknowledge our sins, and trust in God who 0ustifies the un0ust. 8 $ohn .(83. #y little children, these things $ write to you, so that you may not sin. $f anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the &ather, Jesus 7hrist the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. The Bible makes it clear, here and elsewhere, that it is possible to live without carrying on sinning #in day3to3day living*. nd these are the sort of verses the devil and the legalists always point the Christians to. 4Hou shouldn%t be doing thatG5 Hou shouldn%t be saying thatG.5 nd so on , constant accusations of unrighteousness. But $ohn accepts that even though we do have complete authority over sin, yet we may still sin #in lifestyle, not in unbelief*. But he assures us that when this happens, we have no need to fear for our salvation, because we have an dvocate who speaks on our behalf to the 9ather. nd, however $esus e!presses it to the 9ather, the gist of it is covered in verse ., which says that $esus 1imself has paid for that sin, for all those sins, by sacrificing 1imself in our place. <e%re safe2 8 $ohn .(8. 4$ write this to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name,s sa!e.5 -verything that $ohn writes in this letter is written for the reason stated in this verse , because their sins are forgiven, through $esus% sacrifice, and through their faith in that truth. +o, yes, there may be many instructions on how we should be living, but they are written to people whose sins are already forgiven. +o whether we live according to the instructions or not, cannot alter the fact that our sins are forgiven , :: our sins are forgiven. 8 $ohn .(.@ Whoever denies the Son does not have the &ather either+ he who ac!nowledges the Son has the &ather also.

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1e is the very simple condition for salvation , acknowledgement of $esus Christ as the +on of God. +omething which every Christian, by definition, does do. 8 $ohn @(C 4Whoever has been born of *od does not sin, for His seed remains in him+ and he cannot sin, because he has been born of *od,5 This verse can only mean one of two things( 8. bsolutely no3one is saved, because everyone goes on 4sinning5 , in which case Calvary was a waste of time, or .. God defines sin differently from the way most of us do. It is, of course, the second meaning. +in in the Eew Covenant is 4unbelief.5 &ost Christians have still to grasp this truth. If sin still meant the day3to3day things that we do wrong, then , according to this verse 3 no3one is saved, and no3one ever could be saved, and it would all be about salvation by works. +o it obviously can%t mean the day3to3day stuff that we do and don%t do. ll that has been dealt with by $esus at Calvary. The only remaining issue, the only remaining sin, in God%s eyes is lack of faith #$ohn @(8/*. +o when we are born again, when we receive the gift of faith #-ph .(/*, we no longer go on sinning as far as God is concerned #-ph 8(' and others*. +o Christians need to start defining sin the way God does, and that will remove a ma0or weapon that satan uses against us to de3stabilise us in our Christian walk, and to rob us of our peace with God. 8 $ohn '(8; 4Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of *od, *od abides in him, and he in *od.5 The simple reBuirement for salvation , confession of Christ as the +on of God. That is all that is necessary to enter into a relationship with God, a relationship that is eternal and, therefore, can never be interrupted or terminated. <e are totally secure in our salvation. 8 $ohn ;(8 4Whoever believes that Jesus is the 7hrist is born of *od:5 6retty clear, and simple22 nd, of course, once we are born of God, we enter into all the truths about our salvation being guaranteed etc. $ude 8 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus 7hrist, and a brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by *od the &ather, and preserved in Jesus 7hrist. That%s a pretty reassuring verse, in terms of the security we can have in our salvation. It is all a work of God. <e are called by God, we are sanctified by God and we are preserved in that salvation by $esus Christ. <e don%t figure in that process at al, and neither does our lifestyle.
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$ude .' 45ow to Him who is able to !eep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory: It is $esus who keeps us safe and, having done so, 1e presents us as faultless to the 9ather. That%s how secure we are2 >evelation 8(;3) 4To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us !ings and priests to His *od and &ather, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. These verse state what Christ has done for us, and how 1e did it. 1e has made us #and note that it is present tense, and not future tense , meaning that in God%s eyes it is already accomplished* kings and priests in heaven7 and 1e has done that by washing away our sins by 1is own blood. It%s an e!tremely simple e!planation of the Good Eews and, once again, we only feature in these verses in the role of recipients. It has all been done for us, and we contribute nothing. >evelation ;(C38A 4And they sang a new song, saying, )ou are worthy to ta!e the scroll, and to open its seals+ for )ou were slain, and have redeemed us to *od by )our blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us !ings and priests to our *od+ and we shall reign on the earth. The same thing , what $esus has done for us, and how 1e did it. 1e redeemed us, 1e did it be shedding 1is own blood, and we are raised up to be kings and priests in the Kingdom of God the 9ather.

(oints on this stud) It was done with the aid of a very poor concordance, and also done Buickly. 9urther reading of the +criptures will undoubtedly bring to light even more +criptures that reinforce the message of salvation by grace, through faith7 and destroy the legalists% false message of a combination of grace and works. These verses have highlighted the fact that the :aw and the 6rophets also testified to this salvation by grace. useful study, at some point, would be to go through the Old Testament and discover the +criptures there that relate

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to the Gospel. This would give a complete picture of God%s message to mankind. *urther reading Two particular chapters from 4<hatever happened to the *ood Eews=5 #I+BE 8/;/.8/@);* will also prove helpful studying. The first is the chapter on 4>ighteousness.5 It e!plains how there are two types of righteousness in the Bible applied to man. It is lack of this knowledge, and what the types are, that has allowed this false gospel of salvation by a mi!ture of grace and works to take hold. The second chapter worth reading is, 4The Believer in Christ.5 This highlights some of the +criptures that e!plain what Christ has done for us, and how God sees us once we become a Christian. <ith around CA +criptures listed in the chapter #most of which are not listed in this study* it makes a useful addition to our armoury in our stand against the lies of the enemy, and the false teachings of the legalists. 5ow to Him who is able to !eep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with e1ceeding .oy, to *od our Saviour, who alone is wise, be glory and ma.esty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

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