Salvation Through Christ

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

What is Salvation?

You may have an idea of what salvation is but to really make it solid I’m going to have to use not only a dictionary but also God’s Word to really help us understand what salvation is.  Read Isaiah 60:18 to understand that salvation is safety.

Salvation: rescue (literally or figuratively, personal, national or spiritual): - deliverance, help, safety, victory.

So, how do we get this help and victory?  Who is it that delivers us to safety?

Exodus 15:2  “The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.”

Isaiah 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

From these verses, we understand that it is God who is our salvation.  What else do we know about salvation?

Ephesians 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Isaiah 45:17  But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

So not only can we saved (or sealed, as Paul said in Ephesians) but we can saved for eternity! 

Now, from the next two verses, we get a bit of a different perspective of salvation.

Zechariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Hebrews 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the Sunday before His crucifixion, he rode in on a donkey, or an ass as the Bible calls it.  That is how we know that Zechariah is talking about Jesus.  So, yes, it is Christ, through His sinless life, that is meant to be our salvation. 

Also look at Ephesians 4:30 which talks about redemption.

To be saved, we need to come to the Lord.  How do we get to God?

So now we know that salvation is God.  Then, logically, to get salvation we need to get to God.  How do we do that?

John 14:6-7  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

We get to know God by accepting Jesus and His death for us.  Jesus says this in other places in the Bible, as well.

John 10:1,9  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Also read Matthew 1:21 to learn more about Jesus mission on Earth.

Is there any other way to be saved?

Jesus is the one and only way to be saved.  If you don’t believe me, read the following verses.

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 3:15,16,36  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

By believing and following Jesus is the only way to receive His salvation.  Is there more to it that just believing in Him?

How do we get a relationship with Jesus?

To receive salvation, we need to do more than just faith that God exists.  If you read James 2:19, you’ll see that even fallen angels believe in God and tremble, that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be saved.  One of the first steps to getting salvation is by having a relationship with Christ.  But how do we do that?

John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

To show Christ that we truly love and accept Him, we must hear His Words and obey them.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Is it fair to say that when this verse is talking about calling upon the name of the Lord it means that we should bring our humble supplications and prayers to Him.  Yes, prayer is a very important way of getting a relationship with God.

What are some things that we are required to do?

Now that we know what salvation is and who gives it to us, what is our part to play in gaining salvation?  God has some very simple requirements and expectations for us to live up to.

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

As we’ve talked about before, God requires us to have faith in Him.  But this is only the first step to acquiring salvation.

1 John 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Just as the verse says, we are expected to keep God’s commandments!  Where can we find some of God’s commandments?  Read Exodus 20:1-17 to get the Ten Commandments.

How did Christ provide salvation?

All of the things we have learned so far come down to this: how did Christ provide salvation for us? 

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

1 Peter 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Hebrews 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

For our sins, Christ suffered, bled and died so that we might receive salvation.  He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us on the cross and carry the weight of our sins on His shoulders.  He suffered the separation from the Father just to allow us the opportunity to grow closer to Him and come closer to Heaven.

Note:  If you click on the verse references that are red and underline, it will bring you to the Bible gateway webpage already on that verse in the King James version.