14 July 2010

"Salvation: There's More to it Than You Think" Part 2a

*All Scripture is taken from the ESV Bible unless otherwise noted.  All italics are mine.

This next section of our study, “Why would you want salvation,” is much longer, and will therefore be divided into subsections.  It is comprised of 7 subsections, and today we will cover 2 of those.  So let’s begin!

B. Why would you want Salvation?:

1). To have a relationship with God: We are separated from God by our sinful nature. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Well, what does that mean? God created us in his image, in his likeness—let us not think this means we resemble or look like God physically, but rather that he created us having the capability to know him, to respond to him, and to have immediate fellowship with him—we were made to walk with God! Adam did. Unlike any other one of God’s creatures, we were made with a rational, moral, and spiritual nature in order to walk and talk with God and come to resemble him. What a life! Genesis 1 tells me that humans had it all.

But Genesis 3 tells a different story. Because of the selfishness and “disobedience of one man, all were made sinners” (Rom. 6:19). God is holy, everything he does, his laws, his decrees, everything. Do you think God, being holy, could spend eternity with anyone who isn’t the same? Absolutely not. God is loving, but he’s also just. He hates sin, and his holiness requires a punishment for it. Sin makes us enemies of God.

The Bible tells us that “…in Adam, all die,” for “sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death entered through sin, and in this way, death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Physical death is a punishment for sin, as is spiritual death, or the second death, which is ultimate, eternal separation from God. “For if you live by the sinful nature, you will die” (Rom. 8:13), referring to spiritual death. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23), again, spiritual death. “Wages” implies an earning—the second death is earned, as a paycheck is earned in a job. That’s one wage I don’t want.

2). God wants us to: 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” While humans stew impatiently for the destruction of the heavens and earth and the judgment of destruction of ungodly people (v7), God, who stands above time (time is purely relative with God) waits patiently so that many can be saved—He’s a long-suffering God. 1 John 4:9,14 says “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. …And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (NKJV). Note the last four words: “Savior of the world”— he died for all, that we might live, meaning we won’t die the second death.  Instead, we will spend eternity with God!  Although not all will, for not all will accept his sacrifice.  I thank God I did.

Next time we will go over 2 more reasons you would want salvation!  This is some good stuff, I love it, and I hope you do too.  Have a blessed day!

Niki Ƹ>Ï<Ʒ

Technorati Tags: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment