Salvation's Nature and Source

Who’s Servant Are You?

“A.B. Simpson is reported to have said that the gospel ‘Tells rebellious men that God is reconciled, that justice is satisfied, that sin has been atoned for, that the judgment of the guilty may be revoked, the condemnation of the sinner cancelled, the curse of the Law blotted out, the gates of hell closed, the portals of heaven opened wide, the power of sin subdued, the guilty conscience healed, the broken heart comforted, the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone.’”[1]

What an incredible statement about what salvation does, but one might ask, “what is salvation?”

“Salvation is the act of God whereby He rescues sinful man from sin’s condemnation and death (Rom. 6) by purchasing him back from its ownership (1 Cor. 6:20).

God gives man this unearned gift of righteousness and an existence of freedom through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:16-17; Eph. 2:8-9). The results?

God thereby establishes peace with that man (Rom. 5:1),

life in Him as His adopted child (Gal. 4:4-7), baptism for him into Christ's death to sin and resurrection to life (Rom. 6:4), belonging for him in the body of Christ through that baptism (1 Cor. 12:13), and security for him by the transforming and sealing work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-17, 25, 26-27) as a guarantee of security until the believer finally stands blameless and shameless in God’s presence (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14; Col. 1:21-22).”[2]

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1. Do you think that most people think about life after death?

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2. How ambiguous do you think the idea of salvation is to most people?

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3. Read Rom. 6:15-16. What are the two opposite masters (v. 15) that are presented?

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4. What is it that determines which master you serve in these verses?

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5. What are the two opposing results of your service, depending on which master you serve in these verses?

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6. What word/concept in these two verses do you think is most important to define or qualify?

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7. Read 1 Cor. 6:17-20. How do these verses add to your understanding of sin from Rom. 5:15-16?

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8. According to vv. 15-16, what is it that determines your ownership in reality?

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9. Read Gal. 4:4-7. List a chronology of things that take place in these verses.

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2.

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5.

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10. How do these verses change one’s view of the nature of their master’s ownership of them?

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11. Read Col. 1:21-22. By what means will believers be delivered to their master?

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12. According to these same verses, in what state will believers be delivered to their masters?

Key Verse

“…and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross…”

Col. 1:20 (NASB)

Colossians 1:20 NASB95

and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Conclusion:

“Mankind’s need for salvation permeates every part of his being and existence. All are under sin (Rom. 3:9, 23). None are righteous (v. 10). The wrath of God is “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…” (Rom. 1:18). No one can please God (Rom. 8:8). No one understands or seeks after God (3:11). No man does good (v. 12; Matt. 7:17-18; 1 Cor. 12:3). All man’s talking (Ps 5:9, 140:3, 10:7; Rom. 3:13-14), conduct and actions (Isa. 59:7-8; Rom. 3:15-17), and eyes (Ps 36:1; Rom. 3:18) are enslaved for evil and fear not God (Rom. 3:18). Mankind has traded all that is glorious in God and exchanged it for depraved actions and minds (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 1:21-31, 3:10-18) and are worthy of death (v. 32a). They approve all who practice the same (Rom. 1:32b). All are judged guilty by the Law before God (3:19-20). Man is born in sin (Ps 51:5; Rom. 5:12) and to God’s wrath (Eph. 2:3). The wage for their sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

Salvation from condemnation and slavery to sin cannot be found in man himself because there is no part of him able or willing to turn to or please the holy and just God of creation and thereby save himself (Rom. 1:20; 2:2, 5, 9).” [3]

In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when we run from God, we feel it is to escape his punishment. But what we are actually doing is eluding his rescue.

[1] G. Michael Cocoris, Evangelism, a Biblical Approach (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 29. [2] Lex DeLong, TH601 Soteriology, Baptist Bible Seminary of Clarks Summit University, Jan. 2017, 1. [3] Ibid.