We Believe: Salvation is from the Lord
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Gifts
Gifts
We have all recieved gifts at one time or another. Some were good, some were bad, and on rare occasion they were perfect.
We aren’t going to talk about the bad gifts, instead I want to talk about the difference between a good gift and a perfect gift.
Both are thoughtful but a good gift winds up in the attic or in a garage sale while the perfect gift you keep forever . . . even when it gets worn out.
Both take into account who you are but a good gift might be the wrong size while the perfect gift you can wear right out of the package.
Both gifts you are thankful for but a good gift touches your heart because of who gave it while a perfect gift impacts your life well beyond the moment of the giving and receiving.
Today we get to talk about the greatest gift. God sent his son Jesus so that we could be saved. Salvation is the greatest gift man could ever receive.
Today we are going to talk about salvation. In our statements on what we believe we have included a statement on salvation. Here is our statement.
Salvation
Salvation
We believe salvation is an act of God whereby man is redeemed from sin and death and is brought by grace into a state of righteousness and life.
According to His will, God elects, calls, regenerates, justifies, adopts, sanctifies, and ultimately glorifies all who are saved.
Through the work of Christ and the regeneration of the Spirit, man believes, repents, confesses, and is saved.
Salvation is a gift from God
Salvation is a gift from God
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
When the Bible says that God is responsible for:
Choosing us
Offering Himself to us
Making us able to receive the offer
Making us right with himself
Making us a part of his family
. . . this is all included in the gift of salvation.
As we discussed mankind over the last two weeks we discovered how amazing we were created in the beginning and how bad our sin is.
Notice again verse 9
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
God gives perfect gifts! This perfect gift is complete, lacking in nothing.
Salvation is complete!
Salvation is complete!
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Notice the progression in verse 30:
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
This gift is a start to finish, all inclusive, total package kind of gift. God sees it through from start to finish.
Look at verse 29 again with me:
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
We are being conformed to the image of his Son. We are being made like Jesus. Part of salvation is on ongoing process known as sanctification. This is the process that God takes each of us on from the day we are saved until the day we are glorified.
This perfect gift from God is completely done by Him. All that is left is for those He calls to receive the gift.
Salvation must be received by faith and evidenced by the act of a regenerated will in confession.
Salvation must be received by faith and evidenced by the act of a regenerated will in confession.
We receive it by faith
We receive it by faith
As we saw in Ephesians salvation is by faith. We don’t create it through works or through some form of spiritual reparations. We believe that God has given it to us and we receive it.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
We then respond in belief and confession
We then respond in belief and confession
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
We confess the Good News!
We confess that God has saved us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.
We confess that the Holy Spirit fills us and strengthens us to do the works which God has laid out for us to do.
Salvation is the best gift ever!
Salvation is the best gift ever!
What do we do in light of our salvation?
We tell others the Good News!
What if we all told one person this week?
What if we all walked in here with stories to tell of the people we shared our faith with?
What if they were sitting next to us and told their story themselves?
Let’s go turn those what if’s into action!