Salvation in Christ

A Handbook for Discipleship


By Jon Zens

 

In John 5:39 Jesus said "The Scriptures bear witness of Me." He was referring to the Old Testament, Genesis through Malchi. When Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Deuteronomy), Jesus noted, "He wrote about Me" (John 5:46). After His resurrection, Jesus met two of His disciples and encouraged them by saying, "All the things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." When you read the Old Testament, look for promises about Jesus Christ: He is the Prophet we must listen to; He is the Priest who offers Himself up to God; He is the King who rules His people.

In the New Testament, The Gospel has come and commands us to believe in Christ, the One God promised in the Old Testament and sent in the fullness of time. What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the "Good News" that through belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ we can have forgiveness of sin and eternal life (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

But why did Jesus have to come into this world? He came because of our sin problem - we do things that displease God. But why are we sinful? Because the first people God created, Adam and Eve, fell into sin (they disobeyed God's will), and as a result we are born as sinners, and experience the wages of sin, death and eternal condemnation (Gen. 3:1-19; Romans 5:12; 3:23; John 3:18).

Because of our sinfulness, we are alienated from God. He is holy (without sin) and cannot allow wickedness in His presence. But Jesus was a very special person. He was both God and a human being. He never sinned during His life on earth, He always pleased His heavenly Father, and He gave His life as a sacrifice for sin. Being both God and human He could come between a holy God and sinful people (1 Tim. 2:5). His blood provided an atonement (covering) so that sinners could be pardoned. The third day after his death on the cross, Jesus was glorified and exalted when the Father raised Him from the dead. He appeared to many witnesses for forty days and then ascended to the right hand of the Father to make intercession for His people (Acts 1:9; Rom. 8:34). He will come again gloriously to receive His people unto Himself and to judge with everlasting punishment those who did not obey the gospel (2 Thess. 1:8-10).

After His resurrection, Jesus said that repentance from sin and forgiveness of sin must be proclaimed to all nations (Luke 24:47). Whenever people look to Jesus by faith for the forgiveness of sins, they also repent of their sins. Repentance means that a person has godly sorrow for his or her sins and turns from evil in order to practice righteousness (2 Cor. 7:1). Paul captured this gospel truth when he noted of the Thessalonian believers, "You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:9-10).

All who stop trusting in their works - in anything they do or perform - to be right with God, and look by faith to Jesus Christ as their substitute are accepted by God. God no longer sees the sins of those who believe in Christ, but sees the perfect life and work of His Son (Rom. 3:21; 5:18-19). The New Testament calls this "justification" - God accepting sinful people on the basis of Christ's finished work (Rom. 4:1-8). In Luke 18 Jesus gave the story of a tax-collector who was convicted of his sinfulness. He did not compare himself to others. He knew his best efforts could not satisfy God's demands. Instead he beat upon his breast and said, "God be merciful to me the sinner." Jesus said, "I tell you, this man went back to his home justified" (Luke 18:14).

In order to stand before God we must be holy. Since we are very unholy in His sight, we must look outside of ourselves to Jesus alone who is holy and perfect. We will all stand before God's judgement some day. We will either stand there in our sins and be condemned, or stand before Him clothed in the righteousness (perfection) of Christ.

All of us tend to think that God will accept us into His presence because of something we do. Perhaps we think that if our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds, He will accept us on Judgment Day. But it is only what Jesus did that God accepts. God only accepts people who are "in Christ." We can only come to God through His Son. Have you ceased from your own works and rested your soul in the work of Christ? Are you trusting in Christ's life, death, burial and resurrection alone for your salvation? May the Holy Spirit bring you to cry out, as did the tax-collector, "God be merciful to me the sinner, through your Son Jesus Christ."

Baptism

After His resurrection, Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20).

If you have faith in Jesus for salvation, you have become His disciple. Jesus has commanded that His disciples be baptized with water. It was promised that after Jesus' resurrection He would "baptize with the Spirit" (Matt. 3:11). On the Day of Pentecost, the exalted Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon His people (Acts 2:33). That day about 3000 people believed in Jesus, and those who received the word of the Gospel were baptized with water (Acts 2:41).

When the Gospel extended beyond the Jews and the Gentile nations, "the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out" upon them also, and Peter said, "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just like we did" (Acts 10:45,47).

"Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:21-22). If you are a believer now, you could be baptized by the person who first shared Jesus with you, or by someone in the group of Christians with whom you are fellowshipping.

Following Jesus Christ

Jesus said to all those who had come to Him for salvation, "Take up your cross and follow Me" (Mat.. 16:24). The apostle Paul asserted that Christ died so that all His people should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them (2 Cor. 5:15). If you have indeed come to Christ for salvation from your sins, you must live a life that pleases Him and not yourself. Because He loved you first, you must love Him and His people fervently and keep His commandments (1 John 4:7-11, 19-20).

The Law of Christ

What are Christ's commandments? How can I know what pleases Him? The greatest command of our Lord is love. In Galatians 6:2, Paul said that by bearing the burdens of others, we fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ was stated by Jesus in John 13:34: "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, you must love one another." All of His commands flow out of this singular law to love others (John 15:10-13). Paul summed this up in Ephesians 5:2: "Live a life of love."

The Sermon on the Mount

What shape will a life of love take? The best answer is found in Matthew's Gospel, chapters 5-7 (also Luke 6:20-49), where Jesus gives important teachings to His disciples, commonly called "The Sermon on the Mount." There is much evidence to suggest that in the early church Matthew 5-7 was used as a "handbook" to teach converts how to please the Lord in their daily walk with Christ. From the Sermon on the Mount we can glean at least ten major points concerning our life of loving obedience to Christ.

  1. In order for our worship of God to be valid, we must first be sure we are reconciled to our brothers and sisters in Christ (Matt. 5:21-24). If we know or sense that there is a rupture in our relationship with another believer, it is our responsibility to go and seek reconciliation. Jesus said that this duty is so important that acts of worship must be interrupted in order to pursue the repairing of a broken relationship. This illustrates that we are deceived if we think we can have a deep relationship with God while our relationships with other believers are unreconciled (see Matt. 6:14-15).

  2. It is not enough to abstain from the outward acts of sin, like adultery. Our innermost thoughts must be pure, that is, we must not even look on others with lust. We must take sin very seriously, and mortify the deeds of the flesh (Matt. 5:27-30; Rom. 8:13). In Jesus' day there were many religious leaders who prided themselves in how outwardly pure they were. But Jesus pointed out that inwardly they were filled with lust and evil thoughts, and that the "sinners" they condemned would enter His kingdom instead of them. Jesus pronounced "Blessedness" on the pure in heart, not upon those who strictly conformed to an outward code.

  3. Disciples of Jesus are to be marked by truthful speech (Matt. 5:33-37). Regarding Jesus words, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No,'" John W. Miller observes: Societies continue to employ the oath as a way of supporting truth and discouraging the lie. For disciples of Jesus, however, all that is unnecessary. Here is simple truth itself is the rule. Jesus wants us at all times to be direct, clear, and simple in our speech, saying what we mean, no more and no less . . . Anyone who wants to be a disciple and participate in the life of the Christian fellowship must declare his earnest desire and intention to speak the truth from his heart.

  4. In a world filled with violence and schemes for revenge, Jesus' people are to love, do good, and pray for their enemies (Matt. 5:38-39; 43-48). When wronged we all have a tendency to strike back at those who hurt us. The way Jesus requires that we never render evil for evil, or seek revenge, but instead overcome evil by doing good to our enemies (Rom. 12:17-21).

    Nothing characterizes our world more than conditional relationships: "I will be nice to you only as long as you are nice to me; I will help you only as long as you help me; I will give aid to you as long as you gave aid to me." But those who follow Jesus are to show a new way of love with no strings attached. "If you mistreat me, I will give you food and water; I will give to you with no concern about receiving anything back; if you curse me, I will return words of kindness; I will show love to you even if you continue to hate me."

    The example in this way of life is God Himself. He shows innumerable kindnesses to those who hate Him and are ungrateful. In spite of the wickedness of humans, God persists in His kindness to them (Luke 6:35). Thus Jesus exhorts His people to "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).

  5. Christ's disciples must do good works in the presence of God, not in order to be seen by people (Matt. 6:1-8, 16-18). Jesus taught that when we give to others in need, or when we pray and fast, we must never do these things to impress onlookers, but we must act as those under the eye of God "who sees what is done in secret" and rewards accordingly (Matt. 6:18).

  6. The community of believers is to be a place where forgiveness can be found (Matt. 6:12-15). When we ask God to forgive our sins, a question then confronts us: Have we forgiven those who have sinned against us? Jesus stated that "if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." In order for us to be freely forgiven by the Father, we must first have forgiven those who have wronged us. This again shows us how important it is to maintain our relationships with those around us. We cannot harbor hatred and bitterness toward other people and expect to have fellowship with our Lord. We must not allow the sun to go down while we are still angry (Eph. 4:26).

  7. Jesus' people must "set their affections on things above" (Col.3:1), and not on the things of this life. They must trust in the eternal God whom they cannot see, not in the temporal things that can be seen (Matt. 6:19-34). Jesus knew that His followers would be tempted and allured by the things of the world, so He bid them to lay up treasures in heaven. He let it be known that people must choose between God and Money. Believers do not need to trust or seek the vanities of this life because the Lord is committed to caring for His flock on earth. Jesus gave these comforting words: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear ... Your heavenly Father knows what you need." As we seek His kingdom first He will care of our daily needs as He sees fit.

  8. Because there are so many false anti-gospel voices, Christ instructed His people to be discerning and observe the fruit in those who profess to lead the church (Matt. 7:15-23). We tend to think that because some persons appear to do great things for Christ, that they are stars in His kingdom. However, Jesus solemnly warned that "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus went on to say that there would be many in the last day who would claim to have taught, to have cast out demons, and to have done other wonderful works in His name, but He will affirm to them then that they were never His people and will cast them from His presence. Because of the presence of false teachers and Antichrists, Christians cannot believe every spirit, but must test the spirits to see if they are of God (1 John 4:1).

  9. The teachings of Jesus are the only sure foundation upon which to build our lives. Everything in the Christian life must be based on flow out of what Jesus has done for us in His redemptive work ("as I have loved you") and said to us as Lord ("I say to you") (Matt. 7:24-29). People who hear the words of Christ and fail or refuse to practice them build lives that are headed for a great crash when the storms of life come upon them. But His disciples hear His words, practice them, and build their lives upon the rock, Christ Jesus. When Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine," He specifically had in view the cluster of teachings found in Matthew 5-7, which we call the "Sermon on the Mount." It is upon this central core of Jesus' teachings that we must build our lives to the glory of God.



"When Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were amazed at His teachings, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matt. 7:28-29). Indeed, Jesus' teachings call disciples to a radical life of loving, unselfish sacrifice. Anyone who seeks to follow the Sermon on the Mount seriously by God's grace will be marked as a "different" person, a person refusing to be squeezed into the mold of the world's ways of doing things.

Fellowship in the Body

Baptism in the Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:13 tells us, "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were given the one Spirit to drink." God saves people one by one as individuals. However, this text informs us that salvation in Christ brings individuals into a body. If we belong to Christ then we are also part of His body on earth. At least 58 times the New Testament uses the phrase "one another" to describe the close, committed relationship Christians are to have with others in the body of Christ. We are commanded to "love one another fervently," to "pray for one another," to "encourage one another," to "edify one another," and to "be at peace with one another." The responsibilities and privileges of being "members one of another" flow out of our relationship to Jesus Christ: "A new commandment I give you, to love one another, as I have loved you" (John 13:34).

Assemblies appeared as the Gospel was preached. In cities and localities where the gospel was proclaimed, beginning at Jerusalem, clusters of believers came into being. Thus Paul could speak of "the assembly at Ephesus," "all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi," "the assembly of the Thessalonians," and "the assembly of God in Corinth." It was assumed by the apostles of Christ that after people experienced salvation in Christ, that they would work together with other believers in their city for mutual edification and the spread of the gospel. The commands in the New Testament make no sense unless it is assumed that believers were in a committed relationship with one another. For example, what meaning would "tell it to the assembly" (Matt. 18:17) have without the assumption that brothers and sisters were in an accountable relationship with one another?

The gifts of the Spirit. In Ephesians 4 we are told that when Christ triumphantly ascended to the right hand of God, He gave gifts to all of His people on earth. The body of Christ cannot be healthy without the proper input and function of each part (Eph. 4:16). Paul stated, "Now to each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good... The Body is not made up of one part but of many" (1 Cor. 12:7, 14). Each of us has a unique and important contribution to make to the building up of Christ's work on earth.

This dimension was underscored at the outset of the church's beginning on the day of Pentecost. When the Spirit was poured out upon the 120 disciples, both men and women, they spoke the wonders of God in many foreign languages. Some in the crowd supposed that the disciples were drunk with wine. But Peter responded to what was happening by quoting from the Old Testament prophet, Joel:

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy... Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." (Acts 2:17-18).

When the Spirit baptizes people into the body of Christ, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, rich or poor, Christ gives gifts of the Spirit to all of His people - men, women, and children. The impression has been given in the history of the church that Christ mainly gifts men, especially as men filled the so-called office of the "clergy." However, Acts 2:17-18 indicates that prophesying is a function of both men and women.

1 Corinthians 14. This passage more than any other in the New Testament gives us some insight into the gatherings of believers. The centrality of the practice of "prophesy" in these gatherings is obvious, as it mentioned at least ten times in 1 Cor. 14. Paul was concerned that truth was communicated plainly in Christian meetings: "in the assembly I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue" (1 Cor. 14:19). Paul designates such intelligible speech as "prophesying." He goes on to say, "For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged" (1 Cor. 14:31). In light of Acts 2, 1 Cor. 11:5 ("every woman who prays or prophesies") and 1 Cor. 14 ("You may all prophesy"), there is no valid reason to limit edifying speech in the assembly to men. Paul assumes the potential participation of all in the meeting: "When you come together, each one has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the assembly" (1 Cor. 14:26).

We need one another in our walk with Christ. Because we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ's body, we are meant to live our Christian lives in fellowship with other believers. Two passages in Hebrews emphasize the purpose of Christ to use our care for one another as we live in a sinful world. In Hebrews 3:14 we are told, "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly until the end of the confidence we had at first." The author has in view what Christ spoke of when He said, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). But what means does God intend to use as we persevere to the end? Hebrews 3:12 answers this question by saying, "See to it, brethren, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." As we face the onslaughts of the obstacles and temptations in the wilderness of this world, we desperately need the mutual encouragement that Christ desires among His people.

In Hebrews 10:24-26 we are taught the same perspective. The writer speaks of those who renounce their profession of Christ and return to the futile religions of this age. What is the remedy given in this context to avoid such a calamity? It is precisely parallel to that found in Hebrews 3.

In Hebrews 10:24-26 we are taught the same perspective. The writer speaks of those who renounce their profession of Christ and return to the futile religions of this age. What is the remedy given in the this context to avoid such a calamity? It is precisely parallel to that found in Hebrews 3.

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good works. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:24-25).

Hebrews 3 emphasizes our need of daily encouragement. Hebrews 10 underscores our need for encouragement as we gather together during the week. In both settings it is important to stress that mutual care is the revealed means for us to be kept on the narrow road that leads to life.

Freedom in Christ

In Galatians 5:1 Paul stated that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." During the times of the early church there were two basic threats to the freedom which Christ purchased for believers on the cross. The first was the teaching that believers had to keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved (Acts 15:2,5). The other was that a spiritual person would keep various man-made rules, like abstaining from certain meats. The answer of the New Testament to both of these false teachings was found in the cross of Christ.

Jesus' redemptive work fulfilled the law and thereby abolished it (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14; Rom. 3:21; Matt. 5:17). The Jews were designated as being "under law." Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians said to be "under law." Instead, believers are "in-law to Christ" (1 Cor. 9:21). The Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came in Jesus Christ (John 1:17). The Law had a specific beginning 430 years after the promise to Abraham, and this Mosaic era came to an end with Christ's advent (Gal. 3:24-25).

The Law kept the Jews separate from the Gentiles. Thus, in order for Christ to bring Jews and Gentiles into one body, the Law had to be removed as a barrier. This Christ did in His work on the cross (Eph. 2:14-15). Christ fulfilled perfectly all the requirements of the Law, and then instituted a New Covenant which was ratified by the shedding of His blood. Just as Moses gave laws to Israel under the Old Covenant, so Christ gave His commandments to His body on earth under the New Covenant.

Believers, then, are not under the administration of Moses. They are under Christ's headship. Thus, the New Testament states that Christians are "led by the Spirit" and "under grace," not "under law" (Gal. 5:18; Rom. 6:14). Grace, not the Law, teaches the saints to pursue good works and to abstain from worldly lusts (Titus 2:11-12). Believers are to give themselves to bearing the burdens of others, thus fulfilling the Law of Christ to love one another (Gal. 6:2). If Christians are distracted by false teachers to bear the yoke of the Law, then they lose their joy and assume a burden that no one has ever been able to bear (Acts 15:10). The way of blessedness is to hear God's beloved Son and act upon His example and commandments (John 13:17).

On the cross, Jesus conquered all principalities, powers and man-made philosophies (Col. 2:8,15). Certain false teachers taught believers that spirituality was attained by observing various days and seasons, and by adhering to rigorous man-made rules, like "touch not, taste not and handle not" (Col. 2:21). The reply of Paul was "if you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why submit to its rules? . . . . Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration, or a sabbath day" (Col. 2:20,16). Jesus triumphed over all of these things on the cross with the result that His people are free to seek His kingdom first.

The importance and the goal of Christian liberty (Gal. 5:13). The liberty Christ obtained for His people has a specific goal. "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge your sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." Christians must be free in order to serve their neighbor. That is why Paul was so upset when false teachers sought to put believers into various forms of bondage. He knew that if their liberty was taken away, they would be distracted from the priorities of Christ's kingdom. Some of Paul's strongest words were against those who threatened the liberty of Christians: "It was because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you" (Gal. 2:4-5).

Glory in the Cross of Christ

The apostle Paul exclaimed, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14). In the main points of this study we can clearly see the centrality of the cross:



It is my prayer that the things we have considered will help you as you endeavor to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). May the Holy Spirit teach you what Jesus meant when he said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). - Jon Zens