Thorburn-Sutherland's River Pastoral Charge

God of Wisdom, the Psalmist tells us your law is perfect, making the simple wise. Send us your Holy Spirit to focus our attention on your Word, so we may grow wiser as we learn to follow Jesus, your Living Word.

“Are you saved?” or “When were you saved?”, these are questions which I’m very uncomfortable with, yet they are quite commonly asked by our more evangelical brothers and sisters in Christ. For me personally, and I think for us in the Presbyterian Church, we’re much more reserved when it comes to such outward expressions of our faith.

And yet, it is a question of the utmost importance in our lives, perhaps one that does not need to be answered openly, but nevertheless one which we need to ask, and answer, for ourselves. And really, that crucial and quite simple question is, “Have you accepted the free gift of salvation from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”

And to answer that question we first need to understand exactly what salvation is. A formal, dictionary definition describes salvation as, “deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.” But it is much more than that, salvation includes the total work of God by which he seeks to rescue man from the power of sin and bestows upon him the wealth of his grace involving eternal life and eternal glory.

Salvation is another in the series of promises which Jesus made to mankind during his time here on earth, one which he kept through his sacrifice and death on the cross. So, let’s look closer at what salvation actually means to us and our relationship with God.

We often speak about the Gospel, or Good News, of Jesus Christ. Well, this is the heart of that message, that God has offered eternal salvation for all who will believe, through the work of his Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross of Calvary as the sin bearer of the world. To put it in simple terms, salvation was accomplished for mankind by Jesus dying on the cross to atone for our sins. Salvation is about transformation and redemption, offering a path out of our sin-filled lives and into a state of grace and peace. It is a promise of a better world, both in the here and now, and in the life to come.

When we look at the stubbornness and rebellion of man, it prompts the question, why should God want to save sinners? And especially, why should he want to give his only, and beloved Son, to die such a terrible death on the cross in order for us to have forgiveness for our sins?

Scripture’s answer is that salvation brings honour and glory to God, and it does so because it demonstrates the nature and character of his immense love for all mankind. Salvation reveals a number of things about God that bring glory to the person of God and shows us something of the reasons for salvation.

The salvation of the Bible also demonstrates the holiness of God. God provided salvation through the person and work of his Son because he is a holy God. In his love and grace God desired fellowship with man, but man’s rebellion and sin created a barrier between God and man that hindered any fellowship with man whatsoever because of God’s infinite holiness. Both God’s holiness and his love are satisfied, however, by the person and work of God’s Son, Jesus, so that man can be reconciled to God and fellowship restored.

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God that they might give a visible display of God’s character as they walked in company with him. But when God gave us free will, the human race fell through Adam and Eve’s sin. Our image was not only marred, but man lost the capacity for fellowship with God. Through salvation, God in his infinite love gives us another chance and the capacity for fellowship is restored and also is man’s ability to display the goodness of God. For Christianity, salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. Christians learn throughout scripture that Jesus' death on the cross was the once-for-all sacrifice that atoned for the sin of humanity.

Salvation is the free gift of God to man by grace through faith, completely aside from human works. Works in the life of a believer are tremendously important, but they are to be the result of receiving and putting to use God’s grace in the salvation they receive.

The story of salvation can be described in these four “P’s”; Plight, Provision, Promise, and finally Purpose.

1. Our plight: We were dead in sin.

Let’s start with the first of these, our plight. The Apostle Paul wrote, “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2) And this is the state we were in, life without Christ is a living death. We were living a life of trespasses and sins, not knowing the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

2. God’s provision: He makes us alive with Christ.

But then, in the midst of our helplessness and hopelessness, we have God’s provision. He sent his only begotten Son into the world to atone for our trespasses and sins. Once again, these words of Paul, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. … God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6, 8-11) That shows the extent of God’s love us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

3. God’s promise: To save us through faith.

Then thirdly, we have God’s promise, which is to save us by his grace and through our faith, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Our salvation is not something we earn through performance or penance but is a free gift from God through our faith.

4. Our purpose: To do deeds of service.

And finally, our purpose. After telling us that we have been saved by grace through faith Paul continues on to say, “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:10) We are not saved by our works, but we are saved for good works.  Works are the fruit of salvation, not the root of our salvation. As a community of faith, we’re to use our gifts while making sure our walk matches our talk. And while no one can do everything, everyone can do something. God encourages us to serve in different ways in different seasons of life.

The last words uttered by Jesus just before he died on the cross were, “It is finished.” And he was not referring to the end of his life or his ministry, but of his sufferings on the cross. By saying “It is finished.” he was declaring he had finished the special work of salvation which the Father had given him to accomplish. We speak of “the finished work of Christ” because there is nothing left to be done to provide man’s salvation. God has done it all in the person and work of his Son and he raised him from the dead as the proof of that very fact. This amazing promise of salvation is ours for the asking through our faith. The work of God in Christ is a once-and-for-all work of God accomplished in total by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

This is what we know. Jesus was born into the world. He was righteous and never sinned. He lived a perfect life, yet he died a sinner’s death. Jesus kept the law perfectly but died in the place of us who couldn’t keep the law. He is completely righteous, and he credited righteousness to us. The sin Jesus died for was ours, not his. His death paid for all the wrongs that we commit. And it is through Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we’re declared righteous by faith in his blood that was shed for us.

Our salvation has already been assured. Our responsibility is to accept this by faith, faith alone in Christ alone. He is our path to God the Father. The finished work of Christ includes not only deliverance from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. Faith in Christ for salvation means coming to him as the source of salvation from every aspect of sin through trusting in the accomplished work of Christ. He has removed the barrier that stands as a separation between us and God, paving the way in all circumstances, for a life rich in fellowship and a deep, personal connection with Him.

Let us Pray:

Heavenly Father, we know that we have sinned and can be separated from you, but we also know that Jesus Christ has died for our sins and offers us eternal life through a relationship with him. Because of this we place our trust in him as our personal Saviour. Thank you, heavenly Father, for saving us and giving us eternal life through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen