“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Rom 1:16-17)
The gospel reveals God’s way of saving man through Jesus Christ by grace through faith. Consider four facets of God’s way of saving man.
God’s way of salvation provides redemption for man. Lost man is a slave to sin and Satan. To redeem means to buy back. Redemption involves a Redeemer, a ransom price, and one who needs to be redeemed. Redemption requires the ransom price to be paid and the product delivered. Redemption is by God’s grace in Christ Jesus (Rom 3:24), paid through His precious blood (1 Pet 1:18-19). Christians are people who have been redeemed – bought, delivered, out of slavery to Satan, and into Christ Jesus.
God’s way of salvation provides justification for man. Lost man is guilty and condemned before God. To justify is to be acquitted of guilt and pronounced righteous. It means that one is acquitted of the guilt of his past sins because they are no longer imputed to him because he has been forgiven of them (Rom 4:7-8). Justification is by God’s grace through His blood of Jesus Christ (Rom 5:9). Christians are people who have been justified – declared righteous because their sins have been forgiven.
God’s way of salvation provides reconciliation for man. Lost man is separated by his sins from God (Isa 59:2) and an enemy of God (Rom 5:8, 10). To be reconciled means to be brought into favor with, to be changed from enemies to friends. Reconciliation is by God’s grace through the death of Christ (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21-22). Christians are people who have been reconciled to God – at peace with Him.
God’s way of salvation provides sanctification for man. Lost man is unholy and a voluntary servant of sin. To be sanctified is to be separated from profane things and dedicated to the service of God. Sanctification is by God’s grace through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:12). Christians are people who have been sanctified – set apart from serving uncleanness and lawlessness to serving God.
See that every one of these aspects of salvation is provided through the blood of Jesus Christ. But when are they accomplished or benefited in a man?
They are accomplished when the penitent believer is baptized into Christ. “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Rom 6:3). In baptism we are baptized into His death, receiving all four of these benefits of His death, which is when He shed His blood. The Corinthians were “washed… sanctified… justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Sanctification and justification occurred when they were washed, and what could their washing be except baptism? “And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8).
These provisions of the blood of Christ that describe different aspects of salvation are for every man, for He “died for all” (2 Cor 5:15). But they do not benefit every man, for “not all have faith” (2 Thess 3:2). Have these benefits been accomplished in you? If you have not “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine” (Rom 6:16), and that includes baptism in the name of Jesus, then these provisions have yet to benefit you. Without redemption, you are a slave to the master of sin. Without justification, you are condemned before God. Without reconciliation, you are an enemy of God. Without sanctification, you have not been separated from unholiness and dedicated to God. Won’t you do something about it by obeying the gospel? -Larry Jones