UNDERSTANDING SALVATION - PART 4

RECEIVING SALVATION

There are two major things we need to receive which was made ready at redemption. The sacrifice of the lamb was enough to bestow these assets of God unto men. The deposition was made at the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was made SIN. This is the SIN of the world. He was the only being to walk the earth without being ruled by SIN. Remember that sin had been ruling humanity and had enslaved them to perform its will. Jesus Christ was the only one who did not sinned. He was completely righteous.

Now you see why it is not what you do that is sin, Jesus Christ never sinned means he was not related with the nature of sin. There was no link between him and Adam. He was born of the Spirit. He said to Nicodemus “he that is born of the spirit is spirit…” he was born not of the seed that is sinful. This made him to be out of bound to Sin. Sin could not dominate him. He was holy, and perfectly righteous. It is a thing of the spirit, not the physical. Paul said “he knew no sin”…that is he has not partaken in the knowledge of good and evil. His source was not Adam, he was born by the Holy Spirit. This is vital because, what must redeem us all must not be like us. He must be someone different and worthy of the sacrifice. It would make no sense if someone who is sold under sin was offered to redeem mankind, which would just be a foolish thing. God’s plan was perfect; he destroyed sin with a lamb without blemish and spot.

When man fell from his position in Genesis, he lost two things.

1.       Life

2.       Righteousness

By life, we mean the life of God. Recall how we have comprehensively explained in the first lesson that man was connected to the Godhead and was living with the same life of God. That the spirit of man evolved from God. You see what happen to the Virgin Mary? That was exactly what happened to man at the garden of Creation. The spirit man proceed from God became human. John says “the word was made flesh”. That was the name of the Spirit that was entered into Mary, he is called the Word. He became Jesus the Christ. What man lost in the garden which Paul calls the “glory of God” is the very life of God and his righteousness. Recall who took dominion from man? Satan…he gave it to Sin…who took away our righteousness and Sin gave it to Death…who took away our life.

It is only when we get back this LIFE OF GOD and this RIGHTEOUSNESS that we become born again into the family of God. We become linked back to the Godhead. We become the just like God made us in the beginning. Since this is a spiritual affair, it is important that we understand this and that it will not immediately show on our body what we have received. The body has been sold to sin for long, it will take some time before what was deposited in the Spirit man begins to show forth in the body, but must first overcome the soul – who has been the steering since the fall.

Remember how we said the spirit of died means in-activeness, therefore the life of God that was received at salvation resurrected the Spirit man and was raised up into the heavens at the right hand of God.

The life made ready at redemption is called THE ETERNAL LIFE

The righteousness made ready at redemption is called THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

Both can ONLY be received by FAITH!

By just believing in the works of redemption, you receive the gifts: ETERNAL LIFE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

These two gifts are made available in your spirit

They are not visible

That is why it cannot be acquired by visible works

ETERNAL LIFE is a free gift you receive upon salvation by just believing in the FINISHED WORKS of Jesus Christ

RIGHTEOUSNESS by the law cannot save; you can only be saved by the righteousness of god. The same righteousness that saved Jesus Christ was given to you at the day he died as SIN. You can only receive it by believing.

It is important to note that the whole world is entitled to these two GIFTS

But WHOSOEVER BELIEVES will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE

WHOSOEVER BELIEVES NOT is condemned already!