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The "Parts" of Salvation
We're going to explore the role the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Man play in salvation. We'll use John 3:16 as our text.
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
THE PART GOD THE FATHER PLAYS
"God so loved the world…"
Our salvation is motivated by the Father's love for us.
When my wife and I decided to start a family the purpose was to have children that we could love and who would love us. In the same way God created us so that He could love us and we could love Him.
God made you in His image so that He could enjoy you (Colossians 1:16). He doesn't just love us collectively, but individually. He knows when you stand up or sit down and knows your every thought. He lovingly knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139). And He calls us His children (Matthew 6:26). "How great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).
But we've sinned and are separated from Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23). God is not only a loving God, He's also a just God and so He declared that the price for sinning would be death (Romans 6:23).
But true love isn't just expressed through words, it's also (and more importantly) expressed through actions. And so God set forth a plan that would restore the relationship between Him and His creation. He would offer creation a pardon and at the same time prove how great His love for us is.
THE PART GOD THE SON PLAYS
"…He gave His only begotten Son…"
So how could God satisfy the price of sin and, at the same time, offer a pardon? He would pay the penalty Himself. God the Son -- Jesus Christ -- the image of the invisible God, motivated by love, came to be an offering for our sins (Colossians 1:15; John 15:13; Romans 3:24-26)
He came as both God and Man (John 1:1,14). He had to be a Man because death was the penalty He came to pay and God cannot die. And He had to be God because when a human dies he dies for his own sin and only One who is sinless can pay for the sins of another.
The Father showed the world that Jesus' sacrifice was accepted as payment for our sins when He raised Him from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:4). Our sins have been paid for. The gap between God and Man has been bridged. Without Jesus there is no salvation and our faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15-19). He is our salvation (Luke 2:29) and the only way to the Father. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
It brings to mind the great hymn in which we sing:
"What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus."
How do you know you have value? How do you know God really loves you? You know because He gave the most valuable possession He had in exchange for a relationship with you - the life of His Son and our savior Jesus Christ.
THE PART MAN PLAYS
"…whoever believes in Him should not perish…"
Whoever believes in Jesus, whoever accepts His death on the cross as payments for their sins, will go to heaven. There's no work on our part that's needed. Our work is sinful and is what separated us from God in the first place (Romans 3:23). Salvation is a free gift from God and we call that gift "grace".
"By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
To receive grace means to receive undeserved favor.
And again, "We have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (Romans 5:2)
In other words, God send us grace through faith the same way we use the internet to send you this bible study. The internet acts as a road in which this study can travel to your computers. Faith acts as a road in which grace can travel into your heart.
Or maybe Charles Spurgeon explained it best when he described faith as "believing that Christ is what He is said to be [our Savior], and that He will do what He has promised to do [forgive us our sins and give us eternal life if we believe in Him], and then to expect this of Him.
Grace is offered to the whole world but only given to those who ask for it. Man's part in salvation is simply to accept God's grace.
"Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?"
THE PART GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT PLAYS
"…but have everlasting life"
We have placed the Holy Spirit at the end of our study but He also belongs in the beginning because it's the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sin and need for a Savior (John 16:8)
So the Father sends the Son. The Son pays for our sins, and the Holy Spirit convicts us to accept the Son as our Savior. Through faith we accept Jesus. Now what?
Now the Holy Spirit comes back into our lives this time to apply salvation to the believer.
The Holy Spirit lives within the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19), causes our sinful nature to be born again (Titus 3:5), baptizes us into the family of God (1 Corinthians 12:13), helps us to understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:9-13), guides us (Romans 8:14), strengthens our faith (Ephesians 3:16-19), and serves as the guarantee of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Article: The Parts of Salvation - BibleStudyPlanet.com
We're going to explore the role the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Man play in salvation. We'll use John 3:16 as our text.
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
THE PART GOD THE FATHER PLAYS
"God so loved the world…"
Our salvation is motivated by the Father's love for us.
When my wife and I decided to start a family the purpose was to have children that we could love and who would love us. In the same way God created us so that He could love us and we could love Him.
God made you in His image so that He could enjoy you (Colossians 1:16). He doesn't just love us collectively, but individually. He knows when you stand up or sit down and knows your every thought. He lovingly knit you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139). And He calls us His children (Matthew 6:26). "How great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).
But we've sinned and are separated from Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23). God is not only a loving God, He's also a just God and so He declared that the price for sinning would be death (Romans 6:23).
But true love isn't just expressed through words, it's also (and more importantly) expressed through actions. And so God set forth a plan that would restore the relationship between Him and His creation. He would offer creation a pardon and at the same time prove how great His love for us is.
THE PART GOD THE SON PLAYS
"…He gave His only begotten Son…"
So how could God satisfy the price of sin and, at the same time, offer a pardon? He would pay the penalty Himself. God the Son -- Jesus Christ -- the image of the invisible God, motivated by love, came to be an offering for our sins (Colossians 1:15; John 15:13; Romans 3:24-26)
He came as both God and Man (John 1:1,14). He had to be a Man because death was the penalty He came to pay and God cannot die. And He had to be God because when a human dies he dies for his own sin and only One who is sinless can pay for the sins of another.
The Father showed the world that Jesus' sacrifice was accepted as payment for our sins when He raised Him from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:4). Our sins have been paid for. The gap between God and Man has been bridged. Without Jesus there is no salvation and our faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15-19). He is our salvation (Luke 2:29) and the only way to the Father. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
It brings to mind the great hymn in which we sing:
"What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus."
How do you know you have value? How do you know God really loves you? You know because He gave the most valuable possession He had in exchange for a relationship with you - the life of His Son and our savior Jesus Christ.
THE PART MAN PLAYS
"…whoever believes in Him should not perish…"
Whoever believes in Jesus, whoever accepts His death on the cross as payments for their sins, will go to heaven. There's no work on our part that's needed. Our work is sinful and is what separated us from God in the first place (Romans 3:23). Salvation is a free gift from God and we call that gift "grace".
"By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
To receive grace means to receive undeserved favor.
And again, "We have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (Romans 5:2)
In other words, God send us grace through faith the same way we use the internet to send you this bible study. The internet acts as a road in which this study can travel to your computers. Faith acts as a road in which grace can travel into your heart.
Or maybe Charles Spurgeon explained it best when he described faith as "believing that Christ is what He is said to be [our Savior], and that He will do what He has promised to do [forgive us our sins and give us eternal life if we believe in Him], and then to expect this of Him.
Grace is offered to the whole world but only given to those who ask for it. Man's part in salvation is simply to accept God's grace.
"Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?"
THE PART GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT PLAYS
"…but have everlasting life"
We have placed the Holy Spirit at the end of our study but He also belongs in the beginning because it's the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sin and need for a Savior (John 16:8)
So the Father sends the Son. The Son pays for our sins, and the Holy Spirit convicts us to accept the Son as our Savior. Through faith we accept Jesus. Now what?
Now the Holy Spirit comes back into our lives this time to apply salvation to the believer.
The Holy Spirit lives within the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19), causes our sinful nature to be born again (Titus 3:5), baptizes us into the family of God (1 Corinthians 12:13), helps us to understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:9-13), guides us (Romans 8:14), strengthens our faith (Ephesians 3:16-19), and serves as the guarantee of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Article: The Parts of Salvation - BibleStudyPlanet.com
