Jesus Christ is the Lord God. Salvation is through Faith in Him alone plus nothing else

The Necessity of Salvation

What is God’s attitude toward sin?

Because God is absolutely holy, He cannot approve or excuse sin.  Because He is absolutely just, He must punish sin wherever He finds it.  He has decreed that “the wages of sin is death.”  Romans 6:23.

What is God’s attitude toward the sinner?

God loves the creatures whom He has made.  While He does not love sin, yet He does love the sinners.  Romans 5:8.

What is God’s desire with regard to all sinners?

God’s desire for all is that they be saved.  He does not want them to perish.  2 Peter 3:9.

What problem was raised by the entrance of sin into the world?

It raised the problem as to how God could save ungodly sinners and still be righteous in doing so.  Romans 3:26.

Why was this a problem?

God’s love desired the salvation of sinners.  Ezekiel 33:11.  Yet because of His holiness, He could not permit sinful creatures to enter His heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.  In fact, His justice demanded that all sinners must die as a result of their sins.  Hebrews 9:27.  The problem then was this; how could God’s love be satisfied without violating His holiness and His justice?

What would have happened if God had done nothing?

All sinners would have perished in hell.  Psalm 9:17.

Isn’t God too good to send men to hell?

God is good but He is also righteous and holy.  No one of His attributes can triumph at the expense of another.  His love can only be exercised in a righteous, holy way.

Would God have been right if He had done nothing?

Yes.  Then we all would have received exactly what we deserved.  But God’s love impelled Him to action.

How could God solve this problem?

He could solve it only by finding a substitute to die in the place of the guilty sinner.

What requirements would such a substitute have to meet?

First of all, he would have to be a man; otherwise the substitution would not be a fair one.   

Then he must be a sinless man.  If he was not sinless, he would have to die for his own sins.

Thirdly, he must be God, since the Substitute must be able to put away an endless number of sins of an endless number of people.

Finally, he must be willing to die for sinners; otherwise Satan would charge God with unjustly making an innocent victim die unwillingly for guilty rebels.

Could such a substitute be found?

Yes, God found a Substitute Who met all these requirements in the person of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 53:4, 5.

Extracted from God’s Answers to Man’s Questions

October 28 2009 | Sharing | No Comments »

After Salvation – What?

What is the first thing a person should do after he has trusted Christ?

Common courtesy would suggest that he thank the Lord for saving his soul.  Luke 17:14-19.

Is it necessary to confess Christ to others?

Confession is not necessary to obtain salvation, but it is certainly necessary for growth in the Christian life.  No one can ever expect to advance in the things of God who is ashamed of his Saviour.  Matthew 10:32, 33; Romans 10:9, 10; 1 Peter 3:15.

How does a person go about confessing Christ?

It is simply a matter of telling others what great things the Lord has done for you.  Mark 5:19.

How long should a new convert wait until he is baptised?

Obedience should be prompt.  Baptism is a lovely opportunity to publicly identify oneself with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.  By this act we are saying that we deserved to die but that Christ died for us.  Therefore, when He died, we really died, because He died in our place.  We witness that we likewise were buried with Him, and that we rose with Him to walk in newness of Life.  Romans 6:3-10.

Does baptism give us merit before God as far as salvation is concerned?

No, baptism is an act of obedience to the teaching of the Lord Jesus.  Those believers who die without being baptised will be unbaptised for all eternity.

How should a young convert know which church to join?

First of all, he should realize that he became a member of the true church, the body of Christ, whenever he was saved.  1 Corinthians 12:13.

In addition, he should seek to identify himself with some local church where Christ is acknowledged as Head, where the Bible is accepted as the only guide, where the two ordinances of the church (baptism and the Lord’s Supper) are observed, where a good teaching ministry is carried on, and where the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed.

In associating with Christians, he should feel a deep sense of responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the fellowship by loving service, fervent prayer and sacrificial giving.

What do you consider the most important things which a Christian should do each day?

Spend time in the Word of God and in prayer each day, and confess and forsake sin whenever it is allowed into one’s life.  Psalm 119:9,11.

Extracted from ‘God’s Answers to Man’s Questions’

October 26 2009 | Sharing | No Comments »