Sunday, June 17, 2018
Guest Speaker Stephen Rickard
The Feast of Trumpets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nAjkDRTk4

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - Eph 6:17
The Armor of God, Pt. 29, The Helmet of Salvation, Pt. 8
The Meaning of Salvation -
New Situation, New Self, New Steps, Pt. 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w89xUcgG-k

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.  

Vs. 17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The Meaning of Salvation, Pt. 3. We can group the Bible’s many images of salvation into three distinct categories: New Situation, New Self, and New Steps.

1. New Situation: Salvation means our legal status has changed, and we have new rights and responsibilities based on our union with Jesus Christ because of our: Redemption, Justification, Adoption, and Reconciliation.

2. New Self: Salvation as inner change.

Next, we have the “New Self.” This means that to be “In Christ” is to undergo inward renewal, 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15.

2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

This means that we have a new subjective condition, a new self, to go along with new objective status of our new situation, noted above. It means that because of our new situation being “In Christ,” we are to live for Christ.

One of the most striking images of this inner transformation is Jesus’ metaphor of rebirth, being “born again,” John 3:3-7; cf. 1 Peter 1:23.

1 Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”

The need for this inner renewal was perceived by the psalmist in Psa 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

As a macrocosm to the spiritual life of the Church Age believers, the prophets foresaw a time of national renewal and spiritual cleansing for Israel, Ezek 36:25-28, when God would make a new covenant by writing His law on people’s hearts, Jer 31:31; Heb 10:16.

Ezek 36:25-27, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Paul exhorts all believers to walk in the newness of this rebirth we have received, as Jesus’ resurrection is a sign that the new life has already begun. Because believers share in Christ’s resurrection, Paul can refer to the “new man,” which is the reborn spiritual nature inside of the believer that provides for his personal relationship and walk with Jesus Christ, Rom 6:4; 8:1; Eph 2:10, Col 2:6.

Rom 6:4, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

Col 2:6, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”

John also exhorts the believer to walk in the newness of life, 1 John 1:7.

1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

God calls upon men and women who are “In Christ” to put off their old natures and be renewed in the spirit of their minds, Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10.

Rom 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ²And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Eph 4:22-24, “That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, ²³and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Col 3:9-10, “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, ¹⁰and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”

The “New Self” designates a new power and a new orientation to life, which is described as a renewal of God’s image in humanity, defined by Christ. To be born anew means, to join in the new humanity of the Second Adam, to be made more Christ-like through the renewal of one’s inner nature by the Holy Spirit, John 1:13; Titus 3:5.

Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

Therefore, as part of our salvation past, present, and future, being “In Christ,” having been made a new creation, a new spiritual species, we are to walk in that new nature consistently, allowing God’s transforming work to occur within our souls through the intake and application of Bible Doctrine through the power and filling of God the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:23-24, “And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

3. New Steps: Salvation as behavioral change.

The company of the saved, as a result of their union with Christ, rebirth, and gift of Christ’s Spirit are expected to live differently.

Not only the natures but the actions and interpersonal relations of the saved are transformed, Gal 5:22-25. 1 John also provides special emphasis on the moral and spiritual implications of our rebirth.

Gal 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

1 John 2:6, “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

James’ epistle demonstrates that as a result of salvation by faith, a new way of life should emerge that is filled with Divine Good Production, good works, which are the evidence of faith, James 2:24f. Therefore, salvation received in faith is expressed in good works performed in faith, rendering that believer a “vessel of honor,” 2 Tim 2:21-22.

Christ gave himself for the Church not only to change our legal standing before God, but also “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word ... that she would be holy and without blemish,” Eph 5:25-27; cf. Col 1:22; Heb 9:14.

Col 1:22, “Yet, He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

Heb 9:14, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

The body of the saved give evidence of their new natures by walking according to the Spirit, and in particular by the quality of their love for one another, 1 John 4:7.

1 John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

Therefore, the meaning of Salvation to the believer is that they have a “New Situation,” an objective change to their legal status before God. What signifies this new status is that they have been redeemed, justified, adopted, and reconciled by God through the work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross and the resultant ministry of the Holy Spirit. With that, believers have a “New Self,” an inner change that means to be “In Christ” is to undergo inward renewal. This is first accomplished by the regeneration of your human spirit at the moment of your conversion, and then the continued renewal of your mind by the intake and application of God’s Word through the filling of God the Holy Spirit. That then leads to the “New Steps,” or behavioral change we are to undergo as a result of our salvation with the result of producing Divine Good, the Fruit of the Spirit. Believers are expected to live differently in this world because of the Christ-like nature that is developed within. This is the demonstration of our salvation to God and to a lost and dying world.

Summary.

Taken together, the biblical imagery for salvation makes up a three-dimensional description: Salvation is an objectively new situation, a new self, and a new way of life that is past fact, present experience, and future hope, and partakes of the economy of the gift of God’s own triune life; Father, Son, and Spirit, to those who do not deserve it. To be among the body of the saved is to be united with Him who is, “the way, the truth, and the life,” John 14:6. It is to enjoy a New Situation, (the truth of our life in Christ), a New Self, (the life of the Spirit of Christ in us), and a New Way of life, (the way of righteousness defined by Christ). With all this said, the Bible’s controlling image of salvation is neither of a process nor of a promise, but of a person, Psa 27:1a, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” 2 Cor 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Sunday, June 10, 2018 - Ephesians 6:17

The Armor of God, Pt. 28, The Helmet of Salvation, Pt. 7,

The Meaning of Salvation - New Situation, New Self, New Steps, Pt. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONvLnGzGlkA

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.  

Vs. 17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The Meaning of Salvation, Pt. 2

The benefits of your union with Christ are described in various ways. We can group the Bible’s many images into three distinct categories: new situation, new self, new steps. As we have seen and will see below, salvation in the Bible is a three-dimensional phenomenon, (Past, Present, Future; New Situation, New Self, New Steps; involving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). In this section we are going to note the categories of new situation, new self, and new steps.

New Situation: - Salvation as objective change.

To be saved means that your legal status has changed, that you have acquired new rights and responsibilities as a result of your union with Jesus Christ. Four leading images depict the new situation brought about by God’s saving work.

1. The image of “Redemption,” is that of a marketplace where things are bought and sold. It signifies a transaction where an exchange is made for payment. Cf. Ex 21:30; Psa 49:8.

Redemption means: Jesus’ life was the “ransom payment” for our sins, giving us the new life we now live in Him.

Mark 10:45,“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Eph 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

1 Cor 6:20, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

2. “Justification,” is an image drawn from the court of law. To be justified is to be declared innocent.

Justification means: Sinners who are “In Christ” have been formally pardoned from the guilt of sin and now live a new life in Christ.

Rom 3:24, “Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

Rom 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Cor 6:11, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Titus 3:7, “So that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

3. The third image is that of “adoption,” HUIOTHESIA, υἱοθεσία  from HUIOS, “son” and TITHEMI, “to “place,” it means, “to place a son” or incorporation into the family. In the believer’s case, it is placement or incorporation into the Royal Family of God. Therefore, to teach the Church Age believer about His position “In Christ,” Paul draws an analogy to the custom of “adoption” practiced by the Roman aristocracy.

Roman adoption officially designated someone as an heir, whether or not that person was related by blood. The Caesars usually adopted successors who were not their sons. Often, however a father would adopt his own son, granting him the full privileges and responsibilities of the family name.

The ceremony of adoption also marked the boy’s transition into adulthood, traditionally at age fourteen. Paul depicts Israel as an immature son in Gal 3:23, and the Church as an adult son and heir in Gal 3:25-26. At a dramatic moment in the Roman ceremony of adoption, the new heir is clothed with the magnificent “toga virilis,” the garment of manhood, Gal 3:27.

Gal 3:27, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Christians wear the spiritual equivalent of the “toga virilis” from the moment of salvation, when the Baptism of the Spirit occurs, Eph 1:13.

The significance of our adoption into the family of God is that the Church Age believer has been removed from the cosmic system as a child of the devil, and has been placed as an adult son into the Royal Family of God, of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head, Col 1:13-14. Adoption means that the Church Age believer is spiritual aristocracy now and is intimately related to all three members of the Trinity.

Col 1:13-14, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Through the merits of Christ, Church Age believers are adopted as adult sons of God and joint heirs with Christ at the first instant of faith in Him, Rom 8:15-17; Eph 1:5.

Eph 1:5, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”

Although a spiritual infant in experience, every Church Age believer is a spiritual adult in position. He is granted the full privileges and responsibilities of an adult son of God because he is in union with the Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 8:23; 9:4; Gal 4:5-7; Eph 1:5; cf. Ex 4:22; Isa 1:2; 56:5; Hosea 1:10; 11:1.

Gal 4:5-6, “So that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"”

The process of adoption is linked to the work of the Holy Spirit, whom Paul calls the “Spirit of adoption.” The body of the saved are members of God’s kingdom and God’s family alike. The believer is not a child of God by nature; the image of adoption emphasizes the graciousness of salvation. Adoption pictures union with Christ in terms of enjoying all the privileges that come with one’s status as a legal child of God, as “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,” Rom 8:15-17; cf. Eph 1:13-14; James 2:5.

Eph 1:13-14, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Gal 4:7, “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Titus 3:7, “So that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Sonship / adoption thus relates to the present and also to the future consummation of adoption and the inheritance of eternal life. At the resurrection of the Church, also called the Rapture of the Church, the believer will obtain the full manifestation of his sonship, called the “redemption of the body,” Rom 8:23; 1 Thes 4:14-17; Eph 1:14; Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2.

Therefore, our “New Situation” speaks of our adoption into the family of God, as sons and daughters, because of our union with God the Son, Jesus Christ, with all of its privileges and blessings of an eternal inheritance.

4. Finally, Paul depicts the “New Situation” of the saved with an image drawn from the domain of personal relationships, “reconciliation.” The doctrine of Reconciliation first speaks to the removal of the barrier between God and mankind that kept us from having a personal relationship with God. Yet, through the salvation work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, that barrier called sin was removed, providing peace between God and man, and giving man the opportunity to enter into a personal relationship with God.

“Reconciliation,” is the Greek noun KATALLAGE, καταλλαγή, that also means “restoration to favor,” which is a picture that assumes a previous estrangement that has been overcome or healed. In ancient Greek it meant, “the restoration of the original understanding between people after hostility or displeasure.”  This original understanding is the state in which God created man that was interrupted by sin in the Garden of Eden.

The root word KATALLAGE denotes action initiated and completed by God in restoring man to right relationship with Him through Christ. Redeemed man is the recipient of God’s reconciliation, Rom 5:11; 11:15; 2 Cor 5:19.

Likewise, the Greek verb KATALLASSO means, “to change someone from a state of hostility into a state of tranquility and peace, from enmity to reconciliation.” 

All people are by nature enemies of God because of sin, Rom 5:10; Col 1:21.

Rom 5:10, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved (delivered) by His life.”

Col 1:21-22, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, ²²yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”

God is similarly alienated from human beings because of his righteous anger, Rom 1:18. Yet, it was the death of Jesus Christ that overcame sin and averts the Divine wrath, 2 Cor 5:19; Eph 2:16.

2 Cor 5:19, “Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Eph 2:16, “And might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”

“The reconciled” is the expression of the transformation of the relationship of enmity between God and man, which has been brought about by the new Adam, Jesus Christ, cf. Rom 5:12ff. Through personal faith in Jesus Christ, the barriers between man and God are removed and we are entered into right relationship with God and Jesus Christ, Rom 5:8-11; 2 Cor 5:17-19.

Rom 5:8-11, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

2 Cor 5:17-19, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. ¹⁸Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Peace is a synonym for reconciliation, since being reconciled to God through faith in Christ establishes peace between God and the believer. Peace is not only a synonym for reconciliation, but is the only way to completely understand what God did for us and that there was nothing we could do for salvation. Peace means that we have His righteousness and His life, Col 1:19‑22.

“The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son "to be sin" that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the sin of the world through identification with us, not through sympathy for us. He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of the human race. "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us …" and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled the human race, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.)

Our Lord commands us to also have a heart of reconciliation towards our fellow man in the image of our reconciliation to Him, Mat 5:24, “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Thanks to this reconciling work, one who is “In Christ,” enjoys restored relations with God and, like Abraham, may be called, “the friend of God,” James 2:23.

Thursday, June 7, 2018 - Ephesians 6:17

The Armor of God, Pt. 27

The Helmet of Salvation, Pt. 6

The Meaning of Salvation - New Situation, New Self, New Steps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwHsC5fiDg

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.

Eph 6:17; Mark 10:45; Luke 1:68; Rom 3:21-31; 5:7-9, 16, 18; 8:1; 1 Cor 6:20; Eph 1:7

Vs. 17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The Meaning of Salvation, Pt. 1

The benefits of your union with Christ are described in various ways. We can group the Bible’s many images into three distinct categories: new situation, new self, new steps. As we have seen and will see below, salvation in the Bible is a three-dimensional phenomenon, (Past, Present, Future; New Situation, New Self, New Steps; involving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). In this section we are going to note the categories of new situation, new self, and new steps.

New Situation: - Salvation as objective change.

To be saved means that your legal status has changed, that you have acquired new rights and responsibilities as a result of your union with Jesus Christ. Four leading images depict the new situation brought about by God’s saving work.

1. The first is the image of “redemption,” that reminds us of the marketplace, the place where things are bought and sold. The first time “redemption” is used in the Bible is found in Ex 21:30. In that usage, someone who owned an ox that gored another was liable to be put to death for manslaughter. Yet, if a “ransom” was paid, that individual’s life would be spared, “given back to him.” The word for “redemption” here is PIDHYON, פִּדְיֹן‎ that means “redemption or ransom money.” Redemption signifies a transaction where some item is exchanged for payment. Its root PADHAH means to “redeem, ransom, or deliver.” It is only used here and in Psa 49:8, where the psalmist laments that the price of redemption of life, to escape death, is more than a mortal can pay.

Psa 49:8, “For the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever.”

The Lord, YHWH, was understood to be Israel’s redeemer, Deut 13:5; Isa 49:26.

Deut 13:5, “… the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery…”

Isa 49:26, “… And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Jesus also used the imagery of redemption to explain the nature of His ministry and death, Mark 10:45.

Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Luke uses the term redemption as a general term for salvation, Luke 1:68; 2:38; 21:28; 24:21.

Luke 1:68, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people.”

Paul used the imagery of redemption in, Rom 3:24; 1 Cor 1:30; Col 1:14; Gal 4:5, and declares that the price of our redemption was the blood of Jesus Christ, representing the Divine life that is now in us, Eph 1:7; cf. Heb 9:12-15; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Eph 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

And, we are reminded in 1 Cor 6:20, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Therefore, our “New Situation,” tells us that we have been redeemed from the slave market of sin, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, so that now we have a new life “In Christ.”

2. The second imagery is that of “justification,” an image drawn from the court of law. To be justified is to be declared innocent by the presiding judge. As Isaiah states in Isa 43:25, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Here too, to be saved is to enter into a new situation, namely, the state of being acquitted that follows the legal verdict of “not guilty.” Paul makes it clear that sinners are declared righteous not on the basis of their own merits or achievements, (works), but rather on the basis of their standing “in Christ,” Rom 8:1; cf. Rom 3:21-31; Gal 3:11; Eph 2:8-9.

Rom 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Only used in the NT in Rom 4:25; 5:18, “justification,” DIKAIOSIS, δικαίωσις that means, “acquittal or justification,” like redemption, depends on the completed work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross, Rom 4:25, “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”  

Rom 5:7-9, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Rom 5:16, “The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.”

Rom 5:18, “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

Therefore, the “New Situation” denoted by justification is that sinners who are “In Christ” have been formally pardoned from the guilt of sin and now live a new life in Christ.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018 – Ephesians 6:18

 Armor of God, Pt. 26

The Helmet of Salvation, Pt. 5

 Salvation is by Grace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvhl6qikwK0

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.

Eph 6:17; Psa 3:8; Jonah 2:9; Gal 2:20; Eph 1:3-10; 2:8-9, 21-22; Phil 1:6; Col 2:7

Vs. 17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

There are about 115 passages that condition salvation on “believing” alone, and around 35 on “faith.” Unfortunately, man has added certain things to this one and only condition, for example; believe and repent, believe and be baptized, believe and confess sin, believe and confess Christ publicly, believe and promise a better manner of life, believe and pray for salvation, believer and do good works, etc.

“Faith,” as you know, is a non-meritorious act on the part of the believer. Faith is the only system of perception which is totally devoid of any human merit. Only the object has merit, and in salvation the object of faith is our Lord Jesus Christ. How much faith does it take to be saved? Just a little bit more than no faith at all.

The salvation work of Christ on the Cross excludes anything being added to faith. No works of any kind are allowed. Salvation is by grace through faith, “not as a result of works, so that no one may boast,” Eph 2:9. Two OT passages indicate that “salvation belongs to and is from the LORD,” Psa 3:8; Jonah 2:9. Any system which tends to combine human responsibility with this Divine undertaking is wrong. Eph 2:8-10 relates good works to salvation produced by grace as an effect thereof, and not a cause.

Grace is all that God is free to do for unsaved mankind on the basis of the saving work of Christ on the Cross. Grace is extended to all members of the human race as unbelievers, living under spiritual death in total depravity and total helplessness regarding past salvation. Therefore, as a matter of grace, past salvation is entirely the work of God. If past salvation is totally the grace and work of God, then so is present and future salvation. As such, our salvation, in all its Biblical forms, is directly related to the work of all three members of the Trinity.

  a. It is the work of the Father in His plan of salvation, who sent the Son to carry it out. The plan of salvation reflects the purpose of the will of God the Father, who has sent the Son to carry it out, Eph 1:3-10, and His judging our sins, past, present, and future.

  b. It is the work of the Son in being judged for our sins, past, present, and future.

  c. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in common and efficacious grace, past, present, and future. 

This is why the way of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ, and faith alone with no works added to it. Works will be the result of our faith and salvation, but salvation is never the result of works.

In so providing salvation by grace, mankind can have salvation from sin, salvation or deliverance out of the world, salvation from the flesh, and salvation in relation to heaven. And because of Satan’s opposition to salvation, we have been provided the “Helmet of Salvation,” to stand firm against his opposition.

There is no salvation offered under grace which stops short of being eternal in its character. This is due to the fact that it proves to be altogether a work of God, and His purpose and power never fail, Phil 1:6.

Phil 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began (Past) a good work in you will perfect it (Present) until the day of Christ Jesus (Future).”

We are eternally secure because of our past salvation, Heb 5:9; 2 Tim 2:10; Eph 1:13; cf. 4:30.

We will be eternally rewarded because of our present salvation, 1 Cor 3:10-15; Rev 2-3.

We will be eternally blessed with an inheritance at our future salvation, Heb 9:15.

Another important image of well-being or blessedness related to our salvation is unique to the NT; our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Here one might speak of “salvation in,” for there are several images and many passages that picture salvation as a matter of being related to the Savior, as the believer is “in union” with Jesus Christ, 2 Cor 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.”

Jesus is the cornerstone and foundation Eph 2:21-22, “In whom the whole structure is joined together ... in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Cf. 1 Peter 2:4-5.

Col 2:7, “Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Not only are the saved in Christ, but Christ is also in those who are saved, Gal 2:20. Cf. John 14:20; Eph 3:17; 1 John 4:16.

Gal 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Sunday, June 3, 2018 – Ephesians 6:17

The Armor of God, Pt. 25

The Helmet of Salvation, Pt. 4

What Salvation Means to the Believer. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUbYChU2Jy0

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.

Eph 6:17; Psa 18; 30; 31; Mat 1:21; Rom 5:9-10; Gal 5:1, 13-14

Vs. 17, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

By far the most common NT use of salvation has to do with salvation from sin, Mat 1:21, “And you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” To be precise, one is saved from:

·   The penalty of sin, Luke 7:48, 50.

·   The power of sin, Rom 6:12-14.

·   The practice of sin as a way of life, 1 John 3:9-10; 5:18.

Yet, it is impossible to understand salvation apart from some notion of that from which one is saved, whether external physical threats or internal spiritual ones. In these, God saves first of all from doom and disaster, from natural and national catastrophes, and from enemies or energies. He “saves” us both in the spiritual and the physical realm. The Biblical language for salvation depicts the transition from need to fulfillment and from problem to solution.

That is why the “Helmet of Salvation” is given to us, to protect us from the problems of everyday living inside of Satan’s cosmic system. For example:

·   The psalmist asks to be saved from defeat by enemy nations, Psa 44:1-8.

·   Jesus’ disciples asked to be saved from the waves that threatened to swamp their boat, Mat 8:25.

·   One may be saved from disease and physical defects, Mark 5:28, 34, (“well” = SOZO); James 5:15, (“restore” = SOZO).

·   Many of the psalms contain “songs of deliverance” that attribute salvation to God alone, e.g., Psa 18; 30; 31; 34; 46; 91; 105; 106; 118; 136.

·   The Bible speaks about salvation from spiritual dangers: Jesus’ exorcisms are signs that he has the power to release people from demonic possession and from the dominion of Satan, Mark 3:23-27; Luke 8:36.

·   Equally important is deliverance from the wrath of God that falls upon sinners, Rom 5:9-10, and from the day of God’s judgment, Rom 2:5; 1 Thes 2:16.

Rom 5:9-10, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

The noun “salvation,” pertains to the positive effects of God’s saving action. In general, one is saved from bondage and brought to a state of well-being or blessedness. Three images in particular tend to dominate the Bible’s depiction of well-being.

1. Salvation is a liberation, freedom from bondage.

    a. The God of Israel is a Savior God, because He is a God who delivers, Ex 20:2.

    b. Jesus was sent “to set free those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18.

    c. Paul states that “for freedom Christ has set us free,” Gal 5:1, and explains that Christians have been liberated from the requirements of the law in order to be free to love and to serve, Gal 5:13-14.

Gal 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Gal 5:13-14, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’.”

2. The blessedness of salvation is depicted in terms of health, wholeness, and soundness. Mark 2:17, describes Jesus as a “physician.” Jesus’ ministry was to make people well. In His ministry, the physical and spiritual aspects of healing miracles are linked together: When Jesus heals, there are transforming physical and spiritual effects. Jesus’ healings are signs both of His saving power and of the nature of salvation.

3. The third image of the well-being that defines salvation, peace, or shalom, is found primarily in prophetic literature. The community of the saved is pictured by the prophets as living in a peaceful and just society in which people will live together in peace and harmony and “nation shall not lift up sword against nation,” Isa 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Zech 2:6-12.

Communion

The Bible is essentially the story of the one creature to bear God’s image (human being), with sin as the basic complication, Christ as the central character and salvation as the unifying plot. The Bible tells of an initial condition which is disturbed (the Fall), of the consequences of this complication (sin, death), of what is done to overcome these conflicts (the Cross) and of the resolution of the problem (resurrection and Pentecost), a conclusion that improves upon the original situation.

It is a mystery story, for it was not clear, before Christ, just how God could save the ungodly, Mark 4:11; Eph 1:9. The logic and scope of salvation develop as the story progresses. The first hint of salvation follows the account of the Fall, when God says to the serpent, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel,” Gen 3:15, though neither the identity of the Savior nor the means for reversing the Fall becomes clear until the NT. Nevertheless, “bruise his heel” already alludes to the cost of salvation, to the Cross of salvation and to the Christ of salvation.

Next, it concerns God’s dealings with the children of Abraham (that is, Israel), in the middle the focus turns to Jesus and His followers, and toward the end, the story embraces the Gentiles and the whole created order. The Biblical story pictures not only the act and effect of salvation, but its culmination as well, namely, the wedding celebration of the Lamb of God and His bride, the Church, Rev 19:6-9.

Between the beginning and the end of the story, the plot unfolds in the history of Israel and culminates in the passion of Jesus Christ, when salvation is accomplished once for all, and in the life of the Church, where salvation is celebrated and proclaimed. The Bible ends with Edenic imagery, the tree of life, and with the Savior’s promise to complete the saving work He has already accomplished: “Yes, I am coming quickly,” Rev 22:20.

The story of salvation has two main parts. The first recounts Israel’s history: The saving act, (exodus), and the resultant effect, (life in the Promised Land). The OT recounts a story of deliverance from captivity and oppression that culminates in Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea. The second part describes a new exodus, Jesus’ death or “exodus” from this life, Luke 9:31, and its effect, (life in the promised Spirit). The NT tells the story of how a new deliverance, a release from the bondage of sin, was made possible by Christ’s departure from this life, Rom 6:9; Eph 1:7; Col 1:20, and by the “red sea” of blood that flowed from His Cross. Christ’s life, poured out on the Cross, is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” Rom 1:16.

For this, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in the partaking of the bread and wine, in remembrance and thanksgiving of Him and His efficacious work in death, resurrection, and ascension, 1 Cor 11:23-26.

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