Wednesday, October 1, 2014

SALVATION: HIS SACRIFICE AND OUR FAITH

What is "repentance," and what part does it play in salvation?  Before I answer these two questions, let me make it very clear that the message the Apostles were to preach contained two facts:  1) the death of Jesus was the payment for our sins, and 2) the resurrected Jesus is to be the Lord of your life!  Luke wrote it this way:  "And that repentance AND remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Lk. 24:47).

Repentance is defined as:  "Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness." (F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles [Greek Text Commentary], London: Tyndale, 1952, p. 97.)

Remission is defined as:  "Forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). 

In other words, when one is presented with the wonderful fact that Jesus provided the gift of salvation through His death on the cross, and through our faith that the Father raised Him from the dead to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords, we are saved; our entire way of looking at life changes (Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21; Eph. 2:8-9; etc.)!  This can be clearly seen by looking at the context of Luke 24:47:

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And ye are witnesses of these things.  And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.  And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them.  And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.  And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:  and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen" (Lk. 45-53).

 
His sacrifice + our change of thinking = salvation!


No comments:

Post a Comment