Salvation is God's gift to us

Salvation is God's gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by

self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into their life by faith.

Bible References:

Romans 6:23; For sin pays its wage---death; but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9; 8for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, that no man should glory.

John 14:6; Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 1:12-1 3; 12But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Titus 3:4-8; Tit 3:4 But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared, 5 he saved us not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8Faithful is the saying, and concerning these things I desire that thou affirm confidently, to the end that they who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men:

Galatians 3:26; It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:1-2.

1 Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 He has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory!

A change takes place in the sinner's state, when he becomes a disciple. Being justified by faith he has peace with God. The holy, righteous God, cannot be at peace with a sinner, while under the guilt of sin. That is the one big problem with living under the law – break one law we lose our peace with God and we are in a corrupted state. Justification takes away the guilt, and so makes way for peace. This is through our Lord Jesus Christ; through him as the great Peace-maker, the Mediator between God and man. The saints' happy state is a state of grace. Into this grace we are brought, which teaches that we were not born in this state. We could not have got into it of ourselves, but we are led into it, as pardoned offenders. We stand firm and safe, upheld by the power of God. And those who have hope for the glory of God, have enough to rejoice in now. This hope will not disappoint, because it is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of love. It is the gracious work of the Spirit to shed abroad the love of God in the hearts of all the saints. A right sense of God's love to us, will make us not ashamed, either of our hope, or of our sufferings for him.

Peace with God. Not, ‘toward God.’ We are, as a result of justification, no longer under condemnation. God is at peace with us. God’s relation to us is the great matter; on that is based true peace of conscience. When God has accepted the believing sinner as righteous, He looks at him as in Christ, who is our Peace. The hindrance to peace has been removed by the death of Christ; God’s wrath against our sin is removed. Peace that does not rest upon this great fact is a dream and a delusion. No matter how good we live, on our own we will not make it.

It is only through our Lord Jesus Christ. This full form gives a tone of triumph to the verse. This personal Lord has made peace, satisfied justice, removed the curse, made it possible for a holy God to account righteous those, who by nature and character, are sinners. God is love, He first loved the world, but loved it in this way, that He gave His only begotten Son (John -3:16); through this Son we have peace with God.

The Condition of the Justified.

Justification has as its proper result, peace with God, which starts the process of knowing the glory of God, and yet this is actually only increased by trials and because of God’s love. The disciple will have strife in this world, but this love is assured by the death of Christ; and this is a proof and pledge that reconciled sinners will be ‘saved in their life’, and will glory in God who through Christ who provides this reconciliation.

THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION.

The gospel is ‘the power of God unto salvation,’ Death is connected with Sin, and Life with Righteousness.

The result of justification, peace with God is shown by the contrast between the first and second Adam. Justification by faith takes us to the need of sanctification by the gospel as the law failed to sanctify us. The correction of sin brings righteousness and life and grace is shown to abound, and this gives comfort to the believer. Chapter 6 takes up an objection, which constantly recurs: will not this abounding grace allow men to continue in sin? Paul answers, that Christians have a fellowship of life with Christ, and are dead to sin and dedicated to God. Moreover, they are freed from bounds of the law. This thought suggests another objection (as constantly recurring as the previous one); will not freedom from the law lead to continued sin? Paul defends the spirituality of the law and shows that it is the power of God unto salvation. He portrays, that the prominent distinction is between law and gospel, not sin and grace. This is so far from being adapted for Jewish readers only, or for that age alone, this is the part which touches our experience most closely. The struggle between law and gospel is one constantly felt; the Christian is in constant danger from legalism and liberty. God is the one who alone justifies us and our deal is to live in His grace and not in Satins legalism. God has given us a morality to set us free – if we feel bound by it we are living by another law other than God's law. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are conscious of adoption and the assurance of future Glory. God gave His law to set His people free not to make them bound up. God gave his Son to set people free not bound them up. This is His undeserved kindness or grace to us - ‘the power of God unto salvation’.