Jesus the Savior Flashcards
What does it mean to be saved?
Salvation is being rescued from sin and the effects of sin.
John 3:16-17
What must one do to be saved?
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
What does it mean to believe?
Biblical belief (pisteuo) is the choice to depend upon something as true.
An example of this act in the context of saving faith is when Paul told the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved” Acts 16:31
What is regeneration?
Regeneration means, “to make alive again.”
“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you were saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5
What are the three “tenses” of salvation?
- Justification: I have been saved from the penalty of sin
Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you were saved.” - Sanctification: I am being saved from the power of sin “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
- Glorification: I will be saved from the presence of sin: Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
What is justification?
Justification is the act of God whereby He pronounces a sinner to be righteous because of that sinner’s faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:21-24 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for fall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”
What is redemption?
In the Old Testament, redemption involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price by a redeemer. The message of the Gospel is that deliverance of humankind from its state of alienation from God has been accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ.
Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
What is repentance?
Repentance is changing one’s mind completely so that one holds the opposite view one held before repenting. It describes a change of the inclination of the will that accompanies salvation in which we turn towards God and turn away from sin.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
In what sense is salvation provided “for all?”
God longs for everyone everywhere to experience salvation through the gift of His son Jesus. The requirements for salvation are the same for all people. No one is inherently disqualified from experiencing salvation. The gospel is not limited to any group of people. The act that provides our salvation - Christ’s death on the cross - is perhaps the most visible and widely known event in human history. Along with this, the Holy Spirit is perpetually wooing people to accept this good news. As a result there is no end of stories of the most unlikely people coming to faith in Christ and experiencing salvation and new life in Christ.
Romans 10:9-13 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Why is salvation necessary?
God is the giver of all life. Sin separates us from God, though not from His love. Separation from God is separation from the life we were created to live that only relationship with God can provide. The ancient concept of death was not “termination” but rather “separation,” as the spirit was seen as becoming separated from the body. That’s why Paul could say we were “dead” in our sins, because apart from Christ’s rescue we are separated from God and the life He gives. Ephesians 2:1-3
What is the fate of those who never hear the Gospel?
Those who have never heard remain under the guilt of their sin. No one is ever guilty solely because of not hearing the Gospel. They are guilty because they were born in sin and live consistently with this nature. (Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.)
If not for this sin predisposition, we would each:
1. Look at the complexity and beauty of our world and readily accept the presence of a designing, creating and sustaining God. (Psalm 19:1-4)
2. Long for a personal relationship with the creating and sustaining God we recognize in creation.
3. Recognize our inadequacy before God and seek mercy from Him.
Why is Jesus the only way to God?
Mankind’s sin is a wrong against God for which amends must be made. But, because I have sinned against God, I cannot make amends for myself. It’s like if I owe money to a creditor. I can’t borrow money from that creditor to pay him back. I must either try to earn what I owe so that I can pay it back or I need someone else to pay it for me. I cannot earn back what I owe God because like all mankind, my sin is not just a one-time problem. It is a persistent condition.
All of mankind is in this same position in its relationship to God. But because God loves all mankind, He made atonement for us by sending Jesus into the time and place of human experience to pay the debt owed by mankind and to make the amends that we cannot make for ourselves. (Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh)
That’s why Jesus said, “I am the truth, the way, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6) and “For unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).
What is the significance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?
The resurrection of Jesus validates (makes humanly credible) everything he taught. (John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.) The resurrection has never been disproven or debunked in spite of the earnest efforts of its most ardent adversaries. Jesus’ resurrection also establishes his work as supernatural because it overcame death -the greatest obstacle in the human experience. (Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus)
This establishes that Jesus has the divine authority to do everything He has promised to do – even if what he promised to do is incredible. (1 Corinthians 15:17-20 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.)
And since Jesus’ death can apply to our experience, so too can his resurrection. Finally, Jesus’ resurrection confirms him as more than just a teacher to be followed, but establishes him as God to be worshiped.
(Romans 1:1-4 “…who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”)
How does Jesus’ death apply to us?
God is Holy and consistent. He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Death is the penalty for sin, and our sin deserves such a punishment. Jesus’ death on the cross is the propitiation for our sin in that it satisfies God’s just intolerance of sin.
Jesus’ death is also an “atonement” for our sin. Atonement is an ancient Hebrew idea that refers to an act that reconciles, or “literally, covers over” a debt and makes amends for a wrongdoing (Leviticus 4:20 - kaphar).
Because God loves all mankind, and did not wish to see us pay the death penalty for our sin, He made atonement for us by sending Jesus into the time and place of human experience to pay the debt owed by mankind and to make the amends that we cannot make for ourselves.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.)
What does it mean that God is holy and how does this attribute underlie all other characteristics of God?
The idea of holiness is “separation.” It comes from a word meaning “to separate or cut off.” God is separate from everything natural. He is transcendent. He is also separate from everything that is sinful and evil. He will not have anything to do with sin. Finally, The God of the Bible lacks nothing. He is absolutely complete in every way. That means that every aspect of His person is perfect.
1 Samuel 2:2 “There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
