o man can do anything to save himself. But that is a far cry from saying that he cannot
be saved: "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). God in love and grace
has made a way of salvation. This is the great message of the Bible. It is called the gospel, which simply
means the "good news."
"Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10,11).
God's way of salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me" (John 14:6).
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).
It is important to recognize who Jesus is.
He is the Son of God.
"Thou art my beloved Son" (Luke 3:22).
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).
He is the eternal God in the form of a man.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14).
"Christ Jesus ..., being in the form of God, ... and being found in
fashion as a man" (Philippians 2:5-8).
He entered the world by being born of a virgin.
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
"The angel Gabriel was sent from God ... to a virgin ... And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found
favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth
a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.... The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:26-35).
By this miracle of the virgin birth, Jesus Christ entered the world without being tainted by the sin that is transmitted from every human
father to his sons in the ordinary process of procreation. As He said to His father,
in a passage describing His sinless obedience, "A body hast thou prepared me" (Hebrews 10:5).
It is equally important to understand why the Son of God came into the world.
He came because of God's love for His sinful creatures.
"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son"
(John 3:16)
He came to save sinners.
"The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"
(Luke 19:10)
He came to fulfil the law of God, which we had broken.
"Jesus ... said ... it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness"
(Matthew 3:15).
He came to die for the ungodly and offer Himself as a sacrifice to God for their salvation.
"Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).
"God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
The Word of God declares:
"It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul"
(Leviticus 17:11).
Again it states:
"Without shedding of blood is no remission"
(Hebrews 9:22).
The Lord Jesus Christ met this need by giving Himself to be "an offering and
a sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2). Thus by the shedding of His own blood
He purchased eternal salvation for His people.
"The Son of man came ... to give his life a ransom for many"
(Matthew 20:28).
"But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26).
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, ... but with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18,19).
"He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like
sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5,6).
"Christ ... suffered for us, ... who his own self bare our sins in his
own body on the tree" (I Peter 2:21,24).
Christ not only died, He rose bodily from the grave.
He "was delivered for [because of] our offences, and was raised again for [because of]
our justification" (Romans 4:25).
Here, then, is the gospel.
"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ... he was buried, and ... he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:3,4).
Christ fully meets the needs of sinners.
He has put away sin (Hebrews 9:26).
He grants pardon to sinners (I John 1:9).
He justifies sinners -- makes them right with God (Titus 3:5-7).
He reconciles them to God (Colossians 1:21).
He imparts eternal life to those who were dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1,5; Romans 6:23).
He puts His Spirit within them (Romans 8:9,15).
He enables them to live holy lives and breaks the dominating power of sin in them (Romans 6:14; Isaiah 42:7).
He saves His people from hell (Romans 8:1).
He guarantees His people a place in heaven (John 14:2,3).
Thus Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of sinners.
"Thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Christ invites you to receive Him as your Saviour.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be
as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
This invitation is addressed to sinners.
"I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13).
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye" (Isaiah 55:1).
"Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Revelation 22:17).
