Will everyone be saved?
Some theologians, throughout the history of the church, have argued that the God of Love will save everyone, that all human beings will be restored to a right relationship with God. This is called ‘universalism’. Today there are many who suggest that all religions are essentially the same. The Baháʼí temple near Chicago is a nine-sided structure with nine doors that symbolise the Baháʼí belief in the unity of all religions. The temple is designed to be a place of worship for people of all backgrounds and religions.
Even some who would call themselves Evangelicals, seem to accept this position. A popular idea is that of ‘the Anonymous Christian’. Its proponents insist that Christ is the Saviour of the whole world. Non-Christians therefore can receive salvation through faithfully practising the rites of their own religions and being good moral people, even though they have no interest in Christ.
In 1967, Jim Packer wrote,
“Over the past century, the status of this belief has advanced from that of an idiosyncrasy to that of a respectable theological option, favoured by many leading scholars and it continues to make great strides throughout the protestant world”.
More recently, the Evangelical Alliance in their report ‘The Nature of Hell’ (David Hilborn ed. Paternoster Press, 2000) concluded:
“. . . in an increasingly multicultural, pluralistic society, the universalism which now underlies most forms of liberal Christianity is likely to present an even greater challenge for evangelicals”.
There is a real danger that a creeping universalism is impacting the evangelical church.
This way of thinking is helped by a viewpoint which argues that the number one rule is
‘Do not offend people.’
The Biblical view of the God who deals with sin, with hell awaiting the unrepentant sinner, is deeply offensive to many people. We want to be known as such nice people, not wanting to upset anyone, and therefore we remain silent on these crucial issues. It will not be long before some form of this doctrine becomes acceptable in many of our fellowships?
A second concern we might call ‘practical universalism’. Many say they believe that Jesus is the only way to God and people need to hear this good news, but their lives show little indication that they believe this.
One study by Lifeway Research (2012) surveyed adults attending a Protestant church at least once a month. It revealed:
80% felt a personal responsibility to share their faith.
61% had not told another person how to become a Christian in the past six months.
A later 2019 Lifeway survey found similar results, with 55% of monthly Protestant churchgoers saying they had not shared their faith in the last six months.
Research by Barna (2018) showed a significant long-term decline in the percentage of Christians who feel a personal responsibility to share their faith. In 1993, 89% of Christians felt this responsibility. By 2018, that number had dropped to just 64%.
What is even more troubling is that a 2019 Barna study also showed that almost half of practicing millennial Christians felt that evangelism was wrong. Many church programmes fulfil a real social role but are they the programmes where people learn that they must turn to Jesus Christ in repentance and genuine faith if they are to be saved by God for eternity?
A third concern is the impact this growing belief is having on Christian overseas and cross-cultural mission. Our primary motive for mission is that we want to see people from every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping God. Belief in the lostness of the lost has always been a great mission motivator. Where and when that conviction is questioned, it is not long before the fire of mission burns low.
In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul describes people outside of Christ. He begins by saying such people are:
“. . . dead in transgressions and sins” Ephesians 2:1
The bible is clear, people outside of Christ are spiritually dead. There is as much chance of a person outside of Christ doing anything for his or her salvation as there is of a corpse jumping to life. This is where religions and most systems, which look for salvation for people in other ways than through personal faith in Christ, fall tragically short. They fail to appreciate the depravity of humanity, failing to see that, left to themselves, people will not seek for God and that unless God gives them life, they have no hope. Scripture clearly teaches that God has chosen to give life only through Jesus Christ. Paul goes further. He writes,
“Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” Ephesians 1:3
Paul is saying that all people are born in sin and they are by nature, not just by practice but by nature, objects of wrath. It is a desperate picture for humanity. Outside of Christ, people are dead, without hope, and by nature and practice they come under the threat of God’s wrath. This statement is about humanity in general, people worldwide; Paul gives no exceptions.
Our primary motive for mission is that we want to see people from every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping God.
In the first three chapters of Romans. Paul is addressing, among other things, the question,
“What happens to those who haven’t heard of Christ and His salvation?”
His answer is that they will not be judged for rejecting the gospel they have not heard. People will be judged according to the light they have received. Light or understanding comes to us in several ways. The creation of our world and of people cannot have happened without a designer and creator. Paul argues:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse’” Romans 1:20
Our consciences also point us to our need for forgiveness:
“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” Romans 2:15
There is a sense of right and wrong that all people experience through the operation of their conscience:
“God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ”. Romans 2:16
Paul then turns to the religious Jew who has the law, circumcision and all the other things that accompany his religious devotion. Look how Paul lays out his argument at the end of this section:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away” Romans 3:10‐12
Everyone will be judged according to the light they have received. The light for some is creation and conscience, and for others it is centuries of religious tradition and considerable religious knowledge, but Paul’s conclusion is plain: no one lives according to light they have received –
“. . . there is no one righteous’” Romans 3:10
A righteousness from God therefore, apart from the law (v21), is essential if anyone is ever to be saved. Wherever could such a righteousness be found? The wonderful news of the gospel is that,
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Romans 3:22
That’s why Jesus said,
“No man comes to the Father but by me” John 14.6
It’s why Peter proclaimed,
‘Neither is there salvation in any other’ Acts 4:12
Jesus is that righteousness and those who turn to him are regarded by God as having the righteousness of Christ. Religion can give us rules for living, many of which are similar in all societies.
I was invited to a radio discussion looking at the morality of different faiths. A Muslim, a Jew, a Sikh and myself as a Christian. All these faiths encouraged love, honesty, family values and the like. What differed was that the others thought this was how we can satisfy God. This is why Christianity is not a religion. Man cannot ‘re-ligate’ ourselves back to God by our behaviour. We all need a Saviour. Righteousness that cannot be found in religious practices or by following a religious leader. It is only found in Jesus.
But there are some who say,
‘I agree – I’m with you all the way, but can’t people receive that righteousness without realising it’
Are there ‘Anonymous Christians’. The whole emphasis of Scripture is that saving faith is faith in a person. It’s not faith in the religion of Christ but in Christ Himself that saves. How can people sustain from the Bible the idea that people can come to salvation through religions without any knowledge of the person of Christ? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said to some gifted religious leaders:
“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers’” Matthew 7:23
Other Scripture passages teach the necessity of hearing the message of Christ:
“Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned” John 5:24
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9
Paul asks four vital questions in Romans 10. After the great gospel statement that,
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13
Paul asks us all:
How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?
How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
How can they hear without someone preaching to them?
How can they preach unless they are sent?
These questions leave little room for any idea of Anonymous Christians! These four great questions of Paul confirm conviction in the lostness of the lost, and the reality of salvation through a personal response to the person and work of Christ. They also teach much more than that, they impact our lives, affecting the way we spend our time and money, the content of our prayer lives, the programmes of our churches and the strategy of our mission involvement.
How do I know if I am forgiven?
When Peter gave his first sermon at Pentecost many people realised the they had made a terrible mistake in rejecting Jesus, God’s Messiah.
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” Acts 2:37
Peter replied,
“Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39
Note there are four actions here, two we must make and two actions that God has promised to do for us. We have to make a positive decision. We have grasped the fact that Jesus is God’s Messiah, the Christ, who has entered his world so we must turn to him and accept him into our lives as our Lord. This is not optional, all people are commanded by God to make this decision, based on all the evidence. The result of this will be that we want others to know about this decision. When a couple get engaged it is inevitable that they will want to share the news, so it is with those who become Christians. Then comes the marriage ceremony when the new relationship is sealed. So it is for new Christians, they will want to formalise this new relationship - hence baptism.
When we take these actions God has promised he will give us two great gifts. The first is a complete forgiveness of all our sins, the sins that separated us from God. We are clothed in His righteousness and are therefore will be acceptable to join him in heaven when we die. The second gift is that of the Holy Spirit. Paul made it clear that we receive all of God’s Spirit when we first repent and turn to Christ, although our experience of him may come and go.
“I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Galatians 3:2
Peter, at the end of his first sermon, was in earnest, this decision will affect peoples’ destiny both in this life and the next. God’s salvation really does matter.
“With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:40-41
We can enjoy his presence with us now and we are enabled to start living a new Christ-centred life. When Peter was addressing the Gentiles in Cornelius’ home he said:
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” Acts 10:43-44
John the Baptist’s message
John the Baptist prophesied that this was God’s message. This is what he said:
“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” . . .“I baptise with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” . . .
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Then John gave this testimony:
“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said,
“Look, the Lamb of God!”
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” John 1:23-37
This passage is remarkable as both aspects of the gospel are emphasised. Jesus, through his sacrificial death did take away our sins. This offer is available to everyone in the world. However he then baptises all his people with the Holy Spirit of God to enable us to live a very different Christ-focused life.
Paul’s message
Paul also summarised this double aspect of the gospel of salvation:
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5
When I was a child the only aspect of the gospel I understood was that Jesus dies to wash away my sins. I had not grasped that it also involved the gift of God’s Spirit that would result in my living a life for God.
We can know we have been saved because we have made those two steps and we begin to experience the freedom of a clear conscience and want to live in a way that pleases the Lord.. this is the work of the Spirit. Paul was later clear,
“And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:9-11
Who will be saved?
The evidence that a person is born again, is a Christian, is not a past experience but an ongoing desire to live in and for Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures repeatedly remind us that it is the continuing in christ that is the mark of a Christian.
“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:2
“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” Colossians 1:22
“And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” Hebrews 3:6
“We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.“ Hebrews 3:14
The ‘if’ is important, - it is not a formal admission to the church through baptism or confirmation or even ordination that saves a person, it is the continual desire to live for Jesus that is the proof that God’s Spirit is in us.
In John’s letters to the seven churches he repeatedly reminds them that it is not the start of the race that matters but the finish:
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.” Revelation 2:7
“The one who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Revelation 2:10
Those who overcome, who are victorious, are those who keep living with Jesus to they die:
“To the one who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations . . . “ Revelation 2:26
“The one who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5
“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” Revelation 3:12
“To the one who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21
What wonderful promises God has given to those who have his Spirit and continue to the end.
It is only those who continue in the faith, who hold firmly to Christ, keep our confidence in him and our convictions about him that will experience heaven:
“Those who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Revelation 21:7
The Last Supper and Communion
From early on in his ministry Jesus reinforce ed the teaching of John the Baptist. He emphasised that God’s message centred on himself. After feeding the five thousand he said to the crowds,
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:27
“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29
The people ask him for this ‘bread’ and Jesus explains a little of what he means. The bread of life is both food and drink:
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” John 6:35-36
Jesus is moving them on from thinking about the five loaves and two small fish that fed them all to what god’s real message is all about. All people must come to believe in him, for that is the doorway to eternal life and Jesus gives us this great promise:
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40
They still do not understand the way he is talking:
““How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” John 6:52
He then returns to the means by which he will give forgiveness and a new eternal life to those people who believe in him. He is alluding to his future death on that cross:
“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:53-54
This is not referring to communion services but to his death. He is talking about his atoning sacrificial death, his blood shed for people, and his body on the cross which is the means by which people are changed by the Spirit.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” John 6:50
The disciples were perplexed at this time. Only later were they to understand the significance of ‘the blood’ and ‘the body’ they needed.
“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” John 6:60
Jesus then gives them some understanding, he is talking in parables but he is talking about taking what he is going to do for them into their inner beings. It is not physical food and drink he demands, he is not asking them to be cannibals!
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[e] and life.Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” John 6:63-64
The faith Jesus says we need is deeply personal. This is why becoming a christian is compared to getting married. He is certainly not talking about receiving communion. Jesus later introduced this idea at his last Passover feast with the disciples to teach the same lesson. Jesus wants us to depend on his blood and the image of his dying for them on that cross. It s highly significant that John does not even mention the Last Supper and the introduction of communion, but he repeatedly stresses that God wants us to be dependant on him, to feed on him, throughout his book.
When Jesus asks his followers to remember what he has done for them he tells them to use the two symbols of bread and wine but says that their benefit will come when these are used to remember what Jesus did for them.
The blood is for the forgiveness of our sins, just as the Old Testament sacrifices emphasised sacrificial blood for atonement. The bread represent this body that we are to remember hanging on that cross. It is this remembrance that will remind us to go on serving him sacrificially for the rest of our lives.
BVP
Will everyone be saved?*
Some theologians, throughout the history of the church, have argued that the God of Love will save everyone, that all human beings will be restored to a right relationship with God.
This is called ‘universalism’. Today there are many who suggest that all religions are essentially the same. The Baháʼí temple near Chicago is a nine-sided structure with nine doors that symbolise the Baháʼí belief in the unity of all religions. The temple is designed to be a place of worship for people of all backgrounds and religions.
Even some who would call themselves Evangelicals, seem to accept this position. A popular idea is that of ‘the Anonymous Christian’. Its proponents insist that Christ is the Saviour of the whole world. Non-Christians therefore can receive salvation through faithfully practising the rites of their own religions and being good moral people, even though they have no interest in Christ.
In 1967, Jim Packer wrote,
“Over the past century, the status of this belief has advanced from that of an idiosyncrasy to that of a respectable theological option, favoured by many leading scholars and it continues to make great strides throughout the protestant world”.
More recently, the Evangelical Alliance in their report ‘The Nature of Hell’ (David Hilborn ed. Paternoster Press, 2000) concluded:
“. . . in an increasingly multicultural, pluralistic society, the universalism which now underlies most forms of liberal Christianity is likely to present an even greater challenge for evangelicals”.
There is a real danger that a creeping universalism is impacting the evangelical church.
This way of thinking is helped by a viewpoint which argues that the number one rule is
‘Do not offend people.’
The Biblical view of the God who deals with sin, with hell awaiting the unrepentant sinner, is deeply offensive to many people. We want to be known as such nice people, not wanting to upset anyone, and therefore we remain silent on these crucial issues. It will not be long before some form of this doctrine becomes acceptable in many of our fellowships?
A second concern we might call ‘practical universalism’. Many say they believe that Jesus is the only way to God and people need to hear this good news, but their lives show little indication that they believe this.
One study by Lifeway Research (2012) surveyed adults attending a Protestant church at least once a month. It revealed:
80% felt a personal responsibility to share their faith.
61% had not told another person how to become a Christian in the past six months.
A later 2019 Lifeway survey found similar results, with 55% of monthly Protestant churchgoers saying they had not shared their faith in the last six months.
Research by Barna (2018) showed a significant long-term decline in the percentage of Christians who feel a personal responsibility to share their faith. In 1993, 89% of Christians felt this responsibility. By 2018, that number had dropped to just 64%.
What is even more troubling is that a 2019 Barna study also showed that almost half of practicing millennial Christians felt that evangelism was wrong. Many church programmes fulfil a real social role but are they the programmes where people learn that they must turn to Jesus Christ in repentance and genuine faith if they are to be saved by God for eternity?
A third concern is the impact this growing belief is having on Christian overseas and cross-cultural mission. Our primary motive for mission is that we want to see people from every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping God. Belief in the lostness of the lost has always been a great mission motivator. Where and when that conviction is questioned, it is not long before the fire of mission burns low.
In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul describes people outside of Christ. He begins by saying such people are:
“. . . dead in transgressions and sins” Ephesians 2:1
People outside of Christ are spiritually dead. There is as much chance of a person outside of Christ doing anything for his or her salvation as there is of a corpse jumping to life. This is where religions and most systems, which look for salvation for people in other ways than through personal faith in Christ, fall tragically short. They fail to appreciate the depravity of humanity, failing to see that, left to themselves, people will not seek for God and that unless God gives them life, they have no hope. Scripture clearly teaches that God has chosen to give life only through Jesus Christ. Paul goes further. He writes,
“Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” Ephesians 1:3
Paul is saying that all people are born in sin and they are by nature, not just by practice but by nature, objects of wrath. It is a desperate picture for humanity. Outside of Christ, people are dead, without hope, and by nature and practice they come under the threat of God’s wrath. This statement is about humanity in general, people worldwide; Paul gives no exceptions.
Our primary motive for mission is that we want to see people from every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping God.
In the first three chapters of Romans. Paul is addressing, among other things, the question,
“What happens to those who haven’t heard of Christ and His salvation?”
His answer is that they will not be judged for rejecting the gospel they have not heard. People will be judged according to the light they have received. Light or understanding comes to us in several ways. The creation of our world and of people cannot have happened without a designer and creator.. Paul argues:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse’” Romans 1:20
Our consciences also point us to our need for forgiveness:
“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” Romans 2:15
There is a sense of right and wrong that all people experience through the operation of their conscience:
“God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ”. Romans 2:16
Paul then turns to the religious Jew who has the law, circumcision and all the other things that accompany his religious devotion. Look how Paul lays out his argument at the end of this section:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away” Romans 3:10‐12
Everyone will be judged according to the light they have received. The light for some is creation and conscience, and for others it is centuries of religious tradition and considerable religious knowledge, but Paul’s conclusion is plain: no one lives according to light they have received –
“. . . there is no one righteous’” Romans 3:10
A righteousness from God therefore, apart from the law (v21), is essential if anyone is ever to be saved. Wherever could such a righteousness be found? The wonderful news of the gospel is that,
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Romans 3:22
That’s why Jesus said,
“No man comes to the Father but by me” John 14.6
It’s why Peter proclaimed,
‘Neither is there salvation in any other’ Acts 4:12
Jesus is that righteousness and those who turn to him are regarded by God as having the righteousness of Christ. Religion can give us rules for living, many of which are similar in all societies.
I was invited to a radio discussion looking at the morality of different faiths. A Muslim, a Jew, a Sikh and myself as a Christian. All these faiths encouraged love, honesty, family values and the like. What differed was that the others thought this was how we can satisfy God. This is why Christianity is not a religion. Man cannot ‘re-ligate’ ourselves back to God by our behaviour. We all need a Saviour. Righteousness that cannot be found in religious practices or by following a religious leader. It is only found in Jesus.
But there are some who say,
‘I agree – I’m with you all the way, but can’t people receive that righteousness without realising it’
Are there ‘Anonymous Christians’. The whole emphasis of Scripture is that saving faith is faith in a person. It’s not faith in the religion of Christ but in Christ Himself that saves. How can people sustain from the Bible the idea that people can come to salvation through religions without any knowledge of the person of Christ? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said to some gifted religious leaders:
“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers’” Matthew 7:23
Other Scripture passages teach the necessity of hearing the message of Christ:
“Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned” John 5:24
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9
Paul asks four vital questions in Romans 10. After the great gospel statement that,
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13
Paul asks us all:
How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?
How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
How can they hear without someone preaching to them?
How can they preach unless they are sent?
These questions leave little room for any idea of Anonymous Christians! These four great questions of Paul confirm conviction in the lostness of the lost, and the reality of salvation through a personal response to the person and work of Christ. They also teach much more than that, they impact our lives, affecting the way we spend our time and money, the content of our prayer lives, the programmes of our churches and the strategy of our mission involvement.
How do I know if I am forgiven?
When Peter gave his first sermon at Pentecost many people realised the they had made a terrible mistake in rejecting Jesus, God’s Messiah.
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” Acts 2:37
Peter replied,
“Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39
Note there are four actions here, two we must make and two actions that God has promised to do for us. We have to make a positive decision. We have grasped the fact that Jesus is God’s Messiah, the Christ, who has entered his world so we must turn to him and accept him into our lives as our Lord. This is not optional, all people are commanded by God to make this decision, based on all the evidence. The result of this will be that we want others to know about this decision. When a couple get engaged it is inevitable that they will want to share the news, so it is with those who become Christians. Then comes the marriage ceremony when the new relationship is sealed. So it is for new Christians, they will want to formalise this new relationship - hence baptism.
When we take these actions God has promised he will give us two great gifts. The first is a complete forgiveness of all our sins, the sins that separated us from God. We are clothed in His righteousness and are therefore will be acceptable to join him in heaven when we die. The second gift is that of the Holy Spirit. Paul made it clear that we receive all of God’s Spirit when we first repent and turn to Christ, although our experience of him may come and go.
“I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Galatians 3:2
Peter was in earnest, this decision will affect peoples’ destiny both in this life and the next. God’s salvation really does matter.
“With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:40-41
We can enjoy his presence with us now and we are enabled to start living a new Christ-centred life. When Peter was addressing the Gentiles in Cornelius’ home he said:
“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” Acts 10:43-44
John the Baptist’s message
John the Baptist prophesied that this was God’s message. This is what he said:
“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” . . .
“I baptise with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” . . .
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Then John gave this testimony:
“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said,
“Look, the Lamb of God!”
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” John 1:23-37s
This passage is remarkable as both aspects of the gospel are emphasised. Jesus, through his sacrificial death did take away our sins. This offer is available to everyone in the world. However he then baptises all his people with the Holy Spirit of God to enable us to live a very different Christ-focused life.
Paul’s message
Paul also summarised this double aspect of the gospel of salvation:
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5
When I was a child the only aspect of the gospel I understood was that Jesus dies to wash away my sins. I had not grasped that it also involved the gift of God’s Spirit that would result in my living a life for God.
We can know we have been saved because we have made those two steps and we begin to experience the freedom of a clear conscience and want to live in a way that pleases the Lord.. this is the work of the Spirit. Paul was later clear,
“And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:9-11
Who will be saved
The evidence that a person is born again, is a Christian, is not a past experience but an ongoing desire to live in and for Jesus Christ.
The scriptures repeatedly remind us that it is the continuing in christ that is the mark of a Christian.
“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:2
“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” Colossians 1:22
“And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” Hebrews 3:6
“We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.“ Hebrews 3:14
The ‘if’ is important, - it is not a formal admission to the church through baptism or confirmation or even ordination that saves a person, it is the continual desire to live for Jesus that is the proof that God’s Spirit is in us.
In John’s letters to the seven churches he repeatedly reminds them that it is not the start of the race that matters but the finish:
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.: Revelation 2:7
“The one who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Revelation 2:10
Those who overcome, who are victorious, are those who keep living with Jesus to they die:
“To the one who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations . . . “ Revelation 2:26
“The one who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5
“The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” Revelation 3:12
“To the one who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21
What wonderful promises God has given to those who have his Spirit and continue to the end.
It is only those who continue in the faith, who hold firmly to Christ, keep our confidence in him and our convictions about him that will experience heaven:
“Those who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Revelation 21:7
The Last Supper and Communion
From early on in his ministry Jesus reinforce ed the teaching of John the Baptist. He emphasised that God’s message centred on himself. After feeding the five thousand he said to the crowds,
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:27
“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29
The people ask him for this ‘bread’ and Jesus explains a little of what he means. The bread of life is both food and drink:
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” John 6:35-36
Jesus is moving them on from thinking about the five loaves and two small fish that fed them all to what god’s real message is all about. All people must come to believe in him, for that is the doorway to eternal life and Jesus gives us this great promise:
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40
They still do not understand the way he is talking:
““How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” John 6:52
He then returns to the means by which he will give forgiveness and a new eternal life to those people who believe in him. He is alluding to his future death on that cross:
“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:53-54
This is not referring to communion services but to his death. He is talking about his atoning sacrificial death, his blood shed for people, and his body on the cross which is the means by which people are changed by the Spirit.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” John 6:50
The disciples were perplexed at this time. Only later were they to understand the significance of ‘the blood’ and ‘the body’ they needed.
“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” John 6:60
Jesus then gives them some understanding, he is talking in parables but he is talking about taking what he is going to do for them into their inner beings. It is not physical food and drink he demands, he is not asking them to be cannibals!
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[e] and life.Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” John 6:63-64
The faith Jesus says we need is deeply personal. This is why becoming a christian is compared to getting married. He is certainly not talking about receiving communion. Jesus later introduced this idea at his last Passover feast with the disciples to teach the same lesson. Jesus wants us to depend on his blood and the image of his dying for them on that cross. It s highly significant that John does not even mention the Last Supper and the introduction of communion, but he repeatedly stresses that God wants us to be dependant on him, to feed on him, throughout his book.
When Jesus asks his followers to remember what he has done for them he tells them to use the two symbols of bread and wine but says that their benefit will come when these are used to remember what Jesus did for them.
The blood is for the forgiveness of our sins, just as the Old Testament sacrifices emphasised sacrificial blood for atonement. The bread represent this body that we are to remember hanging on that cross. It is this remembrance that will remind us to go on serving him sacrificially for the rest of our lives.
