The plan of salvation is so incredible – Jesus came down from the splendor of heaven to this earth and he died for our sins that we might live with him for eternity! The Bible calls this the everlasting gospel. Today I’m talking about the everlasting gospel and how you, too, can find salvation in Jesus Christ.
I remember the very first verse I memorized as a child. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Right there in those few words we are given a choice. Life or death.
Sin entered this world in the midst of a beautiful garden. A place that was perfect in every way, free from pain and sorrow. The first three chapters of the Bible tells us the story of how sin entered the world. We learn how it changed the course of history. We also learn that God had a plan, even then, of salvation for this fallen world. Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” NIV.
The Everlasting Gospel
God loved us so much that even before He created us, He had worked out the plan of salvation. Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8. It was always the plan that He would come to earth to save a fallen people. He has loved us with an everlasting love!
Jesus was willing to leave the splendor of His heavenly home and come to earth where He was rejected, spat upon, and crucified by the very ones who were supposed to love him. The fact that we as wretched sinners have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him really is the good news! But it is our choice. Life or death. The plan of salvation is called the “everlasting gospel.” Revelation 14:6.
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10 NIV. Jesus offers each of us the crown of life; the gift of eternal life, if only we follow Him!
The Plan of Salvation
The plan of salvation went into effect at the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:8.) The plan of salvation was the same for Adam and Eve, for Noah, for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The plan was and always has been that God’s people would be saved by the blood of Jesus. There is a misconception in much of Christianity that the Jewish nation in the Old Testament was saved by the Law. However, believers in the Old Testament, New Testament, and people today all have the same savior. His name is Jesus. Acts 4:12 tells us, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” NIV.
Old Testament believers were saved by the blood of Jesus by looking forward by faith to the cross. Believers today are saved by the blood of Jesus by looking back by faith to the cross. The sacrifices offered by shedding the blood of an animal could not save anyone without a repentant heart. The shedding of blood sacrifices was a shadow of the cross “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls or goats to take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4 NIV. The Hebrew believer was forgiven because of his faith in the coming Lamb of God.
Sin is a very serious matter. Too often in our culture, sin is “winked at.” We look the other way. We tell ourselves that it’s “only a little sin.” Or, we deceive ourselves by trying to justify what we are doing. Or, we tell ourselves that God “doesn’t really care about ____.” But what does the Bible say?
“Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you…” Isaiah 59:2 Sin separates us from God! Everything we choose to do or think about either draws us closer or pulls us further away from Him. Remember, the wages of sin is death! However, God loved us so much that He “gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17 NIV.
Our sins were placed on Jesus and He paid the penalty of death so that we could choose eternal life with Him forever and ever. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 NIV.
Jesus loves you and I so much that He was willing to pay the price so that we could be kings and priests in His Kingdom forever! “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to Him be the glory and power forever and ever!” Revelation 1:5-6 NIV.
Are you ready to accept His free gift of eternal life?
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