We are saved solely by the blood of Jesus, not by works or merit of our own

SolitaryRoad.com

Website owner:  James Miller

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It is important to understand that the Christian (the person who has repented of his sins, put his faith in Jesus Christ, and is following Him) is saved through the blood of Jesus and not by any merit of his own. We cannot get to heaven simply by good works, by being good. We are all sinners saved by grace.

Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ...

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

I Pet 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Matt 20: 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Acts 20: 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Gal 3: 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

I Tim 2: For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

Rev 5: 9-10 And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.”

One must understand how very different Christianity is from any other religion. First, Jesus claimed to be the son of God, part of the Divinity. Second, Jesus stated that he came down to earth for a particular purpose. That purpose was to become the supreme sacrifice for sin (by dying on the cross), an act necessary to enable sinful man to go to heaven. Every man is a sinner and, by a higher law that obtains, man’s sin must be atoned for — either by punishment in hell or by some other means. In the Old Testament God instructed the Jews to make animal offerings for the atonement of sin. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross replaced the sin offering of the Jews. Only those covered by the blood of Jesus can go to heaven. To be covered by his blood you have to believe in him, believe in his divinity, and follow him.

Atonement 1. Satisfaction, reparation, or expiation made for wrong or injury; amends. 2. Theol. a. The redemptive work of Christ. 2. The reconciliation between God and man effected by Christ.

Redemption. Theol. Salvation from sin through the atonement of Christ.

Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary

All of this makes Christianity unique, different from any other religion. In this act of Jesus one can see the nature of God: his compassion, forgiving nature, humility, etc. As bad, wayward, rebellious as man is, Jesus came down from his home in heaven to earth, suffered all kinds of indignity and abuse down here, and then allowed himself to be crucified for sinful man. This central idea is what the New Testament is all about. It is about God’s great love for man that induced him to do such an amazing thing. It is worth noting that if one accepts the historical fact of Jesus but denies that he was God (i.e. divine) as, for example, the Islamic religion does, this makes null everything that Jesus claimed, everything Christianity is about. It amounts to a total repudiation of Christianity. The death of a mere mortal man could not possibly atone for the sins of mankind.

Consider the following YouTube video (do a Google ssearch):

A Nun’s Story: From Convent Bondage (Sexual Desire, Dating Priests, Rituals, No Bible) to Jesus YouTube

Mar 2017