LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
...committed to raising, mentoring and equipping leaders to ultimately fulfill the great commission.
Monday, December 26, 2016

TITLE : UNDERSTANDING THE GIFT OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

Matthew 1:21 "She will give birth to a son, and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins." ISV

Acts 4:12 "There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.”

The doctrine of salvation is one of the most misunderstood bible doctrine in the Christian circles. The notion that salvation is totally of God and is the result of nothing that anyone does is hard to grasp. To many, this solution is too easy. Human nature almost demands us to tack something onto the end. But the Bible makes it so explicit & clear that salvation is solia gratia — by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8–9.
Salvation, therefore, is a free gift of grace from God. This is the gift that came through Jesus. This is the essence of christmas. When a person accepts the gift of salvation, he or she is said to be justified — made acceptable before (or made right with) God. The process of being declared righteous is called justification. You see the reason for the joy, celebration and food???

Although all Christians agree that God’s grace is what saves a sick sinner, they disagree considerably over what a person’s role is in this whole process. Obviously, a Christian needs to believe in Jesus Christ, but a sticky issue over the years has always been whether faith by itself is sufficient for salvation. The Christian Church all over the world is split on this issue. There is so much debates about this doctrine.

*Catholics believe that God’s gift of grace is received through faith and by partaking of the sacraments (such as being baptized, taking Communion, being confirmed in the church, and confessing sins to a priest).
*Most Orthodox Christians believe salvation is more of a gradual process in which humans become more and more like God as they participate with him in the work of salvation.
*Protestants see the act of praying the sinner’s prayer as the trigger that brings salvation into a person’s life.

Orthodox Christians typically place far less emphasis on a specific “salvation event” that starts the Christian’s life, focusing instead on what must be done over the course of a person’s life to continue on in the faith. In other words, while Protestants ask, “What can I do to be saved?”, Orthodox Christians ask, “What can I do to be most saved?” Protestants believe in justification sola fide (by faith alone). In other words, faith in Jesus Christ is all that is needed to actually save a person. “Faith” or “belief” in this context isn’t simply an intellectual belief in God, but rather something far deeper and life changing than head knowledge.

By now you're probably confused or asking which of these is accurate or true and which should I believe? Well I am prepared to help you understand this gift of salvation this Christmas season. But your belief is a choice you know?

Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or preservation. More often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance from sin and it's ultimate consequence - death.  Death here means separation from God. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny ( Acts 16:30-31 ). Salvation comes from the Greek word soteria, which means "deliverance, preservation and safety." That's a huge insight and light to me. Salvation means....I am delivered from sin and Satan, preserved from death and ultimately means I am perfectly safe to the uttermost..A salvation that has no guarantee of safety do you call that one a great  salvation?? Glory I am saved and safe.

Salvation primarily involves deliverance from the bondage of sin (Romans 9:20-23; Galatians 5:1). Salvation also includes deliverance from our arch enemy - satan (Luke 1:71).

A definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be “The deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.” Salvation is available in Jesus alone ( John 14:6 ; Acts 4:12 ) and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance, and security.

To be continued.........
merry Xmas and happy new year in advance.

Your friend,
David Oyeleye.