Helmet of Salvation, Part One
Ephesians 6:17 “And take
the helmet of salvation…”
Our last piece of
protective armor is a helmet called salvation. Before we answer why we need
this helmet, we first must understand salvation. The Bible, God’s holy word, tells
us sometime after the seven days of creation, the serpent deceived Eve, so she
disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. Eve then gave the fruit to Adam and
he chose to disobey. With this sin or act of disobedience, a sin nature came to
everyone born from Adam. Now all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory
and as God told Adam before He created Eve, the penalty would be death. This
was not just physical death, but spiritual death or complete and eternal
separation from God.
However, because God so
loved the world, prior to creation He had a plan in place to rescue mankind.
Since the penalty of death or law was set in stone, any rescue would involve
death. God’s plan: A onetime substitute would die in our place.
However, the blood spilt in this death could not be tainted with sin – it had
to be sinless. But there was no one. Therefore, God's own arm brought
salvation.
Our Eternal, Triune or
Three-in-One God is Spirit and He cannot die. So, how could He save us? The
only way was to create for Himself a human body and be our Sinless Substitute.
This is exactly what He did. God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, into the
world to pay the penalty of our sin, to shed the blood required for forgiveness
and die on a cross in our place. Jesus, born of a virgin so sinless blood
flowed through His veins, is our Substitute, the onetime sacrifice
satisfying the law set in stone.
Nevertheless, this is
not automatic salvation. Jesus paid the penalty, but we have to make a choice.
Do we choose Jesus as our Substitute, or pay the penalty of death ourselves?
These are our choices. If we choose to pay it ourselves, the Bible tells us our
fate is eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire. But, if we choose
Jesus, He gives the gift of eternal life in heaven.
UNLESS THE FATHER DRAWS HIM
ReplyDeleteJohn 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
What is the meaning of John 6:44?
1. Does it mean only a few, who have been selected by the Father, will be saved? No, it does not.
2. Does it mean that men only respond to the gospel because of irresistible grace? No, it does not.
WHO ARE THOSE THAT THE FATHER DRAWS?
John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
The Father draws all who hear and learn. The Father does not force anyone to hear or learn. Men have free-will. God does not impute faith into a few so they will believe and be saved. Faith does not come by injection.
HOW DO MEN HEAR AND LEARN?
Romans 10:13-14 for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Men need to hear the gospel before they can learn and believe. The Father draws men by the gospel.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Faith comes from hearing the gospel. Faith does not come because the Father selected a chosen few, before the world began, to be saved. All who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior are the chosen and that includes whoever accepts God's terms for pardon. Faith does not come because of irresistible grace.
God the Father draws men to Jesus with the gospel.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,
IT IS THE GOSPEL THAT DRAWS MEN TO JESUS!
IRRESISTIBLE GRACE IS NOT THE METHOD THAT THE FATHER USES TO DRAW MEN TO JESUS.
Romans 10:21 But as for Israel He says, "All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."
Israel as a nation rejected the gospel. How could that be possible if irresistible grace were in play? Israel turned away from God.
Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Jerusalem was unwilling to be drawn to Jesus by believing the gospel. They had a choice.
John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.
The Jews had the opportunity to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, but they were unwilling. There was no irresistible grace in play. The Father draws all who are willing to believe the gospel.
John 6:40 This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
IF YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG YOU ARE ONE OF THE "EVERYONE" WHO HAS A CHANCE TO BE BELIEVE THE GOSPEL AND BE SAVED.
MEN REJECT GOD.
GOD DOES NOT REJECT MEN DUE TO NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.
THE FATHER DRAWS MEN TO JESUS THROUGH THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL. MEN ARE NOT DRAWN TO JESUS BECAUSE THEY WERE PRESELECTED FOR SALVATION!
YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY BLOG. http://steve-finnell.com
Steve, thanks for the comment and you are correct in all the scripture you quoted. Yes, God does the drawing, His Holy Spirit does the convicting, and Jesus already paid the price. However, God has given to each one a measure of faith. Those who take their measure of faith, believe, repent, and receive Jesus, to them He gives the right to become children of God. These are the ones who have surrendered and have been born again; born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. To these God gives His helmet of salvation. Glory to God! (Rom. 12:3; John 3:3; John 1:12-13; Eph. 6:17)
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