Thoughts On Salvation

We always want to think about salvation (our own, and that of others). The gospel message is God’s power unto salvation, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew First, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). The sinner cannot be redeemed without sufficient power exerted upon the sinful condition of the soul to save him or her from spiritual ruin and death. That saving power is the gospel of Christ. The entire gospel system presented in the New Testament stands upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you received, and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory that word which I preached to you--unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Another wonderful feature of “the salvation in Christ” is God’s amazing grace. Saving grace is made known by “the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). In his word he said, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us . . . For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:4, 8-9). Four kinds of “works” are mentioned in the New Testament (N.T.). One, works of self-aggrandizement, (Mat. 23:5-7). Two, works legitimate under the Mosaic system, (Gal. 2:16). Three, works of human merit, which are those works being considered in the passages initially presented from Ephesians 2:4-9. And four, works of faith, (Jam. 2:18-20). The recipient of “the salvation in Christ” must be “rich in good works” in order to be saved by grace (1 Tim. 6:18).

“The church doesn't save you” is a statement often made today. Usually those uttering it mean that it really

makes no difference concerning the church in which one has membership, or the church is not crucial or vital to “the salvation in Christ.” None of the features mentioned in this study unconditionally save. Obedience to God is mandatory. The writer of Hebrews said, “Though He were a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all them who obey Him” (Heb. 5:8-9). The truth is that no one is saved outside of the church of Christ because the church is “in Christ”, “For as we have many members in one body, but all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:4-5). The one body is “in Christ” and the one body is the church of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Rom. 16:16). Paul wrote, “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23). All the saved are added to the church by the Lord (Acts 2:47). The church is an integral feature in “the salvation in Christ.” This is what the Bible says, and what we believe!

Johnny Oxendine
San Mateo, Ca.