As a father, I have had the joy of seeing a new life begin. A newborn baby is so precious and innocent. But, it’s sad how quickly I begin to see the sinful human nature show itself. Sin is not something we have to teach our children, it just comes naturally. We are all born with a sinful nature. In Romans we read that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom.5:12). If we are all dead in sin, we all need salvation. Salvation is the preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. It is deliverance from sin and its consequences, a saving of the soul. It is known by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ. As Easter is approaching, I once again reflect on the role Christ has in the gift of salvation.
Christ has a major role in the plan of salvation. Just as sin came into the world through one man, salvation was also provided to us through one man; the perfect and sinless son of God, Jesus Christ. He was the only one who could fulfill this role. In 1 John we read that “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). 1 Peter 2:24 perfectly sums this up: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Our deliverance from sin and its consequences is a gift given to us by God. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, He took the penalty for our sins upon Himself and paid for them with His life. The price He paid is adequate and able to save anyone and everyone. It doesn’t matter what we have done, His gift of salvation is able to save us all. In Colossians, it says “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Col.2:13-14). It is available for everyone who comes to Him.
In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul makes this point clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph.2:8-9). This gift of salvation, though available and adequate for all, still needs to be received by the sinner. Many people may find it difficult to accept this gift God has given because it is not something that we can work for. We cannot pay for it, and it is not something we get after doing a certain amount of good deeds. It is a gift of God so that we cannot boast in our own works, but boast in the work of Christ.
Christ came into the world as a newborn baby. Precious, innocent, and sweet. He came just like we came into this world. But, unlike us, Christ was sinless and perfect in all his ways so that he could be the Saviour of the world and provide this gift of salvation.
This truth of salvation has massive implications for our daily lives. The blood of Jesus brings us peace knowing that our sins have been forgiven. We can now come with confidence before God. To those who have received this gift, the joy we have should be uncontainable and noticed by all. When our hearts and minds are aligned with the gospel, it should become the center and motivation of all that we do. So, this year as we approach Easter and go about our family traditions, let us not forget to reflect on the cross, and on the One who bore it and paid for the penalty of our sins by it. This is the reason that we can receive eternal life instead of the death we deserve.