Page 40 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

Jesus Christ is elsewhere called the gift or provision of God; it is abundant and available to everyone but
is only applied to those who receive it (Romans 5:17).

How do we receive salvation?
We are saved by believing in who Jesus is and what He offers us. First, we must hear the message of
the gospel which is the good news of the offer of Jesus’ death and resurrection as payment for the sin of
anyone who believes. Then, we must receive the offer for ourselves by believing in Christ. Believing in
Christ means to trust in Jesus as our personal source of complete forgiveness from God.

Are there other senses of the term salvation in Scripture? Yes, there are many. The important point is
that salvation history, salvation from oppression, salvation from death are all important aspects of God’s
work in restoring humanity and the fallen world through salvation from sin. They are not an
autonomous salvation goal of their own. They are parts of what God is doing to deal with sin. They all
have specific out workings that are part of the larger salvific work of God - restoration.

How is Christ’s death applied to individuals – How are we saved?

As we study the Scriptures, two important facts will stand out and don’t seem to be able to be
reconciled with one another. Scripture teaches very clearly that God chose us for salvation, but it also
declares that we must receive Christ by faith. So, while we are specially chosen by God, we are also
FREE to choose salvation by an act of our will.

I Peter 1:2 …who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood…

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His
Son.

As we consider God choosing people to be saved, we must keep these two verses in mind. His selection
is according to and integrally connected to His foreknowledge of what would happen in the future.

We have to remember that God is not limited to time. God created time for man. He is outside the
boundary of time. God sees all future events (man freely by his will exercising faith in Him) in eternity
past at the same moment He makes all decisions about eternal destinies (election). So, God choosing
the elect is welded to his foreknowledge of each person’s response of faith. While we can’t understand
how both election by God and the free will of man are simultaneously true, they are both taught by
scripture.

Election – God chooses us for salvation.
Election means that from eternity past God chose those who would trust in Him
for salvation according to His foreknowledge. Here are some verses that indicate
that every person who believes was specially chosen by God for salvation:

Ephesians 1:4 – “He chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world
that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”

1 Peter 1:2 – “…chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”

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