Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morshu's For Zion's Poor. The religious tradition
in which I was raised spoke of salvation as a state which a
man could attain by acting in his own free will to accept what
Christ had done by his death on Calvary's cross. It taught
that if a man could be persuaded to believe and receive Christ,
then he could attain a standing or position known as salvation.
Folks were urged to get saved as soon as possible so that in
case they died they would be assured of a place in heaven
where they could join all of their other neighbors and loved
ones who had made similar decisions and gained heaven by their action
of faith, avoiding the pit of hell in the process. Though the
work of Christ in dying on the cross was often spoken of, the
true importance of what he did was actually of secondary consequence,
since it was concluded that regardless of what he had done on the cross,
it made little difference if men did not accept it, thereby
making it effective in redeeming them. The basic concept which
was taught was that Christ died for every individual on the face
of the earth and had made the salvation of each one a possibility
if they could just be persuaded to receive it and thereby gain
its benefit. Otherwise, Christ had simply
died in vain for all who did not believe. While Christ's work
on the cross was said to be a payment for sin, yet the teaching was
that no one was actually saved by it, only made savable. The
only sin that was left unpaid for was that of unbelief, so
that by adding the work of faith to that which Christ did on Calvary,
this made a man saved. They said the only thing that
could cause a man to go to hell was unbelief. Therefore, much
time was spent and various methodologies adopted in order to influence
men to exercise their free will and to effect their own salvation
by accepting Him and making a profession of faith. They could even write
the day and hour of this transaction on a little card, so if they
ever began to doubt their salvation, they could refer to the card
and be assured. This scenario is played out in many churches
and religious orders today with certain variations. Some require
baptism in water as an act of obedience which washes away their
sin. Some expect that those who make such decisions to speak
in a language unknown to men. Some advocate that certain styles
of dress be adopted, etc. How different is the scriptural
message concerning the work of Christ? He came into the world
in order to perform a specific work for which he was ordained.
As the angel told Joseph, and she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. Forasmuch as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you. Christ is the Redeemer. He has
bought and paid for the salvation of every one of those whom He
loved from before the foundation of the world. He has not in any
wise failed to do all that was needed in order to secure the
redemption, justification, and sanctification of every one of
them. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He
is their strength in the time of trouble. When you ask a true
believer to describe his salvation, he only needs one word, Christ. Christ is all and in all. If
he needs more, then it is too much. But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption. There is nothing lacking in that
which Christ has performed. He has purchased the redemption
of His people and imputed His perfect righteousness to their
account. He has sent His Spirit into the world to draw them to
Himself, leading them from darkness to light in the appointed hour.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will, which has sent me, that
all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise
it up again at the last day. The salvation of the sons of
God is totally the work of Christ from beginning to end. He is
the author and finisher of our faith, Paul said, for I determined
not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. To declare that Christ performed
a work of salvation for a man, which is not sufficient to save
him, Apart from some action on the man's part is to preach a
false gospel, counting the precious blood of Christ as shed in vain
for many. It is to disregard the efficacy
of the blood of the Son of God and to deny the prophecy of Isaiah. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities."
Do you believe in a Savior who saves or one who hopes to save? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.