Christ Our Savior – Part III

The process of these blessings

by A.B. Simpson

From the book “The Best of A.B. Simpson” Compiled by Keith M. Bailey

1. These blessings come through the mercy and grace of God.”God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

2. Salvation comes to us by the righteousness of Jesus christ. He perfectly fulfilled every requirement of the law. Had He faltered in one temptation we could not have been saved. think of that when you are tempted to speak a hasty word. Suppose Jesus had done so. We could have been lost forever. Every moment He held steadfastly in the path of obedience, and His perfect grace and obedience are the price of our salvation.

3. Salvation comes to us through the death of Christ. His obedience is not enough. He must die. His crucifixion is the atonement for our sins.

4. Salvation comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which was God’s seal of His accomplished work and the pledge of our pardon.

5. Salvation comes through the intercession of Jesus at the right hand of the Father. He is our Great High Priest there, where He ever lives to make intercession for us, and thus keeps us in continual acceptance.

6. Salvation comes through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is sent down, through the intercession of christ, to carry out in our hearts and lives His work. He keeps our feet in the way, and He will never leave His work until He has put us forever into the bosom of Jesus.

7. Salvation comes to us by the gospel. It is presented to us through this message and our refusal to accept it, or our neglect to do so, fixes irrevocably, by our own act, our eternal condition. If we are saved, we become so by accepting the gospel, which is called “the gospel of your salvation.”

The steps to salvation

1. Conviction of sin is the first step. We must see our need and our danger before we can be saved. The Holy Spirit brings this to our heart and conscience. Until there is this knowledge of the need of Christ, He cannot be received; but when the heart is deeply impressed under a sense of sin, Christ is precious indeed.

2. There must be next an apprehension of Jesus as our Savior. We must see Him as both able and willing to save. It will not do to merely feel and confess our guilt. We need to focus our eyes on Jesus. So Christ says to every seeking soul, “Look! Look! Look unto Me and be saved! Every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.”

3. Salvation comes by repentance. There must be a turning from sin. This does not consist of mere emotional feeling necessarily, but it does mean to have the whole will and purpose of heart turned from sin to God.

4. Salvation comes by coming to Jesus. We must do more than turn away from sin. That alone will not save us. Lot’s wife turned away from Sodom – but she was not in Zoar. There must be a turning to Jesus as well as a turning from sin.

5. Salvation comes by accepting Jesus as the Savior. This does not mean merely crying out to Him to save, but claiming Him as the Savior, embracing the promises He has given, and so believing that He is our personal Redeemer.

6. Salvation comes by believing that Christ has accepted us and counting Him faithful who has promised. This will bring the sweetness of assurance and peace, and as we believe the promise, the Spirit will seal it to our hearts and witness that we are the children of God.

7. Salvation comes by confessing Christ as the Savior. This is a necessary step. It is like the ratification of a deed or the celebration of a marriage; it stamps and seals our act of commitment.

8. Salvation involves our abiding in Jesus. Having taken it for a fact, once for all, that we are saved, we must never do the work over again. “As ye have, therefore, received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.”

Part IV, and the final installment in this series – What the Bible says about salvation