THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
PART 1 - SALVATION

May 4, 2003
2003 William R. Cunningham

 INTRODUCTION

This is the first in a series of teaching dealing with the fundamentals of the Christian faith. We will investigate salvation and things pertianing to it. We will also look at Jesus Christ, God, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, the nature of Christ, and much more. The purpose of these teachings is to equip you with knowledge of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. We are very familiar with teaching in regards to prosperity, health, etc. However, we really need to know our Christian faith so that we can talk about it to others. The main purpose of this study is to equip you with the knowledge of salvation so that 1) You know for sure that you are saved and what that salvation really is and 2) You will be able to explain to anyone the salvation that you have received.

(1 Peter 3:15 NIV) "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

What is Salvation?

First let us establish the definition of salvation to establish the context of this study. The word salvation means the acutely dynamic act of snatching others by force from serious peril. In its most basic sense, salvation is the saving of a life from death or harm. Scripture, particularly the New Testament, extends salvation to include deliverance from the penalty and power of sin.

The word salvation in the Old Testament referred to different things.

1. Deliverance from danger (Jeremiah 15:20)
2. Deliverance for the weak from an oppressor (health, prosperity) (Psalms 35:9-10)
3. The healing of sickness (Isaiah 38:20) - Must look at the context of the whole chapter.
4. Deliverance from blood guilt and its consequences (rescue) (Psalms 51:14)
5. National deliverance from military threat (Exodus 14:13)
6. Release from Captivity (Psalms 14:7)

However, the most significant meaning of salvation is spiritual and it expresses the deliverance from the power and penalty of sin. There are three areas of salvation, namely the past, present, and future. First we are forgiven of our past sins and past ways. Secondly, we are in the process of being saved so to speak. This process is actually what is known as sanctification. We are growing more and more into the image of Christ, our future state. Lastly, we will eventually be saved from the very presence of sin.

Therefore, salvation is the deliverance from the power of sin. It is redemption by the blood (sacrifice) of Jesus Christ. Some fundamental topics regarding salvation are: justification, sanctification, regeneration, repentance, illumination, adoption, atonement, conversion, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Some of these will be covered briefly in this study, however a more detailed study of these will be covered in a separate study guide.

The Need For Salvation

Is salvation something that we need? Why did God provide a way for us to be saved? What caused us to need this salvation that comes from Jesus Christ? Our need for salvation originates with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Let us discuss the events that led to the sinful state of man and therefore a need for salvation.

The Original State of Man

1. Man was made in the image of God
2. Man was blessed
3. Man had the capacity to be fruitful
4. Man could subdue the earth
5. Man had dominion over God's creation
6. Man had provisions (Genesis 2)

Let me point out that the word man does not mean male. The word man is the same word (in most cases) as Adam, which literally means rosy as in flesh, red, ground. By implication the word Adam, translated man, means humans. Therefore, when the Bible says that God created man, it is also referring to the female gender. Also notice that Adam was not the male's name as in Bob or George. Adam was what he was: A living soul, a human being.

We note that man had dominion over what God had created. God made man to dominate, rule, and maintain His creation (See Genesis 1:28). We find that there were two "types" of man. There was the male man and the female man, who was called woman. Both sexes had purposes assigned to them by God. The male's purpose was to work and to keep the garden. The woman's purpose was to be a compatible helper (help meet) for the male. However, both had dominion over God's creation.

Further examination of the Creation story will reveal that the state of man included the following:

1. No shame, guilt. (Genesis 2:25)
2. They were in total communion with God
3. They had a will of their own
4. God made man to rule his own world in the same way that the Father rules all things
5. The man and his wife were one flesh as husband and wife
6. Everything was very good and in order

Man enjoyed an overall righteous state. He was in right standing with God the Father. There was no sin in him and he was in total fellowship with God the Father.

The Fall Of Man

Eventually man fell from the original state that we described above. The serpent tempted the woman and she gave in as she began to see what the serpent wanted her to see. All of a sudden the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil looked good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:6). Remember that the woman had authority on the earth and she, as well as her husband with her, could have told the serpent to get out of the garden. Instead they listened to him and fell from the righteous state that God had placed them in. I will not get into the details of the mechanics of their fall since that is not the purpose of this study. The important point is that man fell from the original righteous state that God placed them in by their own choice: They allowed a sin nature (a nature that is opposed to God, i.e., disobedience) to enter into them. On that very day they died to God. They no longer had the communion that they once enjoyed with God. They were no longer righteous.

I would like to point out that the fall was not the fault of the wife as many claim. The fall was the result of the male's transgression and possibly due to both Adam and his wife sinning. In either case, the wife did not exclusively cause the fall. Actually, it wasn't until the man ate of the fruit when things changed, as we will see next. The fall also was not the exclusive fault of the man. Remember that the serpent talked with the woman and she was deceived. She allowed herself to "see" what the serpent wanted her to see and she therefore began to question her relation with God. The fall was due to both the man and the woman so that they are both to blame.

The Result of the Fall

There were some drastic consequences of man's sin. Some major results of the fall were sin entering the world, shame, fear, and perverted dominion. Of course the most immediate consequence of the fall was the pronouncement of curses by God (Genesis 3:14-19) and that Adam and his wife were expelled from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-24).

Sin Entered The World

Because of one man's disobedience, sin entered into the world. The Bible says,

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" - Romans 5:12 (NIV)

And

"For the wages of sin is death..." - Romans 6:23

In general the consequences of the fall was that sin entered man and therefore death, which is the result of sin. All men enter the world unconnected to God because the sin nature perpetuated from Adam to all people. We do not know God when we are born and therefore have to be taught. However, I should point out that the doctrine general revelation teaches us that God can be known by what we see, particularly in nature. We are all born with the same nature that Adam had that caused the death (separation from God) of the human race.

Shame and Fear

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid" - Genesis 3:8-10 (NIV)

From this scripture we notice that shame, fear, and the desire to "cover up" was introduced into the world because of Adam's disobedience. Recall that the Bible said that they felt no shame when they were naked originally (Genesis 2:25). Their shame and fear were the result of the death (separation from God) that entered into them when they sinned.

Perverted Dominion

One major consequence of the fall was that man no longer had righteous dominion on the earth. Instead the seed for man to dominate each other was sown. Man would eventually dominate his wife and anyone else that he could for his own benefit, which is fueled by greed, pride, and selfishness. Evil spread relatively quickly after the fall and soon man would oppress whoever he could for selfish gain.

The Plan of Salvation

It is fortunate for the human race that God did not abandon us after the fall. God initiated a plan to reconcile man to himself. That is, God desired that man would be placed back in the righteous state that He once was. Man would be eternally lost unless God saved man because man could not and would not save himself. There was no hope for man because he had stepped into a realm that he did not have the power to get himself out of (man cannot save himself). His only hope was in the grace of God whether he realized it or not. The Bible says

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:4 (NIV)

And

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Our basic need for salvation lies in the fact that the human race is headed for destruction unless the saving grace of God intervenes. We are on a crash course to ruin and we don't even realize it because our sin has blinded us to the truth of our condition.

God the Father has made available to us His salvation from the sin that snare us and lead us to death. God sacrificed His son, Jesus Christ and raised him from the dead so that we would have eternal life. The doctrine of salvation can be explained by looking at various aspects of the process of salvation. These are given below.

1. The preaching of the Gospel
2. Illumination of God's Word and our state by the Holy Spirit
3. Conviction of our sinful nature
4. Repentance
5. Born Again (Consecration)
6. Justification
7. Sanctification

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