Larry Siegle · Romans 10:5-13
Link to sermon video: The Basis of Salvation – L Siegle
SALVATION SERIES I
“UNDERSTANDING the BASIS of Salvation”
(Romans 10:5-13)
Series: The SEARCH for B.I. (Biblical Intelligence)
Thesis: The EASY way is not always the BEST way.
INTRODUCTION
1. We are beginning a series of messages that explores the DEPTH of the meaning of salvation
2. The title of the series is THE SALVATION SERIES
3. The title of our message today is: “UNDERSTANDING the BASIS of Salvation”
SALVATION CONFUSION
1. In 1988, John MacArthur published The Gospel According to Jesus in which his position was that true, genuine faith includes submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
2. In 1989, Zane Hodges responded to MacArthur, with his book, Absolutely Free! In which he defended what is called ‘free grace’ theology, as also did Charles Ryrie in his book, So Great Salvation.
a. The heart of the controversy at the time (and even now) is whether or not salvation is all God or if it involves as cooperative element between God and humans.
b. Is there a biblical relationship between faith and works that is reasonable within the context of how salvation takes place in the life of a person.
1) In the NT, the Greek word ergon occurs 177 times in the text and is defined as, “anything done or to be done, a deed, a work or action” (Mounce)—the idea also includes “the process intended to reach or achieve a certain end result”
2) In Christian theology the concept of “salvation by works” is seen as a denial of the complete work of Christ in accomplishing redemption through the cross.
3) The idea of free grace is that faith alone in the salvific work of Christ is all that is necessary for being saved and going to heaven.
3. Reformation View: Martin Luther and John Calvin emphasized sola gratia— “grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone.
4. Catholic View: Good works, empowered by grace, cooperate with faith in the process of salvation.
5. Evangelical View: Works are the fruit, not the root, of salvation.
6. It is important to have a Biblical viewpoint of what is involved because what we believe about these matters has an effect on how we behave in life and what we practice.
FREE “STUFF”
1. It is human nature for all of us here today to like the idea of getting free stuff…
a. What all of us come to realize is that ‘in life there is no such thing as a free lunch’…
b. Everything has a price attached, whether we are the one who pay for it, or if it is paid for by someone else.
2. In the NT, the Greek word, eleutheros rendered “free” is found 23x in the text and carries with it the idea of “not being under a yoke of bondage, or exempt from an obligation”—no strings attached.
3. The Bible describes salvation as a “free gift” (Rom. 5:18)—BTW, the words “free gift” are not in the original language but were supplied there by the translators.
4. Salvation as a gift (Rom. 6:23)—sin has a price, but salvation is given freely as a “gift” from God to fallen human beings.
a. The price of sin, the wages of sin, is death – separation from God.
b. In this study we are going to plant ourselves in Isaiah 59 and spend some time looking at the condition of people, and what God has done to redeem and to bring about resolution (victory) over sin and death.
1) In the process, we are going to see the Biblical relationship between how faith is worked out in accomplishing salvation and deliverance in our hearts and our daily lives.
2) In this series we are also going to compare the prophecy of Isaiah 59 with what the apostle Paul demonstrates about redemption through Christ in Romans 3.
THE NEED FOR INTERVENTION (SALVATION)
1. The book of Isaiah was written over a period of time when both the northern and southern kingdoms had drifted so far away in their devotion to the Lord that Isaiah speaks to the calamity that was coming. His prophecy covers many
of the common themes of the prophets:
1. The holiness of God (His Divine, Exalted Nature)
2. The sin and failure of God’s chosen people (Their departure from His Word).
3. A call to repentance (A call to return to God)
4. God’s judgment on them if they would not repent (Consequences)
2. The book of Isaiah covers details of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities that were going to come on the nation because of their disobedience to God.
THE GOSPEL “CALL” TO THE WORLD AND TO THE CHURCH
1. As we explore the basis of “salvation” (deliverance) and what it means personally, we also can see the ‘bigger picture’ of what happens in our world today when people ignore the moral and spiritual directives found in God’s Word.
a. The current mindset is set in opposition to God, denying His existence, rejecting the principles of righteousness and morality found in the Scriptures, see no need for “religion” in any form or fashion.
b. The mission and work of the church (of believers) is twofold:
1) To help people whose lives have become downcast and broken, without hope for a future (damaged lives).
2) To speak to society about the direction it is headed in ignoring history and the consequences that always eventually comes upon it (making the world a better place)
a) The end result of the abandonment of God in society is that the foundations crumble and eventually fall (Gal. 5:19-21; 6:7, 8)
b. History records both the rise and fall of great nations… The Roman Empire fell in AD 476 not completely in the hands of foreign enemies, but rather because of immorality and wickedness, Rome fell from within (political instability, economic decline, military weakness, social fragmentation).
2. The “call” for salvation and deliverance is not just some “nice little spiritual story with imaginary Bible characters” without any meaning or connection to something real, something greater.
THE RELIGIOUS “RESCUE PLAN” OF WAIT AND ESCAPE IN A “RAPTURE” SOMEDAY
1. It was in the 19th century (1830) that Margaret MacDonald had some “experience” that described Jesus returning to secretly snatch His people away (to rescue them and to leave the rest of the people to suffer)—the Rapture.
a. John Nelson Darby developed a “theological framework” known as dispensationalism that took what MacDonald had come up with and made it OFFICIAL.
b. C.I. Scofield wrote the theory into his Bible: The Scofield Reference Bible (1909) and it has been around ever since.
2. The reality is that the Kingdom of God (Matt. 16:27, 28) was going to be established before Jesus own disciples in the first century had passed away.
3. The prophecy of Daniel warned that the ‘kingdoms’ were going to fall and that Christ was going to be victorious (Dan. 2:44-45)
a. Rome was that fourth ‘kingdom’ that began to crumble the moment Christ established HIS “kingdom”—not a prediction of some ‘yet future’ rapture that would secretly snatch away believers.
b. The salvation WE preach is on the other side of what was predicted to take place when all of the OT prophecies were fulfilled (Luke 21:7-33)
ONLY DEVOTION TO GOD AND HIS WORD CAN CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF OUR NATION AND OUR WORLD
1. Salvation and our relationship to what God requires is at the very heart of who we are—the “free grace” gospel that says “do nothing, just believe, and God will save you” over against the words of James, “faith without works is dead”
(James 2:18, 20, 26).
2. God has already given believers the victory but many of us are still living as though nothing has been accomplished.
3. This is exactly what happened to Israel and Judah in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 59) and what Paul gleans from the prophet in Romans 3.
CONCLUSION
1. Do we want to ‘stand-up’ and speak out for God and what He has done?
2. Are we willing to pray for those around us, to teach our children, our friends, neighbors and family as to what the solution is to the issues we see all around us in the world today?
3. Are we going to remain passive or will we begin to take action in speaking out the message of God that brings victory and assurance today?
4. We are going to see the relationship between how faith is manifested through action and the difference it will make inour lives.
Outline (Word document): SALVATION_SERIES.docx