How Does Jesus Save?

[Saint Steven]

I would assume they are referring to Christ's finished work upon the cross.

Probably from Romans 10:4 (New Living Translation)
4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Thanks!
This scripture makes the comparison between the covenant of law and the covenant of grace.
But righteousness is imputed to us through the finished work on the cross. We have no righteousness of our own.

We are essentially a conduit for God's righteousness through Christ, an outworking of the indwelling Spirit of the living God. As our minds are transformed, we see others as God sees them, and we are enabled to mainifest his love toward them.

 

[atpollard]

This statement appears to be in conflict with itself.
If we indeed are "saved and justified by faith alone." Then how could the "work of salvation..." have "ALREADY been done"?
Is it really grace if there is something we have to do for it? I agree that we need to receive it, but that's not what saved us.

[Isaiah 53:1-12 NKJV]
1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

A very great work was done for our salvation … just not by us.

 

[Lost Witness]

You should know that the Holy Spirit would never lead one to do such things.

A man Who's been baptized by the LORDS Holy Spirit can do those things. The LORDS spirit doesn't remove us being able to 'choose'

 

[Saint Steven]

A very great work was done for our salvation … just not by us.

Not just by us?
What do you mean?

 

[atpollard]

Not just by us?
What do you mean?

“… just not by us” means:

• Yes a great work was done.
• We did NOT do the great work.
• Jesus DID do the great work.

Read Isaiah 53.
Q. Does it describe a “great work”?
A. Yes, it does.

Q. Who is doing this “great work” described in Isaiah 53, Jesus or the people being saved?
A. Jesus is doing the ”great work”.

Any more questions?

 

[coffee4u]

I am learning, what was the purpose for which the law was given?

The main purpose of the law was for man to recognize that he can't keep God's laws, to realize he is a sinner in need of a savior.
Mankind always has had too much pride and seeing yourself as a sinner who needs saving means putting pride aside.

There are other reasons too such as health, fair practice, laws that stood in the place of Jesus as sacrificing an animal as a sin offering and laws that were to direct us to worship God. A Christian should not need a list nor aim to 'keep laws' We should simply love God and each other and out of that will be us following Gods will.

Matthew 22
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

[Jesus is YHWH]

If Jesus saved us by doing something in us by the Holy Spirit, then there would not have been a need for the incarnation. Jesus could have stayed in heaven and could have sent the Holy Spirit into the world to transform people into his likeness. No life, death and resurrection of Jesus needed. Of course, that would never work because we are not saved by being like Jesus, although many believe that we are.

Jesus saves us, not by doing something in us, but by doing something that is totally and completely outside of us. Paul wrote, "But God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Our salvation took place over 2,000 years ago before we were born. How does Jesus save us? Jesus saves us by fulfilling all of the demands of God's law. Jesus saves us by atoning for our sins. All that Jesus is, and all that Jesus did, was for our justification and our salvation.

This is why we are saved and justified by faith alone. The work of salvation has ALREADY been done. Before Jesus died on the cross, he said, "It's finished" what he meant by that is that salvation had been provided for everyone, Hebrews 2:9. No one needs to be predestinated, no one needs to be holy. Salvation has been provided for all that do nothing more than call upon his name, Romans 10:13.

But many will say, no, we must be baptized, and others will say, we must keep the commandments, and then the Calvinist will say you must be predestinated. The "We musters" appear to be endless. All that is required of us is that we believe in Jesus, we believe that Jesus fulfilled the law for us, we believe that Jesus atoned for our sins. That's it. Nothing more is required. Salvation is by faith alone, because it is by Christ alone.

Jesus never once taught that faith was given , granted or a gift .He said " YOUR FAITH " has saved and healed you. Not the faith I gave you healed you.

Luke 7:50
And he said to the woman, Thy faith ( not the faith I have given you )hath saved thee; go in peace.

Luke 8:48
"Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith (not the faith I have given you )has healed you. Go in peace."

Luke 17:19
Then Jesus said to him, "Rise and go; your faith( not the faith I have given you ) has made you well!"

Luke 18:42
"Receive your sight!" Jesus replied. "Your faith(not the faith I have give you ) has healed you."

Matthew 8:10
When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Matthew 9:2
Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.

Matthew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take courage, daughter," He said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was cured from that very hour.

Matthew 9:29
Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you."

Matthew 15:28
"O woman," Jesus answered, "your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Mark 5:34
"Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction."

Mark 10:52
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

John 4:53
So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.

hope this helps !!!

 

[Mark Quayle]

If Jesus saved us by doing something in us by the Holy Spirit, then there would not have been a need for the incarnation. Jesus could have stayed in heaven and could have sent the Holy Spirit into the world to transform people into his likeness. No life, death and resurrection of Jesus needed. Of course, that would never work because we are not saved by being like Jesus, although many believe that we are.

Jesus saves us, not by doing something in us, but by doing something that is totally and completely outside of us. Paul wrote, "But God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Our salvation took place over 2,000 years ago before we were born. How does Jesus save us? Jesus saves us by fulfilling all of the demands of God's law. Jesus saves us by atoning for our sins. All that Jesus is, and all that Jesus did, was for our justification and our salvation.

This is why we are saved and justified by faith alone. The work of salvation has ALREADY been done. Before Jesus died on the cross, he said, "It's finished" what he meant by that is that salvation had been provided for everyone, Hebrews 2:9. No one needs to be predestinated, no one needs to be holy. Salvation has been provided for all that do nothing more than call upon his name, Romans 10:13.

But many will say, no, we must be baptized, and others will say, we must keep the commandments, and then the Calvinist will say you must be predestinated. The "We musters" appear to be endless. All that is required of us is that we believe in Jesus, we believe that Jesus fulfilled the law for us, we believe that Jesus atoned for our sins. That's it. Nothing more is required. Salvation is by faith alone, because it is by Christ alone.

And how do we gin up that kind of faith?

 

[Der Alte]

And how do we gin up that kind of faith?

Read a book. That's how it happened to me. I had been a Christian for about 10 years. I was in the Army '76 stationed in Korea. A soldier in the room next to mine got out of the Army. I was checking his room after he left. Among some other items which included a baggie full of seeds for a certain illegal substance I found a book "The Christian Family" by Larry Christianson. It had a foreword by Ruth Graham so it couldn't be all bad.
I started reading it I came to a place where it said something like, "Have you ever prayed to God and did not ask for anything just let God have His will with you." I said no, so I prayed like that, and God communicated with me somehow. A little bit later I started having doubts and prayed silently, "God if what I understood earlier was correct send me someone I can lead to the Lord."
The next morning, I was walking across the compound to breakfast a soldier I knew walked up to me put his hands on my shoulders, said my name and said, "How would you like to lead a sinner to the Lord?" The very words I had spoken silently the night before. The rest of the communication played out over the next week. When I asked for reassurance God provided it. In much the same way.

 

[timothyu]

People love to forget we were commanded to repent of our worldly ways, No room for those in the new Kingdom. They've had the only reward they have been given.

 

[Mark Quayle]

Read a book. That's how it happened to me. I had been a Christian for about 10 years. I was in the Army '76 stationed in Korea. A soldier in the room next to mine got out of the Army. I was checking his room after he left. Among some other items which included a baggie full of seeds for a certain illegal substance I found a book "The Christian Family" by Larry Christianson. It had a foreword by Ruth Graham so it couldn't be all bad.
I started reading it I came to a place where it said something like, "Have you ever prayed to God and did not ask for anything just let God have His will with you." I said no, so I prayed like that, and God communicated with me somehow. A little bit later I started having doubts and prayed silently, "God if what I understood earlier was correct send me someone I can lead to the Lord."
The next morning, I was walking across the compound to breakfast a soldier I knew walked up to me put his hands on my shoulders, said my name and said, "How would you like to lead a sinner to the Lord?" The very words I had spoken silently the night before. The rest of the communication played out over the next week. When I asked for reassurance God provided it. In much the same way.

So in a way, you've gone where I was meaning to go. YOU didn't gin it up, did you?! Your faith too, is generated by the Spirit of God in you.

 

[Saint Steven]

... we were commanded to repent of our worldly ways...

How are such things measured?
Are you being obedient when you are left with a life of nothingness?
I think the ascetics already tried that.

 

[timothyu]

Are you being obedient when you are left with a life of nothingness?

How so?

 

[Der Alte]

So in a way, you've gone where I was meaning to go. YOU didn't gin it up, did you?! Your faith too, is generated by the Spirit of God in you.

No grinning. I approached it with trepidation.

 

[Saint Steven]

How so?

Perhaps I misunderstood you. It seemed as though, at least theoretically, you were promoting a life of asceticism. (like the desert Fathers) Perhaps you weren't going that far with it? What are you proposing exactly? (sorry, I should have started there)

Saint Steven said:
Are you being obedient when you are left with a life of nothingness?

 

[timothyu]

Perhaps I misunderstood you. It seemed as though, at least theoretically, you were promoting a life of asceticism. (like the desert Fathers) Perhaps you weren't going that far with it? What are you proposing exactly? (sorry, I should have started there)

Jesus said we could continue a life of self absorption or focus more on the needs of others. Simple as that. The latter is the counter-culture of the Kingdom that goes against the natural principles of man.

 

[Saint Steven]

Jesus said we could continue a life of self absorption or focus more on the needs of others. Simple as that. The latter is the counter-culture of the Kingdom that goes against the natural principles of man.

Okay, I agree.
Is that what you meant by, "repent of our worldly ways'?

 

[timothyu]

Is that what you meant by, "repent of our worldly ways'?

Yes because worldly ways or the ways of the world man has made in our own image is one of self. The very thing that tripped Eve up and condemned us all as faulty hybrids. Repent of that fault, though factory wired to trip up, we acknowledge the wisdom of putting God's will ahead of our own and our allegiance is no longer to the world we have made but to the Kingdom, So simple yet folks have been trained to get all Christian-y and miss the point, simply because the institution has to protect itself, having taken the offer by the Adversary that Jesus rejected and ages ago traitorously re-joined the world building governments and empires for itself while claiming to represent a Kingdom that wants no part of it. Too much?

 

[Saint Steven]

Yes because worldly ways or the ways of the world man has made in our own image is one of self. The very thing that tripped Eve up and condemned us all as faulty hybrids. Repent of that fault, though factory wired to do so, we acknowledge the wisdom of putting God's will ahead of our own and our allegiance is no longer to the world we have made but to the Kingdom, So simple yet folks have been trained to get all Christian-y and miss the point.

Okay, we are still in the theoretical here. How does this work practically in your view?
What can you, or do you, recommend removing from our lives to make this work?

Saint Steven said:

Is that what you meant by, "repent of our worldly ways'?

 

[timothyu]

Okay, we are still in the theoretical here. How does this work practically in your view?
What can you, or do you, recommend removing from our lives to make this work?

Jesus said to not rebel against the system (as it would always win as He showed) but to do good to one another. Think of the Red Cross in the days before it was privatized. It served all nations in times of need and both sides in wars. It loved friend and foe alike and as a result was not seen as an enemy by either side. A simple co9ncept to put into daily life. Why else would Jesus have taught it? No one is doing Him any good if the world doesn't see them as outsiders and it always feels uncomfortable around those not as selfish. lol. Might be tough for some to take who think life is about having the better lawn.