Thoughts on Salvation and Christ's Sacrifice Part 1

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

We all were once:

1.       Foolish

2.       Disobedient

3.       Deceived

4.       Enslaved to various lusts and pleasures

5.       Spending our life in malice and envy

6.       Hateful

7.       Hating one another.

These are things that we were before we came to Christ. We wanted nothing to do with God. We thought we were good enough living in our sins to be good enough for God. But no there was nothing that we could do that would satisfy God’s great wrath against us. This was the evil state we were in.

Then a beautiful thing appeared. The kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind. What amazing kindness and love God had for us. This love appeared in the form of a baby in that day long ago. Love appeared as a man who grew up as we did. A man who was different than us. A man that would become the perfect Sacrifice for us. Yes a man, and not only a man, but also the second entity of the trinity, the Son. Jesus Christ fully man and fully God. God’s love appeared to all mankind and He saved us, not on the basis of deeds in that were done in our righteousness. Those deeds could not have even helped us to make our way to heaven. Though we thought they were righteous deeds God would not accept them. Our righteous deeds were not enough to make God send His Son to us as some means of gratitude. But God sent Him out of kindness and love for us as a free gift to us. Not because we deserved it, but because He loved us. He saved us according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing, by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, So that being Justified, being made right before God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice,  by His grace, by His undeserved favor, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. We are Sons and daughters of God. We are the inheritors of eternal life.

The beautiful picture is painted of us lost in sin trying to strive to make our own way to God, trying and trying and trying, with what we see as great righteous deeds. He sent His Son not because He was rewarding us for our righteous deeds, nor were there any righteous deeds that could have been enough to save ourselves. He saved us, because He loved us. He saved us according to his mercy and we have been justified by His grace. That amazing love, mercy and grace. And not only did He save us and then just toss us aside as if we were still filthy, but He brought us into His family and made us heirs, so that we would inherit eternal life. I am in awe of my Savior and His great love, mercy and grace, for me a sinner condemned and unclean. Praise the Lord for So great a Salvation as we have, today.