Salvation is given freely but it is costly and requires a response

Read Romans 3:21-26 … This passage reveals God, the loving Ruler, created Humanity (you & me) in His Image for a Purpose but we all have sinned in rebellion (v.23)… and that is our deadly problem (Rom 6:23).  This is perhaps the greatest paragraph of the Bible as Paul explains the reasons why the coming of Jesus Christ is good news.  And just as all have sinned, the only solution for all people is Jesus – the Remedy for our Rebellion.  In Christ, God has acted to reveal His saving righteousness, making it possible for any person who believes to be forgiven of their rebellious choices.  

Our salvation is based on two key parts listed in v. 24…

First, “… by His grace …” Grace is “unmerited favor” … we don’t deserve and we can’t earn it.  We can't purchase it without good works at all. If it isn't made free to us, we can't have it all.  The precise form of words here stresses two things: as consistently emphasized by Paul, it is entirely of God’s grace, His free, undeserved favor to humanity.  Then also this salvation is presented as an accomplished fact.

So we are justified freely by His grace - given to us without regard to what we deserve. It is a giving motivated purely by the giver, and motivated by nothing in the one who receives.

Secondly, we are saved through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.  The word redemption had its origin in the release of prisoners of war on payment of a price and was known as the "ransom." As time went on, it was extended to include the freeing of slaves, again by the payment of a price.  The word redemption literally means “liberation through payment of a price”… you may think of redemption as a ransom that has been paid.

Our response to this saving work of Jesus is to surrender our lives to God – Here is what that means:

·      By faith admit God is far greater than you and you have not done what He requires and fear the consequences

·      By faith I trust Jesus is enough to forgive my sins – I don’t have to add on anything more

·      By faith I must live as God is the ultimate authority for Life

Each of us needs to know the Gospel and be able to share it.  These are the 4 key points of the Gospel:

-       Created to be in a relationship with God (Gen 1:26-28)

-       Rebelled against God (Rom 3:23) and there are consequences for our rebellion (Rom 6:23)

-       Jesus restores us to God by forgiving our sins – made possible by His substitute sacrifice death (Rom 3:24-25)

-       We must surrender our lives to God in faith to be restored to Him (Rom 10:9-10) – this begins by believing Jesus did all the work for us to be saved (Eph 2:8-9)

Practice: Friendship Challenge

-       Tell a friend you are a Christian

-       Tell a friend why you are a Christian (Gospel presented – God’s story )

-       Tell a friend how you became a Christian (Gospel response – my story)

-       Ask a friend to join you in following Jesus