IMPORTANT SALVATION TRUTHS

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23 NKJV).

Here in this verse we are given some important truths about salvation. These truths concern the need of salvation, the nature of salvation, and the name in salvation.

Need of salvation – “The wages of sin is death.” The word “wages” speaks of the pay a soldier earned. Sin also pays “wages” and this results in death. This death is eternal separation from God in hell in which unbelievers suffer conscious torment forever (Luke 16:24-25). This is the “wages” they have earned and deserve because of their sin. This emphasizes the need of salvation.

Nature of salvation – “The gift of God is eternal life.” God doesn’t pay “wages” because we cannot earn salvation, but the gift God gives us is “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life cannot be earned but is a gracious gift from God (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). There is no greater blessing than being saved. There is no greater curse than not being saved. Salvation is the most important thing in life, yet most people have little or no time for the needs of their soul.

Name in salvation – “In Christ Jesus our Lord.” The name involved in salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ. There are two important truths regarding salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ in our text. They involve the fact that He is our Savior and that He is also our Sovereign. First, He is our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior because salvation is “in” or through Him. His death on Calvary made it possible for sinners to be saved. If Christ had not gone to the cross to die for our sins, we would all die in our sins. Second, He is our Sovereign. The Lord Jesus Christ is not only our Savior but He is also our Sovereign; He is the “Lord” of our lives. This means that we are to submit to His way and will. Instead of complaining about His Lordship, we need to remember that He gave His life that we might have eternal life.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The gospel is not speculation but fact. It is truth, because it is the record of a Person who is the Truth!”

Alexander MacLaren (1826 - 1910)

English Non-conformist Minister

Word Study

Fever

In Luke 4:38 we read, “Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her” (NKJV).

“Fever” is the Greek word puretós (πυρετός = poo-ret-os'). Puretós is a common Greek word for a fiery or burning heat, and more specifically for a fever. In classical Greek the word carries the idea of “becoming feverish.” Greek medicine distinguishes types of fever, and ascribes them to natural causes. In the Septuagint, puretós also means fever. In the New Testament, puretós was used to refer to those who were sick with a fever or sick with some malady accompanied by a fever. Basically, puretós is a general term used for many diseases accompanied by high body temperature. Especially common in Palestine was malaria, carried by the prevalent mosquito and characterized by high fever.

Did You Know…

According to 2 Sam. 10:4, the king of the Ammonites took David’s servants, “shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away,” because he thought they were spies.

Bible Quiz

According to Matthew 21, out of what did the Lord Jesus say God perfected praise?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

Where did the Lord Jesus get the mud, He put on the eyes of the blind man healed in the Gospel of John? He made it with spit (John 9:6).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

David’s Seed (2 Sam. 7:12) - Prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ as David’s Descendant (Matt. 1:1)

"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Sam. 7:12 NJKV).

In context, David was promised a dynasty. He was called of God to be king to replace Saul, and God promises that David would have the dynasty over Israel. Note also that the promised “Seed” was to come from David’s own body; that is, He was to be the direct descendant of David. Further, the emphasis on a “Seed” who would come from David’s body links this covenant with the Abrahamic covenant (cf. Gen 15:4). After David’s death, his son Solomon was raised up to succeed him as king. However, our verse is also a clear reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, “the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matt.1:1). The Lord Jesus Christ was the ultimate Son (Seed) of David who was raised up by God Himself to be the Messiah, the Savior of His people. God promised to give David a kingdom that was to be established by God Himself.

Did You Know – Christian History

Fabian was a noble Roman by birth, and his father’s name was Fabius. Nothing more is known about his background. According to tradition, he was the first person killed in the savage onslaught, which was the first persecution to include the entire Roman Empire.

That Fabian was bishop at all is curious. When Bishop Anteras died in 236, Fabian was a farmer who came to Rome to observe the choice of a successor. Needless to say, no one in the assembly gave a thought to this layman. No one, until a surprising event took place.

The early church historian Eusebius, writing about a hundred years after Fabian’s death, reported that suddenly a dove flew into the room and landed on the farmer’s head. The assembly took this as a sign from God, and Fabian was immediately chosen for the vacant position. Fabian proved to be a good leader. He battled a North African heresy and appointed seven men to collect the records of recent martyrs. He also honored the bones of two Roman bishops who had died in exile in Sardinia’s mines. As an administrative matter, he organized Rome under seven deacons. Later reports say he sent St. Denis and six other missionaries to help with the evangelization of Gaul (France).

Fabian also wrote letters which show a man concerned for the spread of faith and preservation of church discipline. But Fabian’s most notable action was to willingly lay down his life for Christ. Fabian had been the Bishop of Rome for fourteen years when the Roman Emperor Decius made up his mind to smash the unpopular Christian church. In this, Fabian became a heroic example for a church that had grown soft during the recent days of peace. Saint Cyprian wrote to his successor that Fabian was an “incomparable” man whose glory in death matched the holiness and purity of his life. Another notable Christian writer, St. Jerome, affirmed that Fabian died a martyr on January 20, 250.

A Little Humor

A pastor was caught stealing in the church by a member of the church. This was the conversation between them: Pastor – “blessed are those who see and don’t talk.” Member – “for they shall receive their share. Amen. “

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns!”