PLAN OF SALVATION

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7 NKJV).

Here we have a great verse about salvation. If there is anything that we need to have clear in our mind, it is the plan of salvation. Thus, we want to note the person of salvation, the price of salvation, the pardon in salvation, and the provision in salvation.

Person of salvation - “In Him.” This refers to the Lord Jesus. Salvation is in the Lord Jesus; He is the only One who can save. Whenever we speak about salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ must be prominent in the message or we do not have a message of salvation. Without Christ, no one can be saved. “In whom” is in the Lord Jesus Christ, none other.

Price of salvation - “Redemption through His blood.” The “blood” speaks of the tremendous price paid by the Lord Jesus for our salvation. Indeed, it speaks of Calvary where the Lord Jesus died on the cruel cross and shed His precious blood for our sins. In Matt. 26:28, the Lord Jesus speaks of His blood as “My blood…which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” The blood of the Lord Jesus is essential to save sinners. It is the cleansing agent for washing away our sins (cf. 1 John 1:7).

Pardon in salvation - “The forgiveness of sins.” The greatest need of man is to have his sins forgiven. If they are not forgiven, man will have to stand judgment for them; and the result of this judgment is an eternity in hell. So, salvation speaks of this needed pardon of our sin. Thus, salvation is the greatest and most needed message for mankind, because it tells him where he can get forgiveness of his sins.

Provision in salvation - “According to the riches of His grace.” Our redemption and forgiveness are based on the boundless resources of God’s amazing, infinite grace. We owe our lives, both present and eternal to the riches of God’s grace. Not only was this grace given, it was lavished on us, generously showered on us. We need never worry that our sin will outstrip God’s gracious forgiveness. God’s grace results in the bestowal of redemption and forgiveness with all the benefits independent of our merit or goodness.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Those times when you feel like quitting can be times of great opportunity, for God uses your troubles to help you grow!”

David Platt (1978 - )

American Evangelical Baptist Pastor and Author 

Word Study

First

In Acts 1:1 we read, “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach” (NASB).

“First” is the Greek word prōtos (πρῶτος = pro'-tos). It means previous, foremost, leading, most important, chief. In classical Greek prōtos also means foremost, first in rank, first in order, first in quality. In the Septuagint, prōtos is used to indicate dates (cf. Gen. 8:5; Ex. 12:2) and sequence (cf. Ecc. 1:11). It is also used to denote order (cf. Num. 2:9), rank (2 Kings 25:18), and quality (1 Sam. 15:21). In the New Testament, prōtos carries much the same ideas of dates, sequence, and order. And it is important to note that the Lord Jesus spoke of Himself as the First (prōtos) and the Last (eschatos), in Rev. 1:11, 17, which speaks of His eternality. So, “the first account I composed” refers to the Gospel of Luke. However, it is believed that the Book of Acts is still be written by Spirit filled believers today.

Did You Know…

The Lord Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples before He was taken up to heaven was, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15; cf. Matt. 28:19).

Bible Quiz

For how many days did the Lord Jesus appear to His disciples after His resurrection?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

How did the Lord Jesus prove His identity to His disciples after resurrection? By showing His wounds - “He showed them His hands and His side” (John 20:20).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

They parted His garments (Psalm 22:18; cf. John 19:23-24)

"They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots!” (Psalm 22:18 NJKV).

As was customary, the garments that had been worn by the condemned man were not to be given to members of the family, but were divided among those who carried out the sentence (cf.  Matt. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34). The personal clothing of the Lord Jesus would have been a turban, a pair of sandals, an undergarment (the seamless tunic), an outer garment, and a girdle. The four men each took a piece of clothing, and then they gambled for the seamless tunic. The fact that it was seamless made it very valuable. It is also a reminder of the fact that the Lord Jesus is our High Priest, since the high priest wore a broidered coat of fine linen under the robe of the Ephod. Parting the garments was shameful to the crucifixion victims because it meant they were stripped of their clothes, and so a person being crucified was naked. This meant that the Lord Jesus dying naked was part of the shame which He bore for our sins. And while all of this treatment received by the Lord Jesus was spoken prophetically a thousand years before it took place, it is a reminder that Calvary was not an accident, but a well-planned event by God. He was in charge of the cross; it was the fulfillment of His purpose, of His great plan of salvation for man.

Did You Know – Christian History

Alexander Selkirk was born in 1676 in Largo, Scotland. He was a Scottish sailor and Royal Navy officer.

Selkirk was the son of a shoemaker and tanner. He had six brothers and was known for his unruly and quarrelsome behavior, including incidents of indecent conduct in church and assaults on his siblings, which led him to run away to sea in 1695. His early maritime experience included joining piracy expeditions in the South Pacific during the War of the Spanish Succession, where he developed skills in navigation and seamanship. In 1703, Selkirk joined an expedition led by English privateer and explorer William Dampier aboard the Cinque Ports, serving as sailing master under Captain Thomas Stradling. Selkirk quickly gained a reputation for his judgment and skill, particularly when he identified the Cinque Ports as not being seaworthy and requested to be left behind on the Juan Fernández Islands rather than risk the ship sinking. In September 1704, Selkirk was voluntarily left on Más a Tierra, an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. He spent the next four years and four months in isolation, surviving by hunting goats, fishing, and using island resources to build shelters and tools. He also domesticated cats to protect his food from rats. His faith ensured he kept his sanity as he read through his Bible and sang hymns. Selkirk became highly skilled in self-sufficiency, crafting knives from barrel hoops and constructing huts from local vegetation.

Selkirk had settled down to life on his island, but he kept a constant watch for passing ships. Finally, he was rescued in February 1709 by the British privateer Woodes Rogers, who was accompanied by Dampier. His rescuer Rogers reported that Selkirk had said “he was a better Christian while in this solitude than ever he was before, or than, he was afraid, he should ever be again.” He later served as an officer in the Royal Navy until his death at sea on December 13, 1721. Selkirk’s story of survival was widely publicized and became a major inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe. His experiences also influenced other literary works, including William Cowper’s poem “Lines on Solitude”. Selkirk is remembered as one of the most remarkable real-life castaways in maritime history, exemplifying resilience, ingenuity, and courage in extreme isolation.

A Little Humor

What did the Lord Jesus say to Mary in the garden? “You look surprised - didn’t I mention I’d BRB (be right back)?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Jesus paid the price. We get to keep the change!”