The Greatness of God in our Salvation

by Jon Mac.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1

Peter is celebrating salvation. And sometimes for Christians through the history of the church there has been little else to celebrate. And Peter is reminding them no matter how bad it gets, no matter how deprived you are, you always have the hope of your eternal salvation. And in that you can be comforted. Salvation...what a word. Is there any word in the English language as blessed as that one? Is there any word in the English language as hopeful as that one? Is there any word in the English language as comforting as that one, as securing, as assuring? I think not. Salvation...spiritual salvation, the rescue of the human soul from sin and death and hell and Satan-- the greatest theme of Scripture.

You know what the Bible says. Man is guilty of sin. Because he is guilty of sin he is headed for eternal judgment to spend eternity in the torment of hell. He desperately needs to be rescued from that. He needs to be saved, to be delivered. And he can't save himself. The Bible makes it very clear that by his own works and his own deeds and his own effort he cannot save himself, he cannot rescue himself, he cannot deliver himself. But the message of the Bible is that while man cannot save himself from eternal torment as a punishment for his sin, God can and will save him. The Bible tells us that God loves the sinner. God commended His love toward us and that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, Romans 5:8. God not only loves the sinner but God is able to rescue sinners. Psalm 3:8, wonderful statement, "Salvation belongs to the Lord." He has the power to do that. Not only does God love the sinner and not only is God able to rescue the sinner but God is willing to rescue the sinner. "God, our Savior, who will have all men to be saved."

Furthermore, God has planned to rescue the sinner. Second Timothy 1:9, "He saved us according to His own purpose." God loves the sinner. God is willing to rescue the sinner. He is able to rescue the sinner. He has planned to rescue the sinner. And God has made Christ the means of rescuing the sinner. Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation." Christ is the means of salvation.

And then God has also ordained preachers to announce that Christ is the means of salvation. God has the rescue plan in motion. He loves the sinner. He is able to rescue the sinner. He is willing to rescue the sinner. He has planned to rescue the sinner. He has made Christ the means of rescuing the sinner. And He has ordained preachers to announce the rescue plan and to call sinners to Himself...to call sinners to repentance.