Answers 13 What Does “Salvation In Christ Alone” Mean? – David Hibbert.
Introduction
In this series called “Answers”, my goal is to help you, by sharing with you short, Biblical answers to questions that people have been asking me. Today’s question: What does “Salvation In Christ Alone” mean?
When people talk about salvation, they say that it is in “Christ Alone”. What does that mean?
- What It Means.
What is means, is that Christ is the ONLY source of salvation, the COMPLETE source of salvation, and the FULL source of all we need to live the Christian life.
John 14:6, NIV – (6) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the ONLY way to Father God.
Acts 4:12, NIV – (12) Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Salvation is found ONLY in Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 7:25, NIV – (25) Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
So Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father, salvation is found in NO ONE ELSE than Jesus, and Jesus is the only one able to save us COMPLETELY.
It is not Jesus plus rituals that saves us, like being water baptized or taking the communion elements on a regular basis. It is not Jesus plus good works that saves us, like doing things for God to earn our salvation. And it is not Jesus plus sacrifice that saves us, through ridding our life of smoking or drinking or whatever.
It is simply accepting and trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus that saves us. Anything else is just the fruit of our salvation, not the prerequisite for salvation.
- What It Does Not Mean.
Now, many people teach that there is therefore nothing we need to do, to experience the fullness of salvation, and that is just not true.
We just read in the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 7:25, NIV – (25) Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Jesus is able to save us completely, because He is always praying for us, and so over the course of our lives, as Jesus keeps interceding for us, we will eventually experience the fullness of our salvation.
But there are some things that we are responsible to do.
a) We Must Exercise Faith.
Ephesians 2:8, NIV – (8) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith …
Although salvation is in Christ alone, we must first receive salvation by faith – so we must exercise faith to receive what Jesus has done for us.
b) We Must Learn How To Work Our Salvation Into Every Area Of Our Lives.
Philippians 2:12, NIV – (12) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed … continue to work out your salvation …
So even though salvation is in Christ alone, we must work out our salvation, through doing our best to be obedient to what He has told us to do.
c) We Must Learn How To Deal With Hindrances To Our Freedom In Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV – (5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
So even though salvation is in Christ alone, we must learn how to deal with every blockage to our freedom in Christ, including the arguments and pretensions and thoughts that exist in our minds, that try to rob us of our freedom.
d) We Must Learn How To Use Our Authority To Overcome The Attacks Of Satan.
Luke 10:19, NIV – (19) I have given you authority to … overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
So even though salvation in in Christ alone, we must learn how to appropriate the fulness of Christ’s freedom in our lives, by learning how to use the authority that Christ has given us, to overcome all of the power and activity of the enemy who is working against us.
An Example
Let me give you an example to show you that there are things in our lives that we must deal with, even after we are saved through Christ alone.
Acts 8:9-23, NIV – (9) Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. … (13) Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. … (17) Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (18) When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money (19) and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (20) Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! (21) You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. (22) Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. (23) For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
So there was a man named Simon who had been practicing sorcery. After Philip shared the gospel with him, the Bible clearly says that he believed in the Lord Jesus and so was saved, and then in obedience, he was also water baptized. So he had a pretty good start to his new Christian life.
However, when he saw the physical evidence of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit, he wanted to pay the apostles to give him that power also, most likely since he could no longer practice sorcery for money, and so he needed a new source of income.
And Peter, probably with a word of knowledge or a discerning of spirits, said some very interesting words. He said, in verse 23, “For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
So here was a man who had received his salvation through faith in Christ alone, and yet he was still “full” of bitterness, and “captive” to sin.
The NKJV translation says “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity”. That word “captive” or “bound” literally means “to be tied up by ropes or chains”.
So although Simon was now a Christian by faith in Christ alone, he still needed to be set free from his bitterness, and his bondage.
Was he a Christian? – Definitely! But after His salvation, he still needed to learn how to appropriate his freedom in Christ, by going through some sort of inner healing to deal with his bitterness, and by going through some sort of deliverance to deal with his bondage to sin.
And that’s why Peter said in verse 22, “… Perhaps he [God] will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.”
You see, until Simon, a new Christian, dealt with the issues in his mind and heart, he would not be able to experience the fullness of Christ’s salvation and forgiveness.
So thank God that salvation is in Christ alone, and does not require rituals, or good works, or personal sacrifice. But to experience the fullness of salvation, we must learn how to embrace our freedom, through obedience, inner healing and deliverance, and using our authority to overcome all the works of the enemy.
0 Comments