The Fullness of Salvation 3
The Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross of Calvary as the payment for the guilt of our sins. The soul that sins shall die. This is the Divine edict. Atonement must be made by blood. The blood of Jesus appeased the wrath of God, balancing the Divine scales of righteousness.
It is not possible for a human being to appease God, to make an atonement for his sins. Only the blood of Jesus can make an atonement for sin. The most debased of sinners can come to Jesus in faith, repent of his sins, be baptized in water, and receive the full Divine pardon.
Many wretched, destroyed people have come to God’s Lamb throughout the centuries of the Christian Era and received the full Divine pardon. The love of God goes far beyond the ability of human beings to comprehend.
God forgives those who come to Him through Christ. He forgives them totally. Our sins and rebellions are put on Christ’s account. Our court record is expunged—made as though there had been no transgression.
This first aspect of redemption has been preached thoroughly by the Christian ministry. It has been preached so thoroughly that the Christian salvation has come to mean only forgiveness. Grace means forgiveness.
Salvation means forgiveness. Redemption means forgiveness. Such is the modern perception of Divine grace.
Added to limiting the definition of salvation to the forgiveness of our sins has been the idea that the goal of forgiveness is to permit us to enter Heaven—there to live forever in a beautiful mansion.
The myth of residence in Heaven as the goal of the Divine redemption has destroyed the true scriptural concept of redemption—that of restoring to man what was lost in Eden.
The coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, which always has been the burden of the prophets of God, has been buried under numerous traditions and fables. Over the past hundred years the error of the pre-tribulation "rapture" has been added to the "forgiven to go to Heaven" concept of redemption.
"Salvation by grace," as presented by current Christian pastors and teachers, has become unrelated to the teaching of the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New.
The resulting confusion has rendered impossible any accurate interpretation of the bulk of the Scriptures, has changed the vision of the Kingdom of God to a flight to Heaven, has erected a wall of separation between the elect Jews and the elect Gentiles, and has destroyed the moral character of the Christians.
The destruction of the moral character of the Christians has occurred because of the idea that God has saved us to go to Heaven, not to live in righteousness, holiness, peace, and joy on the earth as the Scriptures teach.
A false vision is being presented. As a result, the nations are staggering about in moral drunkenness and vomit. When there is no moral light in the Christian churches there is no moral light in the world.
By no means is the Christian redemption limited to the forgiveness of our sins. Forgiveness makes it possible for us to come to God so we can be saved from all that is of Satan and brought into all that is of God.
It is time now for the Holy Spirit to enable us to lay hold on the remaining six dimensions of the Christian redemption.