Salvation is the work of God from start to finish. Hebrews 12:1-2 makes this quite plain, as Jonah 2:9 does also. We experience salvation on the principle of grace through faith. It is His gift to us – Ephesians 2:8-10. Now, the Scripture speaks of our salvation in terms of the past, present, and future. This fact has confused some very sincere minds as to their assurance of salvation in the end.
God’s plan is to save any man that comes to Him through the Person of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ – John 6:35-40; 10:9, 27-30; 14:1-6.
Jesus has Himself undertaken the work which is needed to secure our salvation both in time and eternity. His labors never cease for His own, and all depends upon His Person and work on our behalf.
The moment we realize our need of deliverance before God from the present and impending judgment of our beings by God due to our sinful thoughts and ways, we are led by His Spirit to repent toward God. We realize that we are totally hopeless and helpless in the face of God’s guilty verdict – John 3:18, 36; Romans 3:19-20. We do not have to wait to leave this world to find out what God’s evaluation of our lives will be. Rather, we must simply bow our hearts to His declared condemnation of any and all who are yet in the flesh, in Adam – Romans 8:5-8. To an exercised soul, this is a great grief.
Yet, God does not leav e us in such a hopeless condition. He then begins to instruct us as to His plan for bringing us into His actual favor in the second man, the last Adam, Jesus Christ our Lord – 1Corinthians 15:45-50. For just as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive – 1Corinthians 15:22.
Thus, we must carefully consider the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our well-being depends upon who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do for us. Hebrews 9:24-28 gives us a very encapsulated view of His work in our behalf while Hebrews 7:26-8:1 gives us a good summary of His Person. Please read both carefully. You will notice that as a Person Jesus Christ is totally perfect. He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, perfected forever. He will never sin because He does not change – Hebrews 13:8. You will notice that as to His work He labors without ceasing for us. In Hebrews 9:26 He appeared on earth to put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. This happened at Calvary. There He paid the full payment due from us for our sin.
Based upon His work on the cross for us, God can now forgive us and cleanse us from all our sin. There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus – Romans. 8:1.
The penalty has already been paid in full by Jesus. He declared this to be true when He said from the cross, “It is finished!” Praise God for His salvation! Jesus Himself said that if any man hears His word and believes in Him who sent Him, then that person has everlasting life and that person shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life – John 5:24. Faith in Christ brings this assurance to our soul. We will never be judged for our sins. We have been delivered once and for all from sin’s penalty. By His sacrifice we are perfected forever as He Himself is perfect! – Hebrews 10:10-18.
Notice now Hebrews 9:24. Having finished His work at Calvary, the Lord Jesus Christ was then received up into heaven, now to appear in the presence of God for us. He lives today as our intercessor and advocate with the Father. It is His life in the presence of God that keeps us saved from sin and its power over us – Hebrews 7:25; 1John 1:8-2:2; Romans 8:31-39; 1Peter 1:3-5; etc. We received a glimpse of this work when our Lord was on earth and spoke to Peter about his coming failure in loyalty – Luke 22:31-34. Another glimpse is in John 17 when Jesus allowed His disciples a view of Him praying for them.
You see, it is the work of Jesus Christ our Lord that keeps us saved, that makes us desire and able to know and follow Him – Philippians 2:12-13.
That is what Paul understood, and that is why he wrote earlier in the letter to the Philippians that he was confident that He who had begun a good work in them would complete it until the day of Jesus Christ – Philippians 1:6.
Finally, we come to Hebrews 9:28. Here we see our Lord Jesus Christ returning again to the earth for His own. He will not be coming to deal again with sin.
He did that the first time He came to earth. Now He is seen coming to deal with His own, to deliver them completely from the decay and sorrow of sin. Some will have died waiting; some will still be alive; but all will be changed in a moment to be like Him – 1Corinthians 15:51-58; 1John 3:1-3; Philippians 3:20-21. Our bodies will finally participate in the long awaited redemption – Romans 8:18-25. What a day! What a deliverance! Praise God, what a Savior! And you can now see, by His grace, that the work is all His; and, further, the work is all sure because He is able to perform that which He has promised. Today, we have the earnest of the Spirit, the pledge or down payment of all that is to come. We are sealed by that Spirit until the day of redemption – Ephesians 1:13; 4:30. Who, then, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?
Yes, God has given to those who come to Him through Jesus Christ the gift of eternal life. He who has the Son has the life – John 3:36; 1John 5:11-12. If you have been put by God in union with Christ through faith in the Person and work of His Son, then you have a sure salvation in which you can glory with a full assurance of faith – Hebrews 10:19-25. Your soul can rest in His great care, and you can serve Him with a heart of love because of how He has first loved you – 1John 4:17-19. ”
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
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