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 The subject before us is elemental, basic, indispensable. All controversy concerning theological
matters is a waste of time, if man, after a brief and troubled existence for a few fleeting years, goes down to "dusty death." If there be no deliverance from sin and its dread consequences, then
all is vanity. To be in need of salvation implies that one is "lost." To be in need of deliverance implies
that one is in bondage or in danger. To discover that "no man can redeem" either himself or his
brother, makes the question "What must I do to be saved?" the most imperative question mortal man can utter.
Israel, God's chosen people, are represented as being "lost sheep" (Matt. 10:6) and Christ said of Himself and of His mission.
"The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
Gentiles, too, are in the same category:
"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" (2 Cor. 4:3).
The world is looked upon as "lost," for the word "perish" in John 3:16 is the same in the original. On the other hand, those
who believe and are saved, "shall never perish: *(John 10:28). This is elemental salvation. To fill in some of the needful details and make the subject live is the purpose of this book.
SALVATION IMPLIES A SAVIOUR
Eight days after a Child named Jesus was born in Bethlehem over nineteen hundred years ago, an old man named Simeon,
who waited for the consolation of Israel, went into the temple at Jerusalem under the influence of the Holy Spirit at the
moment when this Child was brought in "to do for him after the custom of the law," and taking Him in his arms, he blessed God and said
"Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word: For mine eyes have seen Thy SALVATION" (Luke 2:25-30).
Salvation is an abstract term, but here it is the name given to an infant of eight days old, a Person, a Saviour.
Luke 1:26-35 reveals the message of the angel to Mary, and says concerning the Child about to be born, "Thou . . . shalt
call His name JESUS." By reading Luke 1:26-35 together with Matthew 1:18-23 we learn that this child Jesus was of
miraculous conception his mother being a virgin, and that this virgin birth fulfilled a prophecy uttered years before by Isaiah
and anticipated in Genesis 3:15. The purpose for this miraculous intervention we must consider later, here we are assembling some important facts relating to salvation.
In Matthew 1:21 we are told why this child was called "Jesus"
"For He shall SAVE His people from their sins."
In addition a second name is given to Him, "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matt. 1:23). We are referred back to Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 where we read
"For unto us a CHILD is BORN,
unto us a SON is GIVEN
. . . . . . . . . .
and His name shall be called
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
The MIGHTY GOD!"
"Emmanuel, God with us."
With such stupendous passages before us, it is evident that salvation called for something more than might. Right seems
to be involved. In the birth of this Child, we see God's unspeakable gift, His own self-sacrificing love, and at the same time
a recognition of the claims of righteousness that cannot be swept aside. Right, not might, is triumphant. God is
represented as "A JUST God and a SAVIOUR." The Gospel plan is so arranged that "He might be JUST, and the JUSTIFIER of him which believeth in Jesus" (Isa. 45:21; Rom. 3:24-28).
Before embarking on the great subject of the Person of the Saviour, let us pause to consider some of the ways in which Salvation is spoken of in relation to sin and its consequences.
Salvation is from; to; and by.
Salvation saves "from sins" (Matt. 1:21).
Salvation saves "from wrath" (Rom. 5:9).
Salvation is "by grace" (Eph. 2:5).
Salvation is "by faith" (Eph. 2:8).
Salvation is "by hope" (Rom. 8:24).
Salvation is "to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25).
The scriptures make wise "unto salvation" (2 Tim. 3:15).
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
Neither is there Salvation in any other:
"For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
No good purpose will be furthered by multiplying references; those which have been quoted make it evident that Salvation
COMES from God, is MEDIATED through Christ, is MADE KNOWN through the Scriptures, is RECEIVED by faith, and is entirely an act of grace unmerited by the one who is saved.
THE GOSPEL AND ITS CONNECTION WITH SACRIFICE
"None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him" (Psa. 49:7).
"For God loved the world LIKE THIS" (John 3:16).
Perhaps the most repeated text in the whole Bible is John 3:16. We have elsewhere drawn attention to the importance of
the use of logical particles. John 3:16 commences with the word "For" which links it with verses 14 and 15, and refers us
back to the symbol of the brazen serpent, LIFTED UP in the wilderness. There can be no shadow of doubt but that the
Saviour Himself endorsed this reference back to Moses and the serpent, for every occurrence in John of the words "lifted up" refers to the death of Christ. Let us see them for ourselves.
The Type "As Moses . . . so the Son of Man" (John 3:14).
The Fact "When ye have lifted up the Son of Man" (John 8:28).
The Purpose "If I be lifted up from the earth" (John 12:32).
"Signifying what death He should die" (John 12:33).
The Question "The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" (John 12:34).
SO LOVED
The second feature of importance in John 3:16 is the true intention of the word "so." "God SO loved the world." Here are
some of the ways this word is used:
"Jesus therefore being wearied with His journey, sat THUS on the well" (John 4:6)
When John wrote his epistle, he enforced this thought by using slightly different words:
Herein.In this.Hereby
"IN THIS was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9).
"HEREIN is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, AND SENT HIS SON to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).
"HEREBY perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16).
It is a basic tenet, and salvation hangs upon it, that
"God loved the world LIKE THIS, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The issues are clear. There are some who object to the sacrificial basis of salvation insisted on by the Scriptures, and say something to this effect:
"Can we believe that a loving Father would demand a bleeding sacrifice before He would forgive His little children?"
This is an appeal to the emotions and based upon an untruth. God is the CREATOR of all men, but the FATHER only of
those who are numbered among His children in the family of faith (John 1:12). Our Saviour Himself spoke of some in His
own day as children of the Devil (John 8:44), and Paul tells us that before salvation we, who now rejoice in the high calling
of Ephesians, "were children of wrath, even as others." Further, it is a travesty of truth to say that God "demanded" a
bleeding sacrifice. The overwhelming fact is that the God Who demanded, is the God Who SUPPLIED THAT SACRIFICE.
"The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14).
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" (Rom.. 8:32).
It is fatal to invent attributes of God derived from our own lives and motives. Apart from revelation, we may be convinced
that "God is," but would have no means of adding to these two words "God is . . . ?" The Scriptures alone do that.
"God is Light." "God is Love." "God is Spirit." "God is a consuming fire." "God is just." "God is holy." "God is merciful." "It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." "God cannot lie." "God cannot deny Himself." "God cannot look upon iniquity."
We read of the wrath of God as well as the love of God. The same God Who is love is also a "consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29
). Redemption, Ransom and Atonement are necessary because God must be both just, and at the same time "A Just God
AND a Saviour," and Romans 3:23-26 makes it clear that not only must the saved be "justified" BUT SO ALSO MUST GOD!
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being JUSTIFIED freely by His grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS: that He might be JUST, and the JUSTIFIER of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:23-26).
It will be seen that Romans 3:23-26 is crucial, and once having been read and written cannot be set aside without careful examination.
THE TESTIMONY OF ROMANS 3:23-26
Before attempting a detailed examination of these verses, it will be helpful to note the following outline of the Apostle's teaching in Romans 1-5.
1. Righteousness Revealed. Power to Salvation. (Rom 1:16, 17).
2. Righteousness Required. All guilty. (Rom. 1:19-3:20).
3. Righteousness via Redemption. Set forth. (Rom. 3:21-28).
4. Righteousness by Reckoning. Counted for. (Rom 4:1-25).
5. Righteousness and Reconciliation. Peace. Access. (Rom. 5:1-11).
Romans 3, at verse 22, picks up the thread of Romans 1:16, 17 after having "proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin" (Rom. 3:9).
Verses 22 to 26 are bounded with the thought of the righteousness of God; in the first place, that righteousness which is
imputed and which is by faith of Jesus Christ, and in the second place that righteousness which cannot be called in
question. He must be just at the same time that He justifies, and this rests not upon any deeds or promises made by the sinner, but rests squarely upon the "Redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE
While Scripture maintains in many passages the difference that exists between Jew and Gentile, there is "no difference"
so far as sin is concerned, and there is "no difference" so far as salvation is concerned (Rom. 3:22; 10:12). There is no
difference for all sinned (in the past) and are coming short of the glory of God (in the present).
SINNED AND COME SHORT
The Hebrew word for sin is chata, and its primitive meaning can be seen in Judges 20:16, where it speaks of men of
Benjamin who could "sling stones at an hair breadth, and not MISS." The Apostle was an Hebrew, and knew the meaning
of the word "sin" in the O.T. Hence he writes "come short." We shall appreciate the definition better if we turn aside to
consider the O.T. symbol of righteousness. It is neither more nor less than "sixteen ounces to the pound." How many jibes
have been directed to the "blood-thirsty and primitive savagery" in the law "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?" Yet,
would anyone reprimand a housewife who at the butcher's or the grocer's insisted on "sixteen ounces to the pound?"
Would any tell her that she was perpetuating a "bloodthirsty and savage creed?" The simile is not fanciful, for the symbol
of righteousness in the O.T. is a pair of balances, or a plumb line. Even Shakespeare through the lips of Portia reminds us
that "In the course of justice, none of us should see salvation." If we all have "come short," what must follow? Either we
die under condemnation, or God lowers His standard and accepts a dividend, or, to maintain unsullied righteousness, He
Himself provides the Sacrifice which will honour the law, and allow God to be just at the same time that He justifies the
ungodly. Seeing it is God Who demands and God who supplies the "bleeding sacrifice," it amounts to blind blasphemy to throw His unspeakable gift back in His face and accuse Him of lack of love.
COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD
What does it mean to come short of "the glory" of God? Glory in English, like the Latin gloria, includes fame, splendour,
and magnificence, but none of them fits Romans 3:23. Underlying every reference to the word "glory," if it translates the
Greek word doxa is the idea of testing and proving, especially the testing of a metal. So the derivatives dokimazo to try, to prove, and dokime proof or test, as in:
"The TRIAL of your faith . . . more precious than of gold . . .
though it be TRIED with fire . . . found unto glory" (1 Pet. 1:7).
Whether we are like the Pharisee, who can boast of his good deeds, or like Paul and say "Touching the righteousness of
the law . . . blameless," or whether we are "the chief of sinners" is a matter of DEGREE, we have ALL "come short." Our
only hope is to be found in Him; not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
To deal with the great mystery of Godliness, "God manifest in the flesh," would tax our powers to the limit, and go beyond
the scope we have in mind, which is rather to speak to those who are either seeking salvation and are not yet quite
assured, or those who know that they have passed from death unto life, and now need to be built up in their faith. And so
we pass by "the mystery of Godliness" and consider some of its implications.
THE ONE MEDIATOR
The book of Job is perhaps the oldest book in the world, and though difficult to follow, has one or two illuminating passages with which we can start our inquiry.
"He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and
we should come together in judgment. Neither is there
any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us
both." (Job 9:32, 33).
Here Job is crying out for "the one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus"
(1 Tim. 2:5). The margin tells us that the Daysman," which is an old English legal term, is an "Umpire." Something of its
meaning can be seen in the reference Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together" or in Elihu's intervention when he says:
"If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me,
stand up. Behold, I am according to thy wish IN GOD'S
STEAD: I also am formed out of the clay" (Job 33:5, 6).
"If there be a messenger with Him, an interpreter, one
among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:
Then He is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from
going down to the pit: I have found a ransom" (Job 33:23,24).
"A messenger." This word (Heb. malak) means
(1) An ambassador. (2) An angel. (3) A messenger.
In the N.T, the word messenger is angelos, the Gospel is an evangel or a "good message," to preach is to evangelize, and
a preacher is an evangelist. This is the message and the messenger spoken of to Job.
"An interpreter." This word (Heb. luts) places the one needing an interpreter in an invidious situation or as Paul put it:
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being ALIENS . . .
STRANGERS . . . FAR OFF" (Eph. 2:12,13).
The first office of this messenger or interpreter is
"To shew unto man His uprightness."
This takes place in Job 42:5,6
"I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Let us observe the implications of these two passages. Job is described in chapter one as being "perfect and upright."
He was so proverbially "righteous" that Ezekiel 14:14 declares
"Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in
it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness,
saith the Lord God."
It is one thing to have a righteousness that delivers one from "famine" and "pestilence" (Ezek. 14:13, 19), it is quite another
to possess a righteousness that will stand the scrutiny of the Living God, and provide a perfect acceptance in His
Presence. We are provided with a N.T. parellel in Philippians 3. When it is a matter of comparison between Paul and other
men for boasting in the flesh, he can say "I more," for "Touching the righteousness which is in the law" he could write that
he was "BLAMELESS." This is something deeper than the oft repeated excuse "I'm as good a man as my neighbour." Yet,
this self same blameless Paul, just as Job before him, continued:
"I count all things but loss . . . and garbage . . . and be found in
Him NOT HAVING MINE OWN righteousness, which is of the
Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
Which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:8,9).
We must now move on to consider some of the outgoings of this salvation which God has provided.
Salvation includes (1) The forgiveness of sins, (2) A righteous standing before God, (3) The gift of eternal life, (4) The
hope of immortality at resurrection. It is received by faith and it is manifested by a changed life. These are some of the
consequences of being saved. Let us consider the testimony of the Scriptures with these headings in mind. Let us "search and see" if these things are "so."
THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
Possibly this item does not occupy the first place in the mind of God but it bulks very large in the awakened conscience of the sinner seeking salvation.
For-give and par-don are the same terms derived from different languages. The underlying idea in these English words is
that some penalty or exactment that could have been demanded by justice is relaxed, the Saviour being willing to for -go what was due:
"I forgave thee all that debt" (Matt. 18:32).
Before we proceed with this study, let us ventilate an objection that comes readily to the minds of certain folks.
"Forgiveness" means "Forgiveness;" why all this scrutiny? Some have acted similarly when putting their signature to
certain documents, contracts, deeds and agreements, only to discover, when too late, how wise it is to understand the terms of any subject, especially one so vital as salvation from sin and death.
Our first observation, which must be patent the moment it is made, is, that while we are grateful for the Word of God to be
accessible in the language in which we were born, it nevertheless was originally given in Hebrew and Greek; and while
no one will be saved by linguistic ability, nevertheless he would be foolish to ignore the opportunity to consider just WHAT
WORDS were "given by inspiration of God." This we hope to do, avoiding as far as possible all technicalities, but exhibiting
the language of inspiration so that "The wayfaring man, though a fool, may not err."
Forgiveness translates three Hebrew words namely kaphar, nasa and salach, and three Greek words charizomai, aphiemi, and apoluo. Let us see whether we can make these words live.
First the Hebrew.
Kaphar, means primarily "to cover." To cover over as with "pitch" (Gen. 6:14) as a protection against the Flood. This word
is used for "making an atonement" (Lev. 5:18). We must be careful to distinguish between "covering by cancellation" and
"covering by concealing." This we shall see presently.
Nasa means primarily "to lift up or to bear." This word is used in Isaiah 53:12 "He bare the sin of many." In the mind of God
borne sin is forgiven sin, hence this word is translated "forgive
(Psa. 32:5). This blessed fact occasions difficulties sometimes in translation. For instance, did Cain say:
"My punishment is greater than I can bear" or
"Mine iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven" as the A.V. reads in the
margin? (Gen. 4:13).
The reverse of iniquity is its punishment, and the reverse of sin being borne is sin forgiven.
Salach. The primary meaning of this word is "to let go," "to remit," hence "to forgive" Psalm 103:3. This is the word that is
translated "let go" in Leviticus 16:22 where the scapegoat bearing upon it the iniquities of the people shall be "let go."
We make no attempt here at an extensive exhibition of the usage of these words: our purpose is simpler, and enough has
been exhibited to show that "forgiveness" in the O.T. is based upon atonement, is sin that has been borne, and consequently remitted. The three Greek words must now be considered.
Charizomai. Charis means grace as over against merit, as can be seen in Romans 11:6.
"If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace."
Charizomai is translated "He frankly forgave" (Luke 7:42) and "freely give" (Rom. 8:32) and "forgive" (Eph. 4:32). It differs
however from aphiemi, which not only means to forgive but to "set free" (aphesis Eph. 1:7), and like the references to the
O.T. types already considered, is based upon "borne sin," for "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22).
Aphesis is the word used in the Greek version of the O.T. for the "Jubilee," the year of "release" (Deut. 31:10).
Apoluo "to loose away from" is only translated "forgive" twice, namely in Luke 6:37; but its other renderings "set at liberty,"
"release," "let go," "dismiss" are suggestive. The forgiven sinner has not been merely "let off" as an act of kindness,
something deeper has been involved. A kindly father (remembering his own shortcomings) might be expected to "let off"
with "Don't let me catch you doing it again" attitude, but God must be JUST at the self-same that He JUSTIFIES the ungodly.
Sin as sin must be righteously dealt with, even if love beyond our comprehension should go all the way to Calvary to make such forgiveness possible, permanent and priceless. This leads us to our second heading.
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Salvation - It’s Need, It’s Provision, It’s Goal
