Jesus,
the Source of Eternal Salvation to Whom?
by J. Michael Hite
There
is little doubt that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to
get to heaven. Jesus Himself taught that;
"I am the way, the truth and the life;
no one comes to the Father, but through Me." - John
14:6
Jesus, God's only Son, is the source of eternal life. Without Christ's
death on the cross, and ressurection from the dead, we would have no
hope of getting to heaven. His sacrifice paid the way, but for who?
The writer of Hebrews answers the question quite exactly.
" And having been made perfect. He
(Jesus) became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal life."
- Hebrews 5:9
Who is He the the source of eternal salvation for? Those who obey Him!
This simple truth is overlooked by many who support other means of salvation.
Well meaning members of most of the world's "Christian" denominations
would teach that obedience is NOT required for salvation. That belief
is all that is needed. Many would urge you to just say a simple prayer
and ask God into your heart and you will have eternal life. That would
be alright too, if Jesus had commanded us to do so...but He didn't!
Nowhere in Scripture will you find that promise, or the words to pray
that will lead to your salvation. And yet sadly, there are hundreds
of thousands, who claim Christ as Lord, yet do not obey Him.
Jesus' own words make this simple truth plain. In teaching about the
road to heaven in the Book of Matthew, Jesus makes this statement:
" Not everyone who says to me "Lord,
Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew
7:21
Clearly, Jesus understands that there are going to be many who claim
Him as Lord that will not enter into heaven. Their confession of Him
as Lord is not going to be enough. Their belief that He is Lord will
not be enough...unless it prompts them to obey. Those who will enter
into the kingdom are those who "do
the will of the Father." Their confession and belief that
Jesus is Lord MUST cause them to respond in obedience to God's will.
If it doesn't they will not be saved.
This truth is further evidenced again by Jesus Himself. After His resurrection,
just before He returned to heaven, Jesus gave His final instructions
to His disciples.
" And Jesus came up and spoke to them
and said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew
28:18-20
First, Jesus stated that He was giving these commands with authority.
A little authority? Some authority? No...ALL
authority!
Next He gives them instruction to "go
and make disciples." And how are they to make these disciples?
By baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit AND teaching them to observe (obey) all
the He has commanded. What did He just command? To make disciples by
baptizing them and teaching them to obey. This single, simple command
creates an unbreakable chain that will last until the Lord returns.
Disciples are to make more disciples, by baptizing them and teaching
them to obey Christ's commands, who through obedience to Christs' commands
are to make disciples, by baptizing them and teaching them to obey...and
so it goes on and on. This meshes perfectly with the verse we read in
Hebrews.
" And having been made perfect. He
(Jesus) became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal life."
- Hebrews 5:9
In the Book of Acts, Peter, was following this pattern, when he gave
the first Gospel sermon preached after the Lord returned to heaven.
After explaining to the crowd that they had crucified the Son of God,
their Savior (Acts 2:14-36), the crowd
realizing the tragic mistake they had made, asked Peter what they should
do (Acts 2:37).
"And Peter said to them, "Repent,
and let each of you be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins; and
you will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for
you, and your children, and all those who are far off..."
- Acts 2:38,39
Peter was obeying the commands of Jesus by preaching salvation through
baptism and obedience. Notice that Peter tells them to "Repent."
Repentence is simply to turn from the path you are on. Change your course.
“Therefore having overlooked the
times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere
should repent” (Acts 17:30).
Peter was teaching the commands of Christ by teaching repentence. Then
Peter went on to finish the "disciple-making" commands Christ
had given by telling them to "be baptized."
And he explains to them why..."for
the forgiveness of your sins." You see, by their acknowledgement
of Jesus Christ as Lord, their repentence of their sins, and the submission
(obedience) to the will of the Father by being baptized, they would
recieve the forgiveness of sins. They would become true disciples of
Christ, and Jesus would become the source of eternal salvation to those
who obeyed.
Michael
Hite is Communications Minister at the Bear Valley Church of Christ
in Denver, CO. and is also on staff at the Bear
Valley Bible Institute of Denver.
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