what must we believe to be saved

WHAT MUST WE BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN ORDER TO BE SAVED?

(Acts 16:31) says- " Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved". The bible keeps on repeating that there are three things to believe in the Lord Jesus in order to be saved-that is - we must believe that we are saved (1) through His blood, (2) through His death and (3) through His resurrection.

[1] WE MUST BELIEVE THAT WE ARE SAVED THROUGH HIS BLOOD.

(Ep.1:7) says- " In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace"- meaning - we have redemption in Christ through His blood.

The scripture presents the blood of Christ as the infinite purchase price of our redemption .

(1) (Acts 20:28) - We have been purchased by His blood.

(2) (1 Cor. 6:20)- We were bought at a price.

(3)) (1 Pet.1:18-19) - We are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

(4) (Col.1:14)- We have redemption through His blood.

(5) (Rom. 3:24-26)-Redemption and remission of sins cannot be apart from His blood.

6) (Rev. 5:9)- We are redeemed to God by His blood.

Our sins are cleansed by the blood of Christ.

(1) (Rev. 1:5)- We are washed from our sins by His blood.

(2) (Rev. 5:14)- Tribulation saints will wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the lambs.

(3) (1 John.1:7) - Our sins are cleansed by the blood of Christ. See also (Jer. 33:8) ; (Psalm. 51:2); (Zec. 13:1)

We are justified by the blood of Christ.

(1) (Matt. 26:28)- His blood was shed for the remission of sins .

(2) (Rom.5:9)- We are justified by His blood.

(3) (Heb.9:22) - Without shedding of blood is no remission.

Also, in addition,

(1) We have peace through His blood- (Col. 1:20).

(2) We are made nigh by the blood of Christ- (Ep. 2:12) .

(3) By His own blood He entered in to the Holy place- (Heb.9:12,14) .

(4) Sprinkled blood of Jesus is present in Heaven- (Heb.12:24).

Three ideas are involved in the doctrine of redemption:

(1) Paying the ransom with the blood of Christ (1 Cor. 6:20); (Rev.5:9).

(2) Removal from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13;4-5).

(3) Release from the bondage of sin into the freedom of grace (1 Pet. 1;18-19)

[11] WE MUST BELIEVE THAT WE ARE SAVED THROUGH HIS DEATH.

Christ died for our sins. (Rom.5:8) says - "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Then in (1 Cor. 15:3) says- "For what I received I passed on to you as first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." Also in (1 Pet.3:18) says- "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit."

Another verses that God says we are saved through the death of Christ.

(1) (Col. 1:22) says- " But now He Has reconciled you by Christ 's physical body through death to present you Holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation."

(2) (Heb.2:14) says-" Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy Him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil".

(3) (Rom.5:10) says- " For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life.

(4) (Rom. 6:10) says- " The death He died, He died to sin once for all: But the life He lives, He lives to God".

(5) (2 Cor.5:15) says-" And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again".

[111] WE MUST BELIEVE THAT WE ARE SAVED THROUGH HIS RESURRECTION.

(1) (1 Pet.3:21) says- " And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ".

(2) (Rom. 6:5)says- "If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

(3) (John.11:25-26) says-Jesus said to Martha, " I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies: And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this"?.

(4)(1Pet. 1:3-4) says " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil and fade- kept in heaven for you ".

(5) (Rom. 8:34) says-"Who is He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that , who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us". See also (Acts 4:33, 17:18, 2:29:-36,4:2 ).:(Rom. 1:4, 8:34) : (1 Cor. 15:2-19) : (1 Pet.3:18) :(Matt.27:53)

Even, when we know that we are saved through the blood , death and resurrection of Jesus Christ but without believing what we know, there is no salvation for us. There is only salvation for us when we believe that we are saved through the blood, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we truly believe in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit makes real to us the saving efficacy of the blood , death and resurrection of Jesus that brings salvation.

The new testament separates the blood and death as two aspects of Christ's sacrifice that were distinct and both individually necessary in (.Col. 1:20, 22). In these verses you see the "BLOOD OF HIS CROSS" doing something and " THE BODY OF HIS FLESH THROUGH DEATH' doing something, Both were needed. Second, you get the two separate elements in the Lord's table- THE BREAD AND THE CUP. The bread symbolizes the death in His body and the cup portrays the sacrifice in His shed blood. There is a divine quality to the blood of Christ that cleanses. Even though Christ is 100% God and 100% human but His humanity is perfect and sinless, unlike other human beings, that's why His blood cleanses.

Another sufficient evidence that the blood of Christ cleanses is in (Acts 20:28) it says- " Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be Shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood". At the end of the verse it says, " WITH HIS OWN BLOOD". What is the antecedent of "HIS" ? It is "GOD". So Acts 20:28 says "WITH GOD'S OWN BLOOD" or we can say "WITH CHRIST'S OWN BLOOD". One of the great mysteries of scripture is the hypostatic union . Christ is fully human and fully divine. There was something divine to the blood of Christ, which is why the blood can cleanse. If you ask me , how? How does God use the blood of Christ to bring forgiveness of sins to all repentant sinners? Simple! But only God can do this and we can see in His acts the four elements of forgiveness.

FIRST: God pours the blood of Christ into the sinners heart covering all sins by it. (Rom. 4:7) says-" Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven whose sins are covered".

SECOND: All sins now wrapped or covered by the blood of Christ, God removes and takes it to an immeasurable distance. (Psalm 103:12) says - " As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us". This makes the heart as white as snow ready for the royal entrance for the spirit of Christ. Calling Christ to come into the blood- washed heart, the spirit of Christ immediately enters in effecting regeneration. A new spiritual life begins and he is given the authority to become the son of God ( Gal.4:6).

THIRD: God buries the blood-covers sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19) says- " Hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea".

FOURTH: God will forget all of their sins. (Heb. 10:17) God says- " Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.

Written by Osmundo S. Sabado

Edited by Orman L. Sabado