Salvation – Massillon Baptist College Alumni Fellowship

In Matthew 8:10-12, Jesus is speaking to those in Capernaum who are following Him. He marvels at the Roman centurion’s faith. This man realized that Jesus need only “speak the word… and my servant shall be healed” (Mat. 8:8). He acknowledged that what Jesus speaks will happen, alluding to His omnipotence, and that Jesus was a greater man than he (v. 9), alluding to His divinity. In answering the centurion’s confidence, Jesus exclaims, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (v. 10). He literally means this, for this centurion is not a Jew.

Jesus proceeds to shock the Jews in His audience by telling them that the Gentiles will be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven (i.e. heaven), while some of the Jews will not. “But the children of the kingdom (i.e. Jews) shall be cast into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 8:12).

Jesus is teaching some most important principles regarding salvation. First, salvation is not guaranteed by birth or pedigree. The Jews were counting on their lineage to get them to heaven, but Jesus makes clear here that ancestry is not a factor in receiving the gift of eternal life. Your last name may grant you favors in your social or professional circles, but not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This leads to the second principle: salvation requires a personal decision to place your faith in Christ. Though the faith in this context is that Jesus can heal, Jesus further indicates this man’s faith to be saving faith, hence verses 11-12.

Many church denominations have departed from upholding the Bible as their final authority. Even in colonial America, the Biblical teaching on salvation was watered down, giving rise to the “halfway covenant”. This type of apostasy continues all around us to our present day. But we must be concerned with people misunderstanding how to be saved even in our own churches. Some men and women that fill our pews may assume that they are right with God because of their religious upbringing, though they’ve never personally accepted Christ’s offer of salvation. How tragic that would be!

May we pray to preach the gospel clearly to men and women and for the Spirit to work in their hearts.

Most men and women do not want to meet their death. We desire to prolong our lives as long as possible with medicine and by living an active lifestyle. Hardly a murder victim has desired to lose their life. Even the murderer appeals his death sentence.

So… Was Jesus forced to die or did He choose to die?

To answer that question, read Matthew chapters 26 and 27 in the Bible and consider the following.

Jesus prophesied that His arrest leading to death was soon coming, but He made no effort to leave Jerusalem to avoid it. See Matthew 26, verses 2, 11, 21, 23-25, 31, and 45.
When hundreds of soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He had eleven of His twelve disciples with Him. Peter took out his sword to fight against these men, yet Jesus commanded him to put his sword back away. See Matthew 26, verses 51-52.
Peter swung his sword once at a man’s head before Jesus told him to put his sword away ( Matthew 26:51). Malchus ducked, and Peter cut off only his ear. Jesus took the time, as He was being arrested, to heal his ear. See Luke 22:50-51.
Not only did Jesus not want His disciples to fight against those who had come to arrest Him, but He also asked that they let His disciples go in safety since they were only interested in taking Him. Jesus did not resist His arrest in any way. See John 18, verses 7-8.
He prayed that there might be another way for man’s sins to be forgiven because He did not want to drink of “the cup“ of suffering and death. Nevertheless, He was committed to what God the Father wanted. See Matthew 26, verses 39 and 42. There was no other way, so He accepted the shame and suffering of the cross so we could be saved from death in hell.
As Jesus was brought to trial before the Jewish High Priest, He offered no defense to the outlandish accusations against Him. See Matthew 26, verses 59-63.
Jesus was then sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governmental official who had legal authority to condemn men to death. As Jesus was vigorously accused by the Jewish religious leaders, He didn’t answer these charges before Pilate either. See Matthew 27, verses 12-14.
Pilate, knowing Jesus was innocent, sought to release Jesus. Yet Jesus did not assist Pilate in this endeavor. See John 19, verses 7-12.
Jesus knew He could have called more than fifty thousand angels to come and rescue Him from the cross, but He remained silent. See Matthew 26, verse 53.
As He was dying on the cross, He asked God to forgive His murderers, “for they know not what they do.” See Luke 23, verse 34.

Jesus endured the shame and suffering of the crucifixion because of “the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy could Jesus find in dying such a painful death? He knew that because of His death we could be saved from our sins and our sins’ punishment, which is the lake of fire. Peter tells us that because of Jesus’ being beaten with “stripes,” we can be healed (First Peter 2:24). As He went to the cross, He did so bearing “our sins in His own body on the tree.”

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Jesus was not forced to die. Rather, He allowed man to kill Him because by His death we might have life – everlasting life with God in heaven! Jesus took the punishment you and I deserved for our sins.

If you would like to believe in Christ and have Him give you “everlasting life,” simply ask Him for it. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). That’s God’s promise to you!

There are no special words to pray to be saved, as God will hear even a simple child’s prayer. More important than the words you speak, God sees your faith. If you believe it, you can receive it!

Here is a sample prayer to be saved:

Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner and that You died for my sin. I ask you to take me to heaven and give me the gift of everlasting life. Thank you for loving me, dying for me, and saving me! Amen.

If you have asked Jesus to save you and take you to heaven, please let me know! I will be so happy to hear you are now on your way to heaven!

Tag: Salvation

Salvation Is a Personal Decision

Was Jesus Forced to Die on the Cross?