You Can Know You Have Eternal Life
#648
Man's Search for Inner Peace (62)
How can I be saved from my sins? (14)
by Jim Mettenbrink
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As Jesus observed the Passover
meal with His 12 disciples on the night before he went to the
cross, He instituted the Lords Supper as a memorial of
His sacrifice for all of mankind. He took bread, gave thanks
and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is My body which
is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me
(Luke 22:19). With His human body, Jesus fulfilled
the law which man could not do (Matthew 5:17, 18). In
fulfilling the law, He was sinless, thus became the acceptable
sacrifice for the sins of all people, paying the penalty of death
which each person deserves (Genesis 2:16,17; Romans 7:21-24;
2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 2:9; 7:26-27). Having paid
the debt of death demanded under the Old covenant which God had
made with Israel via Moses (Exodus 19), Jesus set it aside
(Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 10:9-10). Would God
make a new covenant with Israel or anyone else?
On that Passover evening, Jesus
continued He
also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood,
which is shed for you (Luke 22:20). This
new covenant would be extended to all of mankind beginning on
Pentecost (Acts 2). The covenant was dependent upon
Jesus blood. Under the Old covenant, the blood of the animal
sacrificed for each was necessary for the remission of sins.
However, the book of Hebrews clarifies it was not an actual
forgiveness But
in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For
it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take
away sins (Hebrews
10:3, 4). Jesus entered heaven, Not with the blood of
goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most
Holy Place (Gods
throne JM)
once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).
Jesus blood is central to salvation
from sins. In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins,
(Ephesians
1:7). There is no forgiveness without Jesus blood.
So how does one receive forgiveness? It is evident
in two places in the book of Acts that forgiveness is appropriated
in baptism, the outward submission of oneself to Jesus in a grave
of water, symbolizing Jesus own death, burial and resurrection
Repent,
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins
(Acts 2:38; cf Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3, 4). Without
Jesus blood there is no remission of sins. Without faith
in Jesus to submit oneself in baptism, one can not receive that
forgiveness.
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