Triplets of Faith: Three True Gospels

 

Christians believe in one God, yet He is a triune God: God the Father; Jesus Christ the Son; and the Holy Spirit. Aspects of His triune nature are reflected in His creation, attributes, incarnation, earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection, to name but a few.

So it is not surprising that throughout Biblical dispensations, there are three true Gospels: the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14), the Gospel of Grace (Acts 20:24), and the Everlasting Gospel (Revelation 14:6-7). All of these are “Good News,” which is the meaning of the word “Gospel,” to those who place their faith in God, but judgment to those who do not (2 Corinthians 2:14-17).

Paul also refers to “another gospel,” (Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Corinthians 11:1-4) or false gospel that results in damnation rather than salvation because it requires that good works must be added to faith for a person to be saved (Colossians 2:8;18-23; Hebrews 6:1; 9:14). The preacher of such heresy is condemned even more than those who believe it (Galatians 1: 8-9).

God is unchanging (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17), so how can there be three true Gospels? Although God made different covenants with mankind throughout Biblical history, the common element is our faith in Him (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1-11; Hebrews 11). Without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). Previously, now, and in the future, salvation is by His freely given grace, solely through our faith in Him, and not in our own works in a futile attempt to earn our entrance to Heaven (Ephesians 2: 8-9).

What is saving faith? It is our belief that God is Who He says He is (Matthew 16:15-17; John 1:12; 11:27) and that He will do what He has said He will do. By definition, it goes beyond what we can see and fathom intellectually (Hebrews 11,1), yet it is supported by visible evidence throughout God’s creation of Him as the Supreme Designer (Psalm 19:1). Faith only results in salvation if the object of that faith is the one true God, the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Spirit.

Even unsaved people have “faith” that a chair they have never sat in before will support their weight, or that a pilot they have never met is capable of safely flying them to their destination. Evolutionists have “faith” that eons of time and astronomical odds result in creation of life from inanimate matter, and increasingly complex life forms from simpler ones, even though there is no observable evidence of these theories that defy known laws of thermodynamics.  

These types of misplaced “faith” do not result in forgiveness of sins or eternal life, for only the fool says in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 14:1).and worships the created being rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).

When we try to determine whether another person will keep their promise, we examine their character, intentions and their ability to carry out those intentions. We may believe that a spouse wants to support and encourage us throughout our lifetime, and they may have a good and faithful character so that they sincerely want to do so. Yet humans have limited power and finite time on earth, so they may fall short of their promise due to physical or mental infirmities or even untimely death (Job 14:1; James 4:14).

When we believe the promises of God, it is because we have faith not only in His character and intentions, but also in His ability to fulfill those promises. We believe that He is love (1 John 4:8), truth (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 71:22; John 18:37), and light (1 John 1:5), and that He therefore wants only the best for His children (Matthew 7:11; Romans 8:28) and will never lie (Titus 1:2).

Because God is perfectly holy (Leviticus 11:44,45, etc.) and just.( Job 4:17;8:3, etc.), He must punish sin and separate Himself from those who sin, unless they are redeemed by the perfect sacrifice of His Son (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).

God has unlimited ability to fulfill His good intentions toward us because He is omnipotent, with infinite power (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17,27) omniscient, with infinite knowledge of all things past, present and future (Psalm 139:1-6); and omnipresent, so that He can be anywhere and everywhere, accompanying us in any and every circumstance (Psalm 139:7-11). He will never leave nor forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5).

Future posts will explore how God progressively revealed and will reveal Himself to those who believe in Him, through the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14), the Gospel of Grace (Acts 20:24), and the Everlasting Gospel (Revelation 14:6-7).. Praise God that His promises can be trusted, and that faith in Him brings eternal life!

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Must We Be Baptized?

 

Photo by JGHowes 2007

An interesting question that came up in the Bible study of the Book of John that I am currently teaching: Why was Christ baptized if baptism is not a necessary step in the path to eternal life?  Jesus said He was fulfilling all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), and that He was perfect, and yet seemingly in need of baptism. Does this contradict our salvation by grace through faith alone? (Ephesians 2:8-9), as we are sinful and imperfect? Is it prideful to think that we do not also need baptism and works to be saved?.

Baptism doesn't make you saved any more than wearing a wedding band makes you married. Both are symbols of a deeper union. In the case of baptism, it is usually one of the first acts of obedience a Christian does once they are born again (John 3:3-8), as a symbol of their spiritual rebirth and belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).

Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death and burial of Jesus as the believer is plunged under the water, and it also symbolizes the believer dying to his sin nature (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:2-7). When the believer is raised up out of the water, it symbolizes Christ's resurrection and also the believer becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Baptism shows those present that we are not ashamed to be followers of Christ, and that we are obedient to His Great Commission, which includes baptism (Matthew 28:19-20).

But baptism, or any works in general, are not necessary for salvation. To be saved, all we need is the freely given gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We cannot accomplish our own salvation, for we can add nothing to Christ’s completed work on the cross. However, once we are saved, obedience and good works, such as baptism, flow naturally out of our love for and gratitude to Him. Baptism and other good works are the fruit and evidence of our living faith (James 2:17-26).

 

When Philip preached about Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, he asked what would prevent him from being baptized, and Philip replied “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” After this confession of faith by the eunuch, Philip baptized him right away (Acts 8:26-38). This shows the proper order of being saved by believing and verbally confessing faith in Christ, Whom God raised from the dead (Romans 10:9) and then being baptized as an act of obedience.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who immersed Him in the river Jordan ((Matthew 3:13-17). Yet John protested before baptizing Jesus, for he clearly recognized long before that Jesus was far more powerful and holier than himself (Luke 3:16-17). Only Jesus would be able to baptize with the Holy Ghost, and only Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29,36). None of these powers were contingent on Jesus being baptized. In fact, John, Mary, and Elizabeth all recognized Jesus as their Savior before He was even born! (Luke 1).

We cannot use Jesus’ example in being baptized to prove that we must be baptized in order to be saved, any more than we can use His example in being circumcised (Romans 2:25-28), or keeping the Jewish feasts, or other works of the law that He kept and fulfilled (Matthew 5:17), as works necessary for our own salvation. The law saves no one, for no one can keep it completely.

The law is only a mirror showing us the extent of our shortcomings and our need for a Savior. As sinners before a righteous and holy God, we deserve eternal punishment in hell, which would be our fate if Christ had not paid our sin debt in full to reconcile us to the Father (Romans 3:20-26).

If baptism or any other works were necessary for our salvation, then the thief who repented and recognized Jesus as Lord just before he died on the cross would not have been saved. He had no opportunity to be baptized or to do any good works, yet Jesus said to him, "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:40-43).

In a way, it is pride and unbelief that makes some think that God's grace is not enough to save their souls, and that they need to add their own good works to the amazing love and self-sacrifice Christ showed by dying for our sins. The Mormons like to say "We do our best, and Jesus does the rest." But Jesus freely gave Himself for us, and that is enough.

It is as if someone offered you a brand new Mercedes Benz as a gift, no strings attached, and you said -- "No, I want to help pay for it, so here is a penny." Thinking that our penny would make a difference would not only be prideful; it would also be insulting to the giver and would belittle the immense value of his gift. It is prideful to think that we could save ourselves by our good works, because the Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Yes, we are all sinful and imperfect (Romans 3:10-23), before and after we are saved. We have no righteousness on our own, before or after baptism. But once we place our faith in Jesus, all His righteousness is imputed to our account, and all our sins are imputed to His account (Romans 4:6-8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). So, praise God, when the Father looks at a believer, He no longer sees our sins, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son!

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Edited and reposted from the archives

Oil and Fire: Judgment and Deliverance

 

Photo by flydime

Water can be an instrument of God’s judgment as well as of His blessing. So it is also with oil, needed to nourish our bodies and light our darkness, and yet hot oil that blazes out of control is a fierce, all-consuming fire.

James uses the metaphor of fire to describe our tongue (James 3:5-8). Unless guided by the Holy Spirit, our tongue is set on fire from hell, igniting passions and fury in the souls of others, unleashing forces of evil and darkness rather than of God’s grace and light. Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), so may we use our words to comfort and heal rather than to tear down and destroy.

Our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; 32:22; Hebrews 12:29), sparing us from His judgment only through His mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16). The intense power of fire can even transform the cooling and soothing qualities of water into a boiling, seething cauldron of destruction, which is a metaphor for God’s judgment on disobedient nations (Isaiah 64:2). When oil rigs explode in the ocean, the blaze does its damage for some time despite the surrounding waves.

But water and fire do tend to neutralize one another, as we all know from watching firefighters extinguish a raging inferno with torrents of water. As forest fires blaze beyond man’s control, God may send mighty rains to inundate the scorched earth and stop the destruction.

The ability of cold water to absorb large amounts of heat also makes it the best first-aid for a minor burn from cooking or a curling iron. In our present life, the pain of even an insignificant burn can be so intense that it distracts us from all else. As a doctor-in-training rotating through different services, I realized that the worst pain and suffering was experienced by patients in the burn unit.

And yet, if we could begin to imagine that pain and multiply it by infinity, we would not come close to realizing the horrors of hell. By far the worst judgment by fire anyone could ever face is the eternally burning flames of hell that are never extinguished (Matthew 5:22;18:9; Mark 9:43-49). Worse yet, those condemned to those flames are tormented forever, as their body is not consumed.

Equally intense as the physical pain of burning in hell must be the affliction of unending thirst. I find myself longing for water just writing this, even though I am well hydrated and am now enjoying a cup of tea. During exercise in the scorching heat, the thirst we experience can crowd out other gnawing sensations such as muscle fatigue, heat stroke, and the blinding sun, and our overwhelming desire is simply for water. That first gulp seems so refreshing, yet our relief is short-lived as we need to keep drinking until our fluid balance is completely restored.

But if we are trapped in the desert without water and no relief from the blistering sun, our thirst and pain will only intensify until we are rescued or until we die. That is the situation in hell, except that there is no end to the suffering. Sadly, we all deserve eternal punishment in hell, for we are all sinners unworthy of being in God’s holy presence (Romans 3:23). Hell is a real place, spoken of by Jesus more times than He described Heaven.

The rich man in hell begged for Lazarus to visit him from Paradise and place just one drop of cool water on his tongue (Luke 16:24). Yet this was impossible because of the “great gulf” between Paradise and hell (Luke 16:26), and no amount of pleading can ease one iota of pain or thirst for those doomed to hell throughout eternity.

Even worse is the mental anguish of those in hell. Too late, the rich man realized the errors of his earthly life (Luke 16:19-22,25), and he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to tell his brothers what he was experiencing so they could repent and be spared the same fate (Luke 16:27-28). But, as Abraham pointed out, they did not believe God’s prophets, so why would they now believe even one who rose from the dead? (Luke 16:29-31) Jesus Himself rose from the dead as proof of His Deity and to show us the Way to eternal life, yet how many refuse to believe His Word?

The rich man’s punishment was not only his own damnation, but the realization that he was now helpless to tell his family how they could avoid being doomed as he was. Each believer has a unique sphere of influence – our family, friends, coworkers – that we could share Jesus with as the Spirit opens the door for our testimony. Yet so often we don’t walk through that door, because of fear or unbelief. When we face Christ at the judgment seat, we will have to account for our lives, including wasted opportunities to lead others to Him (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

Thankfully, there is redemption from hell fire in the Person of our Redeemer (Job 19:25; Psalm 19:14; Isaiah 43:14), Jesus Christ, the Living Waters Who alone can satisfy our thirst throughout eternity (John 4:10-11; Revelation 7:17). Through His completed work on the cross, He reconciled sinful man to Holy God, so that when God looks at believers in His Son, He sees only His righteousness (Romans 4:22-25). In His presence there is no more thirst, heat, or burning sun, for He will lead us to living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:16-17)..

Before it is too late, may we all place our faith in His death, burial and resurrection as the only Way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 4:1-15; John 14:6), so that we can live eternally with Him by the river of water of life (Revelation 22:1-2), where there is no more pain, sickness, sin or sorrow! May we spend our lives telling others about Him, Who is our only Deliverer (Romans 11:26) from the flames of hell, so that they too may live forever with us in Heaven!

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

 

Triplets of Faith: Were Adam and Eve Saved?

The common element in different covenants God made with mankind throughout Biblical history is our faith in Him, as reflected in three true Gospels. Faith is our belief in God Whom we cannot see directly (Hebrews 11:1-3), although His creation reflects His excellence (Psalm 19:1). Without this faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). 
 

How do we demonstrate our faith in God?  Faith is manifest in our obedience to Him (1 Samuel 15:22; James 2), yet each of us has disobeyed God (Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3). Sin, or disobedience, is always the result of pride and/or unbelief. 

Thankfully, God can take the smallest seed of faith we can muster and grow itinto faith that could move mountains (Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:5-6). Paradoxically, He shows His love for us by punishing us when we disobey, just as a loving Father does His children (Hebrews 12:5-11).

The specific requirements of what He asked the faithful to believe and to do differed with each covenant, or promise that God made to His chosen people (Hebrews 11). God did not reveal His entire plan of salvation or Who He is all at once (Isaiah 55:9), nor will we able to understand Him in His infinite glory until we see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Despite their disobedience that ultimately led to every person being born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:18), I believe that Adam and Eve were saved because they knew Who God was, and they obeyed Him before the Fall. They recognized that He created them (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7) and everything else, and that He provided for them (Genesis 1:29; 2:9).

Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, it appears that they enjoyed daily fellowship with Him, speaking with Him as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). They obeyed God in that Adam named all the animals as God requested, and they both kept and dressed the garden (Genesis 2:15,19-20).

Adam believed what God had done in creating a wife for Him (Genesis 2:21-22), and he recognized the significance of that creation and of their union (Genesis 2:23-24) as one flesh – a forerunner or type of the union between Christ and His Bride the Church (Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-32)

Despite this blissful existence with God in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell prey to Satan’s deception when the serpent convinced Eve to disobey God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-6). God, being holy and just, had to punish their sin (Genesis 3:16-19) and banished them from the Garden of Eden.

Yet their banishment from the garden was for their own salvation, for had they stayed there and eaten of the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever in their sinful, corrupted state, in their aging bodies subject to sickness and pain (Genesis 3:2-24).

In a futile attempt to cover their own sin, symbolized by their nakedness, with their own works, Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together (Genesis 3:7). But God covered their nakedness with animal skins (Genesis 3: 21), representing the blood atonement (Leviticus 17:11), or “scarlet thread,” that would culminate in the shed blood of His Son (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22).

The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), not only covered sin but removed it as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). When God looks at all those who place their faith in Christ, He no longer sees their sin, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son (1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 1:8; Philippians 1:11; 3:9).

Although the first couple was cast out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-23), Eve continued to show her faith in God’s promise that her seed would destroy the serpent’s seed (Genesis 3:15; 4:1, 25). Adam’s faith is not spelled out, but he is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:38), suggesting that he was also saved by faith.

The disobedience of Adam and Eve resulted in all their descendants being born with a sin nature (Romans 5:12-14). Except for Jesus Himself, all thereafter sinned and came short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and none has perfectly kept His commandments. So salvation cannot be based on self-righteousness or works, or none would be saved (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, it is based on believing what God has revealed about Himself at that point in history -- believing that He is Who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do.

© 2013 Laurie Collett
Reposted from the archives

Triplets of Faith: Were Adam and Eve Saved?

As we have seen, God made different covenants with mankind throughout Biblical history. The common element is our faith in Him, as reflected in three true Gospels. Faith is our belief in God Whom we cannot see directly (Hebrews 11:1-3), although His creation reflects His excellence (Psalm 19:1). Without this faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). 

 

 

How do we demonstrate our faith in God?  Faith is manifest in our obedience to Him (1 Samuel 15:22; James 2), yet each of us has disobeyed God (Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3). Sin, or disobedience, is always the result of pride and/or unbelief. 

 

Thankfully, God can take the smallest seed of faith we can muster and grow it into faith that could move mountains (Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:5-6). Paradoxically, He shows His love for us by punishing us when we disobey, just as a loving Father does His children (Hebrews 12:5-11). 

 

The specific requirements of what He asked the faithful to believe and to do differed with each covenant, or promise that God made to His chosen people (Hebrews 11). God did not reveal His entire plan of salvation or Who He is all at once (Isaiah 55:9), nor will we able to understand Him in His infinite glory until we see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). 

 

Despite their disobedience that ultimately led to every person being born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:18), I believe that Adam and Eve were saved because they knew Who God was, and they obeyed Him before the Fall. They recognized that He created them (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7) and everything else, and that He provided for them (Genesis 1:29; 2:9).

 

Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, it appears that they enjoyed daily fellowship with Him, speaking with Him as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). They obeyed God in that Adam named all the animals as God requested, and they both kept and dressed the garden (Genesis 2:15,19-20). 

 

Adam believed what God had done in creating a wife for Him (Genesis 2:21-22), and he recognized the significance of that creation and of their union (Genesis 2:23-24) as one flesh – a forerunner or type of the union between Christ and His Bride the Church (Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-32).

 

Despite this blissful existence with God in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell prey to Satan’s deception when the serpent convinced Eve to disobey God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-6). God, being holy and just, had to punish their sin (Genesis 3:16-19) and banished them from the Garden of Eden. 

 

Yet their banishment from the garden was for their own salvation, for had they stayed there and eaten of the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever in their sinful, corrupted state, in their aging bodies subject to sickness and pain (Genesis 3:2-24).

 

In a futile attempt to cover their own sin, symbolized by their nakedness, with their own works, Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together (Genesis 3:7). But God covered their nakedness with animal skins (Genesis 3: 21), representing the blood atonement (Leviticus 17:11), or “scarlet thread,” that would culminate in the shed blood of His Son (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22). 

 

The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), not only covered sin but removed it as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). When God looks at all those who place their faith in Christ, He no longer sees their sin, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son (1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 1:8; Philippians 1:11; 3:9). 

 

Although the first couple was cast out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-23), Eve continued to show her faith in God’s promise that her seed would destroy the serpent’s seed (Genesis 3:15; 4:1, 25). Adam’s faith is not spelled out, but he is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:38), suggesting that he was also saved by faith.

 

The disobedience of Adam and Eve resulted in all their descendants being born with a sin nature (Romans 5:12-14). Except for Jesus Himself, all thereafter sinned and came short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and none has perfectly kept His commandments. So salvation cannot be based on self-righteousness or works, or none would be saved (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, it is based on believing what God has revealed about Himself at that point in history!

 

© 2013 Laurie Collett (reposted from the archives)

Triplets of Faith: Were Adam and Eve Saved?

As we have seen, God made different covenants with mankind throughout Biblical history. The common element is our faith in Him, as reflected in three true Gospels. Faith is our belief in God Whom we cannot see directly (Hebrews 11:1-3), although His creation reflects His excellence (Psalm 19:1). Without this faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

How do we demonstrate our faith in God?  Faith is manifest in our obedience to Him (1 Samuel 15:22; James 2), yet each of us has disobeyed God (Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3). Sin, or disobedience, is always the result of pride and/or unbelief. 

Thankfully, God can take the smallest seed of faith we can muster and grow it into faith that could move mountains (Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:5-6). Paradoxically, He shows His love for us by punishing us when we disobey, just as a loving Father does His children (Hebrews 12:5-11).

The specific requirements of what He asked the faithful to believe and to do differed with each covenant, or promise that God made to His chosen people (Hebrews 11). God did not reveal His entire plan of salvation or Who He is all at once (Isaiah 55:9), nor will we able to understand Him in His infinite glory until we see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Despite their disobedience that ultimately led to every person being born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:18), I believe that Adam and Eve were saved because they knew Who God was, and they obeyed Him before the Fall. They recognized that He created them (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7) and everything else, and that He provided for them (Genesis 1:29; 2:9).

Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, it appears that they enjoyed daily fellowship with Him, speaking with Him as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). They obeyed God in that Adam named all the animals as God requested, and they both kept and dressed the garden (Genesis 2:15,19-20).

Adam believed what God had done in creating a wife for Him (Genesis 2:21-22), and he recognized the significance of that creation and of their union (Genesis 2:23-24) as one flesh – a forerunner or type of the union between Christ and His Bride the Church (Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-32)

Despite this blissful existence with God in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell prey to Satan’s deception when the serpent convinced Eve to disobey God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-6). God, being holy and just, had to punish their sin (Genesis 3:16-19) and banished them from the Garden of Eden.

Yet their banishment from the garden was for their own salvation, for had they stayed there and eaten of the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever in their sinful, corrupted state, in their aging bodies subject to sickness and pain (Genesis 3:2-24).

In a futile attempt to cover their own sin, symbolized by their nakedness, with their own works, Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together (Genesis 3:7). But God covered their nakedness with animal skins (Genesis 3: 21), representing the blood atonement (Leviticus 17:11), or “scarlet thread,” that would culminate in the shed blood of His Son (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22).

The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), not only covered sin but removed it as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). When God looks at all those who place their faith in Christ, He no longer sees their sin, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son (1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 1:8; Philippians 1:11; 3:9).

Although the first couple was cast out of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-23), Eve continued to show her faith in God’s promise that her seed would destroy the serpent’s seed (Genesis 3:15; 4:1, 25). Adam’s faith is not spelled out, but he is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:38), suggesting that he was also saved by faith.

The disobedience of Adam and Eve resulted in all their descendants being born with a sin nature (Romans 5:12-14). Except for Jesus Himself, all thereafter sinned and came short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and none has perfectly kept His commandments. So salvation cannot be based on self-righteousness or works, or none would be saved (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, it is based on believing what God has revealed about Himself at that point in history, as we shall see next week!

© 2013 Laurie Collett