Salvation: What is it and why do I need it?

~ SECOND QUARTER ~

 Salvation: What is it and Why do I Need It

Lesson 1 – What does it mean to be saved?

Scripture: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 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.” - Romans 5:6-10

RIGHT ON TIME! 

Tommy was always getting in trouble. His family would often say “trouble is Tommy’s middle name.” Tommy’s father would often tell Tommy to stay out of trouble or else he might find himself in a situation he could not handle. Tommy heard what his father said, but he often shrugged it off as “old people” simply worried too much.

One day, as Tommy was on his way home from the store, he saw some construction work going on and it drew his attention to the men working. Tommy went over to the site and asked the men what they were doing. They told him to move back. Tommy didn’t listen. He kept moving forward to peek into the hole in the ground.

As Tommy was leaning forward, he lost his footing and began to slip. But before his words could even leave his mouth, he felt a large hand reaching out and grabbing him. The large hand pulled him back up. He then heard a familiar voice.

“Tommy, I told you to stay out of trouble.”

It was his dad! “But how did you know…”

Tommy’s dad looked at his son and simply said, “Son, I’m always watching out for you. I saw you coming this way instead of coming to the house. Something inside told me I should check up on you, and I’m glad I did.”

“Yeah, you were right on time!”

~Examine the Word~

This bridge represents the relationship with God before sin

The scripture verses tell us that at the right time, Christ came to save us from sin. What is sin? Sin is doing something we shouldn't do.  That includes bad thoughts, bad actions, being jealous of others, using language badly, and overall behaving in a way or manner that is against God (and all have sinned)!  The trouble is that God can't stand sin because He is perfect!  Ever since Adam and Eve ate from the tree in the garden, God couldn't have the same relationship with us. Before, there wasn’t anything that separated God and men. It’s like the bridge above. People on the bridge above can connect with the other people on the other side freely because the bridge connects to the other side. Man could connect with God freely before sin.

This bridge represents the relationship with God after sin. 

Broken!               Separated!           Torn Apart!

When Adam and Eve sinned, they damaged the connection (the bridge) between man and God. Now man had no way of getting to the other side, to God.  So we needed a way to be able to have fellowship or friendship with God.

In the Old Testament part of the Bible, we are told that the people had to give offerings for their sins. The priest would take the animals that were without spot or blemish and sacrifice their blood on the altar for the people’s sins. But this had to be done again and again. Some of the people of the Bible thought they could do “things” that would help them reach God. But as the picture above shows, they still could not do anything to reach God because man’s righteousness is not good enough (Isaiah 64:6; Titus 3:5).

Jesus’ came and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice, the perfect lamb without any blemishes or marks (because he was without sin). Jesus’ sacrifice would now do what the other sacrifices could not; it would wash away sin forever. God sent his Son at the right time to save us from falling into a pit that we could not get out of. That pit represents sin. We could not stop sinning because we wanted to. We needed God to help us and to forgive us for the sins we committed.

 ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  – John 14:6

 To Be Saved Means:

·         I have been saved from all the wrong things I do (acting, thinking, etc.) against God.

·         I am no longer disconnected from God because of the “bridge” being gone.

·         Jesus became the bridge for me so that I could reach God.

·         I am no longer separated from God or his provisions.

·         I accepted Jesus as MY SAVIOR, the perfect sacrifice for my sins.

·         I want to obey God and His purpose for my life.

 ~Discovering the Truth~

We learned, in the first quarter, that God loves us unconditionally. That means that He loves us not because we do things right, but simply because He created us. Our sin separates us from having a friendship/relationship with God. So we needed something to help us bridge that gap. Jesus is the one that keeps us from slipping into the danger of sin and suffering the consequences for it. Tommy’s father watched over him and saw that his son might need him, and he did. His father’s strength was able to pull his son from trouble. God is able to pull us from the trouble we would find ourselves in because of our disobedient to His commands, through Jesus Christ.

  Before a person can accept the gift of salvation, they first have to understand that they are in need of salvation or saving (as we explained in the illustration of bridge). This lesson today helps  us understand that even though we are children of God by creation, we have to make a choice to accept God’s gift of being his child by redemption (salvation). After we understand what salvation is, our next step is accepting OUR NEED to be Saved. We hope that today you have gained that understanding that you need to be saved (if you are not). In our next lesson, we will study “how do you get saved,” what is required.

~Additional Scripture~

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12

…but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a Lamb without defeat or blemish -1 Peter 1:18-19

Prayer: Lord, help us today to understand our need to be saved. It seems like such a large step.  However, you said you would do the work in us because of Jesus. Help us make that step to understanding our need for salvation. Amen.