The Science of Salvation

The bible says:

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

There is always more that we can learn. We can never exhaust our study of the word of God. We will be studying the science of salvation for eternity. Ellen White says:

This is the treasure that is found in the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s great lesson book, His great educator. The foundation of all true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. And above all else it contains the science of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mine of the unsearchable riches of Christ.{COL 107.3}

Today I want to take a look at the foundation stone of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Rock of our salvation. Turn with me to 1 Peter 2:4-6:

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion

A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,

And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:4-6

Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. The truth that Jesus is our Savior is the key to unlocking the countless truths about God. Contained within the concept of a crucified Christ is the very heart of God. The cross reveals more about the love of God than any other act of God. Do you know that we will be studying the cross throughout eternity? Ellen White says:

Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which “seeketh not her own” has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto. {DA 19.2}

The cross of Christ is our science and our song. Meaning that in the study of the cross we find truth and joy. I would like to invite you to peer with me a little more into the cross. Because it is in the cross that we find the greatest revelation of God’s love and the foundational truth upon which God’s spiritual temple is built. 

Now let’s take a step back. Why was the cross necessary? Why was Christ’s death essential to the plan of salvation? We’re going to start with salvation 101. Turn with me to Romans 3:23. The bible says:

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

The bible tells us that all have sinned. Why is that a problem? Turn with me to Ezekiel 18:20. The reason this is a problem is that: 

20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. Ezekiel 18:20

There are consequences to sin. This is something the world has forgotten. There are scientists right now that are spending countless hours trying to stop the process of aging. All kinds of theories have been proposed about how the human race can increase the lifespan. But the bible  tells us our true condition. Turn with me to Psalm 90. This is a Psalm of Moses. How long did Moses live? Does anybody know? He lived to be 120 years. Notice though how many years he assigns to the average lifespan. Let’s look at verse 10:

10 The days of our lives are seventy years;

And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,

Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;

For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10

Isn’t it interesting that while Moses lived 120 years and even Aaron his brother lived 123 years Moses gives only 70-80 years for the average lifespan. Could it be that this verse is prophetic in its application? According to the World Health Organization the average life expectancy for someone on this earth is 71 years. Could it be that Moses was making a plea to those that live at the end of time to recognize their mortality?

Turn with me to Romans 6:23. Paul says:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

The wages of sin is death. We’ve all sinned which means that we all should die. To make matters worse we only have about 70 or 80 years on this earth and most will not live any longer. I read a study that says that men are 50 percent more likely to get esophageal cancer than 30 years ago. And that is just one type of cancer. According to the World Health Organization cancer cases are expected to surge 57% worldwide in the next 20 years. The bible  says:

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,

And my age is as nothing before You;

Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Psalm 39:5

The word of God pleads with us to go to our only source of hope. The Psalmist wrote:

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

And…

6 He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved. 

7 In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God. Psalm 62:6

Jesus is our only hope. The cross is our only recourse. There is no other way that we can be saved from our sins. The bible says:

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16,17

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that He can save you from your sins? The bible says that there is not:

…salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Some of us will live longer lives than others. Some us will have better lives on this earth than others but we all need Jesus. Jesus tells us that:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Matthew 9:12

We are sick with sin. The bible tells us:

The whole head is sick,

And the whole heart faints. Isaiah 1:5

But there is hope in Jesus. The bible says:

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14

Jesus gave Himself for you. Ellen White says: 

The Lord could have cut off the sinner, and utterly destroyed him; but the costlier plan was chosen. In His great love He provides hope for the hopeless, giving His only-begotten Son to bear the sins of the world. And since He has poured out all heaven in that one rich gift, He will withhold from man no needed aid that he may take the cup of salvation, and become an heir of God, joint heir with Christ.{1SM 323.1}

God will withhold nothing from us that we need to drink the cup of salvation. He has given everything to us in His Son. Will you accept that gift today? Will you take hold of the precious promises contained in the word?