Today's is our final lesson on the "tenses" of salvation. We have already discussed the past and present tenses, that we have "been saved" and that we are "being saved," so, in this lesson, we will look at some verses that show us that we "will be saved." We have been saved from sin's penalty, we are being saved from sin's power, and we will be saved from sin's presence, and all of this is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The world (everyone outside of Christ) is without hope. They live lives of quiet despair and have an unspoken sense of doom. Even those who put on a smile and try to laugh away their anguish, experience a nagging feeling of dismay, as well as recurrent thoughts that life is futile.
The reason for this is simple; they are unsure of their future. They know that life is short, and they must admit that they don't know what happens when they die. Therefore they must try to get all the life they can get out of their short years, for they have no hope of anything beyond the grave.
Not so with Christians. We have a sure hope of being saved from God's wrath. We know, based upon the evidence in God's Word, that we will spend eternity in heaven with Christ. We look at the cross of Christ and see our forgiveness, our sin debt paid, death defeated, the power of sin broken, and the devil destroyed. Then we look at the resurrection of Jesus, one of the most witnessed events in history, an event foretold in great detail through prophecies recorded in the Old Testament, and it provides us with a confident hope of a guaranteed future.
As the old hymn says, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow," whatever tomorrow may bring. In 2020, all believers can say, "Because He lives, I can face the Coronavirus and the associated quarantine and financial crisis!" Christians are realists, but also eternal optimists! We believe we will be saved from the presence of sin, sickness, death, the wrath of God, and every distress through the cross of Christ.
“Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." Acts 15:10-11
Question 1. According to Acts 15:10-11, by what means do we obtain the "future tense" of salvation?
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The context of Acts 15 is the "Jerusalem Council" where the apostles gathered to discuss the requirements of salvation (Acts 15:6). Some believing Pharisees were teaching salvation by grace through faith plus obedience to the Law of Moses (Acts 15:5).
Peter arose and addressed the council and made his famous statement, a statement that even today goes against legalists who seek to add law to grace, religionists who attempt to combine tradition and ceremony with grace, and moralists who endeavor to retain the law and minimize grace. Peter said, "But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." Peter denounced the law as a means of salvation and called it a "yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear." In other words, we are saved by grace through faith plus nothing.
Peter taught that, through the cross, God gave grace to all who would believe so that we “will be saved.” By grace through faith in Jesus' death on the cross to atone for our sins and His victorious resurrection to give us a new life, we have been, are being, and will be saved. Peter's confidence was in grace alone, the cross of Christ alone, to save all who believe.
I have that same confidence in Christ's finished work. I believe that not only am I saved and being saved, but that I will be saved from God's wrath. I believe I will be saved from the presence of sin through Jesus' sacrifice. I believe I will live forever because Jesus died in my place. Do you?
Oh, friend, Jesus has made our eternity secure and very promising so that we can live with hope, boldness, confidence, and assurance in this life.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:8-10
Question 2. What words are used in Romans 5:8-10 to show the "future tense" of salvation?
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Question 3. Please write the three specific words in this passage that refer to the accomplishment of Jesus Christ on the cross.
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