Christian Living

Purpose and Salvation

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
06/06/22
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"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

The Apostles Peter and John were shortly arrested after Peter preached his second sermon, after healing a lame beggar. The people gathered amazed and praised Peter, which gave him reason to preach about Jesus, who has the power of healing. The Temple guards and Sadducees were disturbed about this new proclamation of Jesus being the Messiah. Still, about five thousand believed and began to follow Jesus. The Sadducees ordered the Temple Guards to arrest Peter and John.

The next day Peter and John were brought before Annas, the High Priest, and others of priestly descent, John and Alexander. They also questioned Peter and John where they had the power to heal a lame man. Peter ended his explanation with the verse we read at the beginning of our conversation.

We are not told how much time passed after Adam and Eve were told not to eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I am confident it was more than the time between when I fell to sin and the next time I stumbled. The first couple did not have the desire to disobey their Creator but only serve Him and live in peace. In time the persuasions of the serpent indwelled by Satan attracted Eve, and she shared with Adam too. Creation was fractured by sin and death awaited all from that moment on. Their mistake was they knew they did not understand death, and now humanity lives in fear of physical death. Yet, death is always beyond tomorrow in the hearts of humanity.

Humankind was created with eternity in their heart and cannot accept they are bound to die. Humanity was created in the image of its Creator with the ability to reason and rationalize its thoughts. Their thought was they would soon die a physical death, which they all fear. The final death God was speaking of is the final spiritual death all humanity will ultimately endure. The wage of sin is death (Romans 6:23); how can man imagine spiritual death, and many do not believe it is real. Most of us live like tomorrow is always before us. “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

There are two kinds of people, the righteous and the unrighteous. Some believe in Lord Jesus as their Savior and those who have rejected His truth. The unrighteous love the world more than His Kingdom. The wicked are hopeless and gather all they can from this world. They seek all of the world’s pleasures, possessions, and wealth. They place their pleasures in barns of their hearts, possessions in barns on their property, and wealth in barns of the banks. The Creator, the Lord God almighty, call them fools. "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'" (Luke 12:20) The hopeless will leave all behind when the appointed time arrives. "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)

God sent Himself in the likeness of a man to dwell amongst His creation, and this man’s name is Jesus. He came as a child born in Bethlehem, who the wise from the east came to worship. Jesus grew to become a man of stature and live perfectly by the Word and will of God His Father. When the time came for the Passover of His chosen to sacrifice for their sins, Jesus was there. Outside of Jerusalem, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all of humanity. Jesus died on the cross in place of all. On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave, conquering death so that all of humanity could have eternal life in His Kingdom if they had belief and faith in Him.

None believed, not His mother nor His siblings, and not any of His disciples or followers. The women who followed Him throughout His three years of ministry did not believe. Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James, did not believe when they came to His tomb. "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." (Luke 24:1-3) They expected Him to be decaying in the tomb and planned to place spices on Him. They wondered as they found the stone roll away and entered to find the tomb empty.

The women quickly ran back to find the Apostles and tell them the body had been taken away. The Apostles felt what the women were saying was nonsense. Peter and John left to go to His tomb and see if the women have spoken correctly and resolved this mystery. "Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them." Luke 24:10-11)

The disciples and the women returned to where they all stayed together, confused about these developments. As they all were puzzled and confused, suddenly Jesus appeared, and they were frightened. Jesus bid them peace and showed them His scars to prove it was He. "Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." (John 20:29)

 Jesus also appeared to five hundred of His followers, and they were amazed. "After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:6) Then they all believed and understood all He had been telling them for three years.

If what Jesus had told His disciple about His death and resurrection and seeing His words are true, all of His words are true. There is no deceit in the Word of God, Jesus the Lord and Savior. Except for Judas, who betrayed Jesus, eleven of the Apostles, except John, died a martyr’s death for the sake of Jesus’ Word.  Many of the five hundred followers also died for the faithfulness of their Savior. I am not sure any of them planned to die for their testimony of Jesus. I believe in the measure of this world and the Kingdom of God; life there is worth the sacrifice. Unnumbered people have died for the sake of their testimony of Jesus Christ. Thomas saw and believed and the Apostles, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." True faith is to be willing to die for their testimony.

On the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion, He was comforting His disciples. With these faithful and true words, Jesus told these in answer to Thomas. "Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" (John 14:5-6)

There are many religions in this world, and I will not attack or disqualify any of them. I know of some, and all I have seen require something to be accomplished to achieve salvation. Salvation is a personal relationship of a willing soul to serve their Savior's purpose. It was not just their knowledge but active faith in His Word.  Only the true religious order of the Creator has done the work for His believers, and that is the Lord Jesus, our personal Savior. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, May 17, 2022