When in Bethabara John was baptizing in the Jordan river John was speaking of Jesus and told the people “This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Saying the next day when he saw Jesus coming to him, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
In 1Peter3:18 we see that “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
In these statements we see the forgiveness of sins. And how that the taking away of sins was accomplished by Jesus. The same Jesus Paul spoke of in Heb.10:9,10 where he said, “9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
This shows us that the forgiveness of sins was so complete through the sacrifice of Jesus that sins have been “taken away”. So much so that in Heb.9:14 we are told that sin is purged from man’s conscience.
And that this was done so that a New Covenant could be established. And that sanctification has been done “through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
But, if this is all true, and it surely is, then why aren’t all men justified, sanctified, purified, and saved by the taking away of sins by Jesus’ death? Why hasn’t the conscience of all men been purged from sin? And since all men have been forgiven of sins then why aren’t all men saved?
Because forgiveness of sins is not salvation. It is only the deliverance from a system under which sins are imputed. A system under which only one group of people have evert lived. That is Israel under the law.
And having been “delivered from the law” as Paul says in Rom.7:6 they are now “free to marry another. Even Him who hath raised from the dead.” Rom.7:4. This is what forgiveness of sins has done for the Israelite.
And in John17:3 John says salvation, that is eternal life, is knowing Jesus. This means that salvation is not just that His death was the final once for all sacrifice for sins that brought an end to the law which caused the imputation of sins for Israel. Salvation, that is the righteousness that is eternal life, is for all men the righteousness that is know Him.
This is why the belief in universalism, the notion that since Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world then the whole world is saved, because salvation has been imputed to them through no choice of their own, can not be true.
And by extension neither can the belief in the doctrine of original sin that speaks of imputed sin and imputed righteousness be true. Because both require that what man needs to be saved is imputed to him through no choice of his own. First the sin of Adam. And then the righteousness of Christ derived through His good works. And if righteousness is imputed this way then there is no need for anyone to believe in Jesus to be saved. But, only for His death to pay the penalty for sin.
So what does Rom.4:5,6 mean then when it says,
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works”? The context will help here.
The context shows us that the use of the word imputeth here actually means the same thing as God “reckoned” Abraham to be righteous because he believed God. This is why Paul says in Rom.4:9,10, “Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.”
So imputed as it is used in vs.6 means reckoned. And reckoned means what God considers you to be. So that because of his believing God he was considered to actually be righteous.
Not in circumcision so that this righteousness could have nothing to do with works. But, in uncircumcision so that this righteousness could only be by faith. It means God considered Abraham to be righteous by faith without works.
And because of what Paul tells us in Gal.2:16 we know that this is also how everyone who is righteous has been reckoned to be so. By what Paul refers to here as “the faith of Christ”.
This does not mean we are believing in Jesus’ faith to make us righteous. It means our faith is the same as Jesus’ was when He showed He was righteous. So that trusting in the Jesus as He trusted in the Father makes us righteous every bit as much as Jesus was.
This kind of faith is one that says to God in regard to salvation, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” Just as Jesus said when praying to the Father for another way other than going to the cross to save mankind. Saying in Luke22:42, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
So not only do we see here that Jesus had as difficult a time with the idea of the cross as any man would have. Showing us once again as Heb.2:14 says His flesh was the same as all men. And Heb.4:15 that the tempting Jesus went through was in every way just like ours.
We also see that righteousness was reckoned to Jesus just as Abraham’s was to him, when of His own free will Jesus trusted the Father saying, “not my will, but thine, be done.”
This is why neither universalism nor Augustine’s original sin and necessity can be true. Because both reject free will. And free will plays an integral part in salvation. Because it is by free will that Jesus said, “nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” And it was by free will that Abraham believed God and was reckoned, that is considered by God, to be righteous.
So if by some sad turn of events you began to believe the gospel, but somewhere down the line have been deceived to believe that free will has no role in salvation. Please understand that without free will there could be no salvation. Because without free will love relationships like the one we must have with Jesus for eternal life can not exist.
So that it must be by free will that men come to know Jesus. And it is only in knowing Him, and not just knowing that His death took away the sin of the world, that we can have eternal life.
Eternal life that comes to us through faith in Jesus. Faith in His love for us that caused Him to join with us fully in our humanity to be mortal just as all men are. So that through faith in His death being the same death all men die, and His resurrection, we can join with Him in immortality.
The faith of Christ by which we are reckoned to be righteous is what gives to us a spirit created by God that joins us to Him as His children forever. A spirit being birthed in us just as Jesus said in John3:1-8. So that once joined to Him by this spirit He created in us Paul concludes in Rom.8:35-39 saying,
“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So this is why not everyone is saved by Jesus taking away the sin of the world. Because taking away sins by taking away the law for Israel, and removing that enmity that was between Jew and gentile, only removes the obstacles to salvation. As Gal.3:23-26 says. After which we must now believe in Jesus and His resurrection to be made righteous unto eternal life.
Do you want this kind of assurance of eternal life? Does the kind of love that the gospel shows God has for you put you in a mindset that makes you want to trust in Him? Then simply of your own free will repeat the words of Jesus when He showed us how to trust in God for righteousness saying, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
And by your free will if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. And believe in your heart that He has raised from the dead. Paul said “Ye shall be saved.” Because it is believing in your heart in the Jesus who has conquered death that is righteousness. And it is confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus that is salvation. Which salvation is deliverance from death to life.
If by choosing of your own free will you will do this then you will be saved. If you will do this then God will place a spirit in you that you never had before. If you will do this then by that spirit you will be a child of God and heir to His kingdom. If you will do this… then I will see you there or in the air!
