POSTED 01 MARCH, 2004

What Is Salvation?

by J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net

Of all the doctrines and teachings of our faith, one remains the most critical: the doctrine of salvation. If a person does not get this right, then he or she has no chance of being in God’s Kingdom. The written Word of God is clear that a person who does not come to faith in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), repent of his or her sins, and is spiritually regenerated will suffer the reality of eternal punishment.

We will examine the critical areas of the salvation message, some of which are avoided, knowingly or unknowingly, by various Bible teachers today. The doctrine of salvation is very important, but it unfortunately often remains one of the least discussed within our faith today. It is most important, because it affects how we live today and has eternal consequences for the hereafter.

The doctrine of salvation is one of the most easy, but one of the most difficult concepts for some to understand. In Mark 10:13-15, Yeshua tells us that we are to come to Him like a child, innocent and humble, and if we do not have this attitude then we may not enter into eternity with Him:

“And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Yeshua saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all’” (Mark 10:13-15).

Why a Person Must Be “Saved”

Critical to understanding the doctrine of salvation is knowing why a person needs to be “saved.” One must be able to grasp that Messiah Yeshua came to save us from two things: our sin and eternal punishment:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

Although there are numerous passages in Scripture which both define sin and eternal punishment, Romans 6:23 is to the point. It tells us that the consequence of sin is death, properly and Hebraically understood to be separation from God.

Sin is defined by 1 John 3:4 as being transgression or disobedience of God’s Law or the Torah. Every person on Planet Earth is guilty of transgressing God’s commandments, either directly or indirectly. Consider the fact that although none of us may have actually broken the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit murder” (Exodus 20:13), by committing manslaughter—Yeshua tells us that we have still broken it:

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (Matthew 5:21-22).[1]

It is doubtful that you have ever committed physical murder. However, we have all no doubt called a person a “fool” or an “idiot” or “worthless.” According to the Lord, if we have called someone worthless or a fool, then we are guilty of breaking the Sixth Commandment and should receive capital punishment. Although this is only one example, there are no doubt other commandments which we have broken in a similar manner. Everyone is guilty of transgressing God’s commandments. The Bible speaks to our common sinfulness:

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:1-3).

“[A]s it is written, ‘THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE’” (Romans 3:10).

The Torah or Law of Moses tells us that sin can only be atoned for through the sacrifice of animals. Specifically, we know that the high priest was responsible for putting the blood of a blameless lamb on the mercy seat in the ancient Holy of Holies on every Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) that would cover Israel’s sin for the year.

Eventually, Israel would receive the promised Messiah and Deliverer. God sent His Son, Yeshua, to atone for the sin of humanity. Consequently, Yeshua is referred to as being the Lamb of God, so we know that He is the only One through which salvation can be attained (John 1:29; 1:36).

Many who claim Yeshua as Lord know that salvation comes only through Him. But what if people refuse salvation? What fate awaits them?

“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).

The words of Yeshua are very to the point. He tells us that those who do not have faith in Him as the Messiah “will go away into eternal punishment.” The Book of Revelation further tells us that at the Second Resurrection, the damned will received a “glorified” body (just as those in the First Resurrection) prior to experiencing their fate in the Lake of Fire. Consider what happens to the Beast and the false prophet following the end of the Tribulation period. They are cast directly into the Lake of Fire and do not appear before the Great White Throne judgment:

“And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone…And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 19:20; 20:10).

The same is the fate that awaits those who reject Yeshua the Messiah as Savior. The Lake of Fire is the destiny that awaits those who do not come to faith in Yeshua. The condemned will be judged by their works (Revelation 20:12) and then punished accordingly. Because these people did not receive salvation of God, rejecting Him, they will suffer eternal damnation. The condemned will approach the Great White Throne and be judged according to their works and be thrown into this terrifying place.

If one does not come to saving faith in Yeshua the Messiah, there is absolutely no hope for oneself.

J.K. McKee (B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic apologist. He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award for Greek. He is author of numerous books, dealing with a wide range of topics that are important for today’s Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on theological issues, and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries of various books of the Bible.

NOTES

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard, Updated Edition (NASU), © 1995, published by The Lockman Foundation.