The Story Of Salvation

When did your salvation begin? At the cross? At your decision for Christ? At your baptism? Your bible shows your salvation began long before any of these. "The Story Of Salvation As Your Bible Tells It" is a captivating on-line booklet emailed in six easy-to-read chapters. Ask for it today.

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Copyright 2001 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

TWO BROTHERS

"And Adam knew [had sexual intercourse with] Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain and said, 'I have gotten a man from the Lord.' And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:1-5)." It is not the intent of this booklet to speculate on the reason Cain's offering was not accepted. It seems, however, it became a source of anger with Cain, and in verse 8 we're told Cain argued with his brother Abel, and killed him. So Adam and Eve witnessed a result of their sin: death.

Adam fathered another son whose name was Seth, as well as other sons and daughters whose names we do not know (Genesis 5:3-4). God banished Cain from his parents' home and made him a wanderer for the rest of his life (verse 12). He eventually married one of his sisters and had children (verse 17). The family of man grew until there was, as some mathematicians believe, as many as one billion people on the earth.

With the population explosion, and as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience, we're told God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that everything man imagined was evil (Genesis 6:5). "And the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repents me that I have made them (Verse 7).'" He would bring a flood of water upon the earth until every human being had drowned.

A GOD OF MERCY

Fortunately God is a God of mercy, and there was one family he could not destroy. Genesis 6:8 tells us Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. So to provide a way out, to provide salvation for Noah and his family, God told him to build an ark, and gave him the dimensions and design (verses 15-16). This was no little houseboat as children's books depict. Until the Queen Mary was built in the 20th century, no ship rivalled the size of Noah's ark. Also, although children's books and songs say the animals went into the ark two by two, the bible tells us otherwise. The Lord said to Noah, "Come you and all your house into the ark, for I have seen you righteous before me in this generation. "Of every clean beast you shall take to you by sevens, the male and his female; and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth (Genesis 7:1-3)."

Clean? Not clean? What did God mean? Noah knew, and observed what ancient Israel had to learn many centuries later. Leviticus 11:1-31 and Deuteronomy 14:3-20 gives God's dietary plan for mankind, and adds credence to what was said earlier that God did not intend man to be vegetarian.

Why two of some beasts and seven of others. Noah and his family had to eat, didn't they? So God provided them with additional clean birds and animals (those which could be eaten) for their food.

This booklet is titled The Story of Salvation. God could have caused Adam and Eve to die as soon as they ate the forbidden fruit, but he didn't. Adam became a physical saviour to mankind when God allowed him and Eve to live and procreate for several hundred years. Now Noah was to become another saviour to mankind by floating his family above the flood until the waters were abated. The story is told in Genesis 7:1-24.

There was no way Noah and his family could eat five cows, five deer, and five of each of the other clean beasts on the ark. God had provided extras for another reason. When the animals left the ark Noah held some back, as we're told in Genesis 8:20, "Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar," a sacrifice of thanksgiving for God's grace and personal salvation, as well as the physical salvation of mankind.

GOD WANTS THE BEST FOR EVERYONE

Much of the old testament concerns the ancient nation of Israel and how it failed in God's plan to be his showcase nation to the world (Deuteronomy 28:1). Just as Adam and Eve allowed their lusts to get the better of them, so ancient Israel lusted after the gods and lifestyle of the nations around them.

The rest of the old testament, with a few exceptions, is generally prophecy. Now the prophets all seem to be dreary fellows with dire predictions for the future. But, as Allan Scott Cox points out, "Prophecy doesn't tell us what will happen, but what will happen if we don't change our ways."

God is intent on having his people turn away from their sinful ways, and living his way that leads to the good life. He says to all mankind, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19)." In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God promises, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." What a wonderful promise!

We have a wonderful God who wants the best for everyone. But mankind, it seems, has a devil-may-care attitude, and refuses to humble themselves and pray, and seek God's face, and turn from their wicked ways. So, instead of sharing in the blessings listed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14, man suffers the curses described in the rest of the chapter.

Yet the curses man presently suffers for his wayward ways are temporary. It's often said of a person who has died, "He isn't suffering any more." So, whether it's the curse of disease, poverty, divorce, drugs, homosexuality, or whatever, it's temporary: only until death.

THE WAGES OF SIN

But there's a greater curse spoken of in Romans 6:23. Through Paul God tells us, "The wages of sin is death." But is this the death we all experience, or is it something else? The rest of the sentence says, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If the gift of God is eternal life then what's the opposite? Eternal death, right? Yet those who choose to believe satan's lie, "You have an immortal soul," say the wages of sin is eternal life in some netherworld blast furnace. Therefore, to writhe and scream in torment and agony for all eternity in the flames of hell, they imply, is a gift of God. The go-to-hell Christians change the meaning of God's word to make it conform to their belief, rather than changing their belief to make it conform to God's word.

JESUS RISKED EVERYTHING

God provided a way out for Adam and Eve so they wouldn't have to live eternally with the pain of seeing what their sin brought to the world. He provided physical salvation for mankind by floating Noah and his family above the flood. He provides a way for every nation to live a blessed life. And he has provided a way for man to live forever in peace and health and abundance. Let your bible show you.

Many Christians believe that God knew Adam and Eve would sin, so provided a plan of salvation for mankind. They are mistaken. If he knew they would sin why should he have provided the tree of life? And why the tree of good and evil? No, God did not know whether Adam and Eve would obey him so had to give them a choice. Unfortunately the choice they made was wrong.

A FATHER-SON CONVERSATION

But God did have a plan in place in case they made the choice they did. The member of the God family, the one we know as Jesus Christ, created the first two humans in perfection. Let's listen to an imaginary discussion between Jesus Christ and his father: "Son, we're about to create human beings who will eventually become part of our family if they obey us. What plans do you have if they fail? You know the penalty for sin is eternal death." "I know that Father, and have given this considerable thought. I will leave everything we have here in heaven, and go to earth as a human being to show them the way to eternal life. I will become their saviour." "That's risky Son. There may be people down there who will rebel at your teaching, and who may end up killing you to save their self-exalted position in sight of the people. Do you dare risk that, knowing you could weaken under the strain and sin, and lose your privilege of returning to heaven? Not only that, you realize the least sin will result in me having to send you to the lake of fire." "I know that too Father, but I'm depending on you to give me the help I need to resist satan's temptations."

Yes, Jesus Christ risked everything so you and I would not have to be destroyed in the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14). His life story is told in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Jesus was crucified, and died so you and I might have our sins erased and be given the right to live forever as members of the God family. The cross was a tree of death for Jesus, and a tree of life for everyone who has ever lived. 

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

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