THE ABUNDANT BLESSINGS OF SALVATION IN CHRIST
_______________________________________________________
Salvation marks the beginning of the Christian journey. It is gained through belief in Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven by which we are saved (Acts 4:12).
Salvation is for all eternity. Yet salvation is also for the here and now. The abundant blessings… the bounty of God’s goodness… reaped through salvation are for our lives today. This is our inheritance as children of the kingdom.
In the Book of Romans, the apostle Paul details the rewards of salvation in Christ. When we understand and appreciate all that God has bestowed on us through His Son Jesus, we can live our lives with purpose, impact and joy.
What rewards of salvation do we have as believers?
Romans 3:
Righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. – v. 22
♦ Righteousness – God bestows on us the righteousness of Christ
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. – v. 23-24
♦ Redemption – Jesus paid the ransom for our sins with His life
Romans 4:
To the one who… trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. – v. 5
♦ Faith – We are united by faith to our exalted Savior
Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them. – v. 7-8
♦ Forgiveness – Jesus exchanged our sins for His righteousness
Romans 5:
We have been justified through faith… by His blood. – v. 1, 9
♦ Justification – Our sins are washed away, making us just in God’s eyes
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – v. 1
♦ Peace with God – God now sees us through the lens of His perfect Son
God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.– v.5
♦ Spirit of Christ – The gift of the Holy Spirit fills us with Christ’s love
Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! – v. 9
♦ Protection from Wrath – We are saved by the blood of the Lamb
While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. – v. 10
♦ Reconciliation with God – Christ’s atoning sacrifice unites us to the Father
Those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Man, Jesus Christ. – v. 17
♦ God’s Grace – We live in God’s overflowing mercy and favor
Romans 6:
For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. – v. 5
♦ New Life – We have been raised from death to life in Christ
Our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. – v. 6
♦ Freedom from Sin – Sin no longer wields dominion over us
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – v. 23
♦ Eternal Life – We will spend eternity in God’s loving presence
Romans 7:
You… belong to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. – v. 4
♦ Purpose – Our lives bear the fruits of righteousness for God’s glory
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! – v. 25
♦ Deliverance – Jesus delivered us from the kingdom of darkness
Romans 8:
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – v. 1, 4
♦ Acceptance – Our Savior bore the condemnation for our sins with His atoning sacrifice
He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. – v. 3- 4
♦ Atonement – Only the Lamb without blemish could perfectly fulfill the law for us
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. – v. 14
♦ Adoption into the Kingdom – Our Abba Father calls us His own
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. – v. 15
♦ Freedom from Fear – No longer do we live in fear of sin and death
If we are children, then, we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. – v. 17
♦ Legacy with Christ – As children of God, we share in a heavenly inheritance
In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. – v. 28
♦ God’s Favor – God works all for our spiritual, eternal good
For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son. – v. 29
♦ Sanctification – We journey toward holiness and Christlikeness
If God is for us, who can be against us? – v. 31
♦ Refuge in God – Our mighty God defends those He calls His own
He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? – v. 32
♦ God’s Blessings – The greatest gift of God to us is His Son
Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. – v. 34
♦ Jesus’ Intercession – Jesus intercedes in power on our behalf before the Father
We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. – v. 37
♦ Victory – We triumph over all evil through Christ, the Victorious One
Neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – v. 38-39
♦ God’s Eternal Love – We can never be lost to God’s everlasting love for us
† Eternal Takeaway – Salvation brings abundant rewards to all who believe †
