Man Receives Eternal Life From God by Believing These 3 Things:
1. Belief that Christ Died for Our Sins – (1Cor. 15:3) What does this signify?
When we believe in the cross of Christ, we believe that the Lord made a perfect atonement for us which gives us peace and reconciles us to God.
Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins (Heb 9:22). The blood of Christ has paid for the penalty of our sin. When Christ paid for our sins, He not only made atonement for us, but also gave us access into God’s presence, in this life and the next. When we truly have peace with God, we can now freely communicate with Him in prayer through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we believe that Christ, the perfect sacrifice died on the cross for us, we also received His righteousness by faith. The Father no longer sees our sin, but looks at us through Christ’s perfect righteousness. This is called justification. To be justified in God’s sight means that he sees us “just if I’d” never sinned. This is wholly given to us by God because of His love and grace.
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1 Tim 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
1 Cor. 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven…”
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Phil 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Col 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
2 Cor 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2 Cor 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation…
2. We are to believe that Christ died and was buried (1 Cor. 15:4).
What does this signify?
When Christ died for us on the cross, the Father considers the believer to have also died and buried with Him. When we were buried with Him, it is our identification with Him in baptism. Baptism, throughout the Word of God signifies our identification with certain beliefs and doctrines. When we believe in this baptism unto His death, then we affirm our belief that He died and that we also died with Him. When Christ was buried, then we were also buried with Him. Since Christ is our atoning substitute, we are to reckon that we died and were also buried with Him. When we reckon by faith that we died with Christ, then sin no longer has dominion over us. We no longer serve sin, because we are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus. We are now to live unto God in newness of life.
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
3. We are to believe that Christ arose from the grave (1 Cor. 15:4).
What does this signify?
When Christ arose from the dead, he claimed victory over death. He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Since He is the Firstborn from among the dead, the believer will follow Him in resurrection. When the Lord calls the believer from the grave, he will be given an immortal incorruptible body like His. When Christ arose from the grave, he destroyed the works of the Devil, who brought death into the world. Death will be destroyed one day and then, God will be all and in all.
2 Tim 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
1 Cor 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
In summary, the believer is saved when he believes in the gospel of salvation, which includes:
-Belief that Christ died for the ungodly
-Belief that He was buried
-Belief that He arose again.
When this is believed from the heart, then God gives the believer a seal or pledge which is His Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit gives us access to God and newness of life and will also raise us up to live with the Lord eternally in the day he calls us to our eternal home.
What Christ accomplished on the cross was and is sufficient to obtain eternal life.
This grace he offers us is not by any of our works. He made the supreme perfect sacrifice for all that will simply believe that He paid the complete and ultimate penalty for their sin on the cross. Nothing more is needed for salvation. We are saved by simply believing in His finished work. This is the gospel of salvation that the Ephesian saints believed.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
After Salvation is given, then we are to walk in newness of life. See Ephesians, chapters 4-6 to learn about our walk in the present calling of heavenly places.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Helpful Audios by Stuart Allen:
A15 The death of Christ and the way of salvation
A266 The Plan of God and the need for salvation
A141 The eternal security of the believer