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16
HIS SON.õ"The Gospel of Christ ... is the power of God
to every one that believeth"
UNTO SALVATION
(Rom. 1:16).
"Unto Salvation".õ Shall God be more concerned about the salvation of a sinner than the sinner himself? God
has provided the sacrifice in the gift of His beloved Son. God has provided a guide in the gift of His blessed Word.
To every sinner õ conscious of his guilt, sensible of his need, fully sure that all his strivings and efforts will avail
nothing õ to every sinner, this good news comes. If a meal be provided, it must be eaten if it is to do any good. If
clothes be given, they must be worn in order to benefit. If a fare be paid, the seat must be occupied or the road will
still remain untravelled. If good news be brought from God, it must be believed before its blessing can be enjoyed:
" ... as many as RECEIVED Him, to them gave He power (authority) to become the sons (children) of God, even to
them that BELIEVE on His name" (John 1:12).
Believing therefore is receiving. To disbelieve is to reject. To disbelieve God is to make Him a liar, which is a
dreadful thing to contemplate:
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: ... he that believeth not God hath made Him a
liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (1 John 5:9-11).
For simplicity of language the verse that immediately follows would be difficult to equal. No word has more
than four letters: written so that a child can understand. How different from the witness of men! Look at this and
live:
"HE THAT HATH THE SON HATH LIFE; AND HE THAT HATH NOT THE SON OF GOD HATH NOT LIFE" (1 John 5:12).
"The gospel of God ... (is) concerning His SON" (Rom. 1:1-3).
May many who are at the moment burdened with unforgiven sin find "joy and peace in believing".
No. 6
The Salvation of God
The gospel of God is concerning His Son, and this gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth (Rom. 1:1-3,16). This was the theme of leaflet No. 5, which the reader is urged to read. In this present
leaflet we desire to direct attention to the great matter of salvation. We read in 2 Timothy 3:15 that the Scriptures
are able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, and in Romans 1:16, that the gospel is
the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. The idea of salvation presupposes three features:
(1) A SAVIOUR.Õ Someone who is able and willing to save.
(2) A NEED.Õ Someone who is in need of being saved.
(3) A PROVISION.Õ Some ground whereon salvation can be provided.
A SAVIOUR.õ The Lord Jesus possesses many and wonderful titles. He is, for example, King, Lord, Shepherd,
Prophet, Priest, Redeemer: but the character in which He is first spoken of in the New Testament, and the one in
which every soul should meet Him first, is that of Saviour:
"Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall SAVE His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).
"Unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOUR, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
"Jesus" means "Saviour" or "the Salvation of the Lord".
After the death and resurrection of Christ, the apostle Peter declared:
"Neither is there SALVATION in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).