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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Casey Harms

The Three A’s of Salvation

Dear Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that you bless our study this morning, that you send the Holy Spirit to work on each of our hearts, and your angels to be with us.

And let us hear what you want us to hear.

The plan of salvation is not merely a set of scribbled instructions that is fed into a heavenly computer that affects the salvation of a fallen race.

The plan of salvation also is not merely the death of an immortal being.

It is a set of exquisite plans that work methodically and systematically for the removal of sin from the universe.

That plan of salvation has 3 very specific entities or parts which make it actually work.

Every plan of salvation, for if there were to exist 1, must have an author, for if there was not, there would not be any plan of salvation to talk about in the first place.

It would be meaningless for you to say that you were saved if there was no author of salvation.

Secondly, every plan of salvation that would exist would have to have a second A and that is an agent.

Because whereas a plan of salvation can be authored, in order for it to actually work it must go from an idea to a reality.

Something theoretical to something actual.

There is a gap that has to be bridged from sin to no sin.

When we fell, a huge chasm was introduced.

Man fell from his lofty position and now it must be restored.

There is a huge gap that has to be reclaimed by an agent.

At that point it almost works yet there is 1 last part that really is needed to make it work, and that is ambassadors.

Because the plan of salvation must be taken not only from a reality, but only from a reality, but into the whole world.

Because if it did not go into the whole world, Satan would have such a claim against God in the judgment, when he says, see, you withheld something from their possible salvation.

You must be withholding something of your system of government.

So we see there are 3 particular things that make it work.

Turn with me in your Bible to John chapter 3.

John chapter 3, we're going to be studying verses 16 through 21.

John chapter 3, starting in verse 16, Perhaps the most famous passage of Scripture ever.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Now notice that we already have an author.

For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son.

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

Ultimately, it points back not to the Son, but to God.

God ultimately devised a plan for the salvation of humanity, for that gap to be bridged.

There was an author, and also we have an agent by the way, for God sent His Son into the world.

Now, by the way, sin, the concept of sin also tells us who this is.

If there were an explanation for sin, of how it came into existence, we would not have, pardon me, we'd have an excuse for sin.

But there is no way to understand exactly how sin came into existence.

1 John 3, verse 4 says sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin is a transgression of God's law and further It would not make any sense for anybody Subject to God's law to have any say in what happens to the transgressors of that law For instance Let's say I'm driving down Anderson Street past Loma Linda University at 85 miles per hour Now the turn the speed limit there is 35 miles per hour.

And I get pulled over and I'm given a ticket.

Now it would not make any sense for me to say to the officer, no actually I have the authority to free myself.

Also, it would not make any sense for an innocent person, such as the passenger sitting in the seat next to me, to say, no, actually, I have the authority to free him.

The only person that has authority to free somebody and subject to somebody's law is the author of the law himself.

God himself only has the power to save people from sin.

No 1 else, because it's his law that has been transgressed.

You might want to keep your finger in there.

We're going to be going back to it a lot.

He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men love the darkness rather than light." Notice for a second something in verse 19 there.

It's made very clear here why somebody is condemned or not condemned.

It is that light has come into the world, the agent has brought the light from God into the world, and the condemnation comes and we reject it.

Interestingly, the condemnation does not come because you're born.

It does not say that this is a condemnation that you were born.

It says this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world and men love the darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

Whereas there was darkness, there was the opportunity of no condemnation.

The same thing is talked about in Romans chapter 5.

Romans chapter 5 starting in verse 17 the Bible says for if by 1 man's offense death reigned by 1 much more they would receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by 1 Jesus Christ therefore as by the offense of 1 judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of 1 the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Now notice how closely this parallels with John 3.

There is a free gift that comes upon all men, verse 18 of Romans 5.

And yet in John 3, light is come into the world.

There's a free gift that comes upon all men, and light comes into the world, and men are condemned depending on what they do with that light.

Also in Romans 5, in verse 17, they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by 1, Jesus Christ.

And in verse 18 of John 3, he that believes on him is not condemned.

Strong parallel between the light and the free gift.

The free gift comes to all men in the world, the light comes to all men in the world, And if you accept that free gift, you have life.

If you accept the light, you are not condemned.

It would not make sense for it not to be a free gift.

In other words, God would not say I force you to be saved Or I force you to be lost No, neither because God is love He gives everyone the choice the option the free gift of salvation Light is come into the world and if you accept the light you are not condemned.

Let's turn just a couple of chapters back in John.

We're going to be skipping through John chapter 1 a bit.

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God.

Verse 4, in him was life, and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

Verse 9, that was the true light which lighted every man that cometh into the world.

Notice it lights every man that cometh into the world.

Verse 14, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

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The Three A’s of Salvation

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