What we believe and teach - Salvation - |
Men, being
sinners, are slaves of sin (which is the transgression of the law), therefore
they need to be saved (or to be set free) from their sins, which are like
invisible but powerful chains which hinder them from pleasing God. Being
sinners, men are dead in their sins and trespasses, so they need to be
regenerated spiritually, so that they may have fellowship with God. Being
sinners, men are in debt to God, who is angry with them because they have
broken His Word, and therefore their debts need to be remitted so that they
may be reconciled to God. Being sinners, men deserve to be punished with
everlasting torment, and therefore they need to be justified so that they may
escape the everlasting torment, for when one is justified he receives eternal
life. |
Salvation
from the bondage of sin, spiritual regeneration, remission of debts and justification,
can be experienced by men only through repentance and faith, that is to say,
only if they repent of their sins and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, died for our sins and was raised to life the third day for our
justification. Good works, sacrifices, and mortifications, cannot save man
from his sins, nor can they regenerate him, nor can they remit his debts, nor
can they save him from the everlasting torment, nor can they reconcile him to
God. If these things could save man, then Jesus Christ would have died in
vain and grace would be set aside by the law of works. Furthermore, if these
things could save man, man could boast before God saying that he deserved or gained
salvation. Therefore we preach that salvation is obtained by faith in Jesus
Christ apart from the works of the law. And we urge both
small and great, wise and unwise, Jews and Gentiles, to repent before
God and to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and to do works befitting
repentance. |