Plan of Salvation: Faith Alone in Christ's Death & Resurrection

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. And again, it's good to have everybody together, and we're going to digress a little bit for this half hour. We're going to sort of go over the plan of salvation, because we were just talking here at break in the studio. We've been talking so much about the future of the believer and the coming of the kingdom and our opportunities and responsibilities in it, but we want to make sure that everybody understands how to become a part and parcel of this great salvation. So I'm going to digress for this half hour and sort of deal with the plan of salvation as quickly as we can. For those of you joining us on television, again, we are so thrilled that you're partaking of all this with us. We appreciate your letters and your phone calls. Nothing makes our day greater than to have someone call and tell us that they're learning, because after all, that's all we are in this for is to help people to learn more of what the Word says. Now, last week I mentioned that one of my class members has written this up, and I'm going to give him the credit for it. And I probably wouldn't have thought of it, but Marty did. And so I'm going to read it as he wrote it out for me. For those of you anywhere in the country, if your travel plans include eastern Oklahoma, we invite you to join one or all of our personally led classes. Now you want to remember we teach—I'll have to think for a minute—we teach Monday night in Tahlequah, Tuesday night at Wilburton, Wednesday night here in Tulsa, Thursday night in McAllister, and Saturday night Muskogee. So if any of those communities happen to be in your travel plans, why, you call us at our 800 number and we'll fill you in on how to get there. And then, of course, every four weeks we come into the studio for the taping of four of these programs right in succession. We take a short break, cup of coffee, and consequently you see the coffee cups on the tables. This is an informal Bible study, and no denomination. We are just simply getting people from every background into the book, and we know the Lord is blessing us for it. Again, we always like to remind our listening audience that all the past programs, as well as the present, are available in videotape, as well as we've now got the first four tapes are transcribed. They're working on number five and six. So if you'd like to have this in print, you call us or write to us. All right, now then let's get into the business at hand. The plan of salvation. My, oh, it's so simple, it's so plain, and yet it is so complex I've often said that we'll never comprehend it until we get to glory, will we? And yet it's so simple that a six -year-old can comprehend it. And we always have to begin with what I call the very first law that God gave to the human race. And it was a law, and we pick it up, of course, when Eve is confronted by old Satan back in Genesis chapter 3. In Genesis chapter 3, beginning in verse 2, the woman said to the serpent, "...we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said..." Now when God says something, that becomes law, and that's what I'm going to call it. This is the first law that He gives to the human race. And of course she is quoting it, and she's not getting it 100% right, but mostly. And she says, "...we were not to eat of it, neither touch it..." That of course God didn't say, but He had simply said that they were not to eat of the fruit, lest they die. In other words, sin would immediately bring about death. Now let's trace some of these down, and let's go all the way up to Ezekiel in the midst of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Ezekiel chapter 18, Ezekiel chapter 18, I think I said 14 a little while ago, didn't I? Ezekiel 18, verse 4, Ezekiel 18, verse 4, and this is basically saying the same thing, where he writes, "...behold, all souls are mine..." Now remember, go back up to verse 3, it's the Lord God speaking, "...as I live, saith the Lord God. Behold..." Now verse 4, "...all souls are mine, as the soul of the Father, so also the soul of the Son is mine." And then here it is, underline it if you never have before, "...the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Now then, let's see what Paul says. Romans chapter 3, Romans chapter 3, come down to verse 23, Romans chapter 3, now verse 23, it's a common verse, I think you're all acquainted with it, probably know it from memory, where the Word says, "...for all have sinned." We already have, everyone has, there isn't anyone other than Christ Himself who has lived without sinning, "...for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Now I maintain that salvation is all of faith, isn't it? And faith is taking God at His Word. So the first thing we have to believe is what God says about me, or about you, and the first thing God tells me that I have to believe is that regardless of how good I may be, or how good a family I may have come from, or how good my circumstances are, God says I'm a sinner. I've already sinned, and that to me is the very first step in the process or the plan of salvation. I should take away that word process. Salvation is an event, and then the Christian life is a process. That came up in one of our classes the other night. Once salvation takes place, that is an event, and then the Christian experience, the sanctification is the word that the Scripture uses, or the growth aspect, that is a process. We don't just suddenly become mature believers. It's a process that covers time, others much longer than others. But we have to realize that we have to begin as new babes in Christ. There has to be that new birth, and it cannot happen until we recognize a need. Now just to flash back for a moment, we won't look it up. Jesus used the illustration that well people don't need a physician, but who does? The sick. And it's the same way in salvation. The person who thinks he is good enough for heaven will never be saved. I think I've used that illustration several weeks ago, that there are so many good people, and they are good. You can't take it away from them. But they are so good they never see their need of salvation, and they're headed for an eternal doom. Just as much as the man in the Mafia, or the murderer on Skid Row, or on Death Row, or the inhabitant of Skid Row, there's a lot of good people because they do not believe that God has said they're sinners. And that has to be the first step. Now I've put my circles back on the board, because over the years I guess I've had more people ask me to review the circles as we use them back in Genesis. And when Adam was created, of course, he was created with a body, a soul, and spirit. And as such, he was in fellowship with God. His soul, which made up his personality, remember, was the mind, the will, and the emotion. And it was all in perfect agreement with the Creator. And then in the area of his spirit, he had fellowship with the Creator. He walked with Him in the garden, and so forth. Now with all of this under, you might say, the perfect control of the Creator, naturally the body was without sin as well, because it just hadn't had any opportunity. But when Adam sinned, then immediately this whole personality of him became what Paul refers to as a sin nature. It's just bent to sinning, and immediately communication with God, and it became, I like to use the word dormant, because it's not annihilated. The spark, I think, is still there, but it's dead. You remember when we were back in Genesis and other classes, I've used the analogy of your car battery. If you leave your lights on overnight, you get out there the next morning, and your battery is what? It's dead. And I've always gotten people's attention by putting it this way. You can go out there with a pan of soap and water, or you can go out with wax, and you can take that old battery, and you can just shine it up, and you can clean it so it sparkles. You get in the car and turn the key, what happens? Nothing, because it's still dead. Or you've cleaned it up. You've made it look good on the outside, but it's still dead until you bring in some outside power. All right, now that's exactly what salvation is. You and I cannot clean up our life, and how many people think that they can do that? Oh I've had so many tell me, when I get my act together, and I get my life cleaned up, then I'll become a Christian. Listen, that's not the way it works. God takes us just exactly where we are, as sinners, and He is the One who has to infuse then that divine life and that power which comes with salvation. But let's back up. When the person who is now only body and soul, and the sin nature is ruling supreme, and for the most part he can't control what he does, he may inhibit a few things, but he's not in control. He is in bondage. I guess that's the best word I can use. He is in bondage to the sin nature, and of course to the sin nature's God, to Satan. A lot of people today don't like to give much credit to Satan, but I give him full credit. He is powerful. He is only controlled by the more powerful, sovereign God, but don't ever underestimate the power of Satan, and that's where, of course, the world is operating. They're under the influence of Satan. So now then, Paul explains in, oh let's go back to Romans chapter 1 now, verse 16, that he says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it, the gospel, is the power of God unto what? Salvation. Now go back to our car battery. Just as soon as you put jump cables on it from a highly charged battery, or you put a generator on it, as soon as that outside power comes flowing into that dead battery, then what do you have? You have life. It's infused from some other source, but now it has life. Now Paul makes it so clear in this 16th verse of chapter 1, that the gospel is that generating power. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone, and here's where I always get people's attention hopefully. It doesn't say that it joins the Church, gets baptized, takes communion, tithes, does good works. See none of those things are in here. Now they're all right in their rightful place, but they have nothing to do with our salvation. But the power of God is in nature. I do not ascribe to someone, well just say, yeah I believe that Christ died for me. I don't buy that. But when I talk about believing, I'm talking about totally entrusting our eternal destiny to the Word of God, to the power of the gospel. Now let's turn quickly to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I told my class last night, I have a gentleman down in McAllister, who every so often he'll remind me, and he said, you haven't shown anybody 1 Corinthians 15 for quite a while, and it's about time, and I'm glad he does, because it is so easy to get a little lax on some of these things. Now in 1 Corinthians 15, in those first four verses, you have the clearest, you have the clearest defining of the gospel that you can find anywhere in Scripture. I maintain it puts John 3.16 in the shade, because John 3.16 doesn't tell you everything. You have to read a lot in between the lines, but here it tells you everything. All right, verse 1, "...Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel," see that? Now it's the same gospel that he's referring to in Romans 1.16, "...I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand." That is positionally, we aren't driven about with every wind of doctrine, but we are solid in this gospel. Verse 2, "...by which also you are saved, or you experience salvation, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, lest you believe in vain." In other words, you have to know what you believe. You have to understand what the gospel is all about. Now verse 3, "...for I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received." Now you remember Paul is constantly in his letters referring to the fact that he received this whole dispensational truth of the grace of God, and then from him it went out to others. And unless you understand that, you're going to miss the point. And he's constantly emphasizing that he was the first to whom God now revealed that the work of the cross was not just Israel rejecting her King and putting Him to death, but it was the fulfilling of the eternal purposes of God, that by that crucifixion the whole human race would now have access to God's plan of salvation. And then of course it was culminated in His resurrection as He came forth in power. Now that comes in this next verse, "...for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and He rose again according to the Scriptures." Now that's the gospel. That's the gospel, that Christ died for my sins, He was literally dead three days and three nights in the tomb, and He arose from the dead. That's the gospel, and you can't shortcut it, you can't do anything with it but reject it or accept it and believe it. Now that's where faith comes in. Now let's go to Hebrews for just a moment. Keep your hand back here toward Romans, because I'm going to come back to Romans in just a moment. But if you go with me to Hebrews, I think the first one I want would be in chapter 8, 9, Hebrews chapter 9, and the second one is going to be in chapter 11. We've touched on all these a long, long time ago, and the only reason I do not review as much as I'd like is for those who buy the tapes. I hate to have them buy a tape and then buy another one and hear the same thing over again. I just don't feel it's fair to them. But for our listening audience, which we realize is including new people every time, we have to hit some of these things over and over. All right, Hebrews chapter 9, verse 22, where He writes, and especially in the last half of the verse, "...without the shedding of blood there is no remission." So that's where the death of Christ comes in. He fulfilled that demand of God that blood had to be shed for the soul that sinneth. Now don't forget that first law, "...the soul that sinneth shall surely die." Now that's a law of God that you cannot compromise. Now then turn over to chapter 11 in Hebrews, and verse 6, and I always call these two things the unalterable attributes that you cannot do anything with but face them head on. You're either going to accept them again or reject it because you can't compromise them. And now in chapter 11, verse 6, it says, "...but without faith it is impossible." Your salvation must believe, see, and that's what faith is. Faith is believing, and that He has rewarded them that diligently seek Him. All right, now on your way back to Romans, I'd like to have you stop again in 1 Corinthians, because one thing Paul is constantly reminding us of throughout all of his letters and all of his writings is this work of the cross. How that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He arose again from the dead. All right, now in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, I'd like to start with verse 17. I'm just hitting a few of these highlight verses, of course. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 17, where he writes, you all with me? I never like to move on until I know everybody's reading with me, because what I say doesn't count, but what the book says means everything. All right, verse 17, "...for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to..." what? "...preach the gospel." See, "...not with the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." In other words, Paul says, I can't let anything detract from that finished work of the cross. Nothing that the Church does, not even the rites of baptism or anything else, dare detract from the gospel, and that is the finished work of the cross. Now then he comes down to verse 18, "...for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. To the lost person, so what? It has nothing to do with me. But unto us who are saved, the preaching of the cross is..." what? "...the power of God." Now let me come back to my circles. So when the Holy Spirit begins to work on this dormant dead spirit with which we have been born, and we come into our, I was going to say adult, but at least old enough so we understand these things, the Spirit begins to convict us that indeed we are sinners, and that we have broken that Law that the soul that sinneth must surely die. But you see, God has given us a tremendous loophole, if I may call it that, and that loophole is that yes, I have to die because I have sinned. That's the first Law. But God has provided someone who died that death in my place. Now that's where understanding the Gospel comes in, that Christ died for me. He died for you. Now as the Holy Spirit enlightens then our understanding, and He regenerates that old dead spirit, and then this dead spirit realizes, if I can come all the way over here, that yes, I have died. You and I, the ego, the I, the old Adam was crucified. It was placed on the cross in the mind of God because God did it on our behalf. And then as soon as we do that, yes, He regenerates our spirit by that outside power, the fellowship is restored, and then of course He comes in to dwell in the person of the Holy Spirit. This old sin nature now becomes a new divine nature, and now this part of us that has now been generated is now in consort with the eternal God. Now it begins to have its effect on the body, and of course that begins in our Christian walk, and we become then in a place of growing in grace and knowledge. Now come back with me quickly to Romans chapter 6, where Paul, I think, makes this so plain that we have to identify with what Christ accomplished on our behalf on the cross, and it was through what He did. He fulfilled that demand of God that the soul that sinneth must surely die, He died my death. Now you see that? Is it coming through? And as He died my death and took that away, then He also imparted eternal life in the area of the spirit and this new divine nature. And of course that is the part of us that will one day be ushered into His presence, and then we'll pick up that new body we talked about last week, and as such then we become active in the overall plan of God now, but more in the kingdom that is yet to come. All right, now in Romans chapter 6, beginning with verse 5, where the apostle uses plain English, for if we have been, what's the word? Planted. Now when you plant something, what do you do with it? Well, you put it in the ground, or at least in a flower pot. You put it in the soil. That's planting. And when you put that seed into the ground, or into the soil, and the moisture begins to work, and the sunlight begins to work, what happens to that seed? It dies. It dies. Now out of that death of the seed, then what comes? The new growth. All right, now look what He says, for if we have been planted, in other words if our old Adam has died, it has to be crucified. And if it has been planted together in the likeness of what? His death. See how plain that is? If we have been identified in His death, then we shall be also in the likeness, or we shall also be identified in His resurrection. What's the next step? His resurrection. See that? Oh, it's so beautiful. Now let's turn to John's Gospel. Keep your hand in Romans. We'll come right back. Turn to John's Gospel. Last night we were going through so many Scripture verses, one lady said, well, I'm just going to wear out my Bible in one night. Well, you know that's nothing we like better. Come back to John's Gospel, chapter 12. John's Gospel, chapter 12. Oh boy, two minutes left. I hate that placard, and on the other hand I guess I'd be in trouble if I didn't pay heed to it. John chapter 12. Now this is again just before the crucifixion, just before. All the preparations are beginning to come to pass for that last Passover. And you remember some Greeks, some Gentiles wanted to see Jesus, and of course He didn't invite them. And instead He responded to Andrew and Philip by saying, "...the hour is come," He's ready to go to the cross, "...the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a kernel of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." So what's He talking about? His own death, burial, and resurrection. That He had to die, and that through that death He could now come forth in resurrection power, and then impart that life to those who would believe. All right, now I've got one more. Our time is gone. I wish I had another 30 minutes, but come quickly with me then to Romans chapter 10, a tremendous chapter on salvation. Romans chapter 10, and always remember it's by faith and faith alone. Everything else has to follow, has no part in salvation. That's the only thing I've been screaming for all these years. It has to be faith plus nothing, otherwise you're telling God He didn't quite finish the work. All right, here in Romans chapter 10 quickly, verse 9, "...that thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead." See that? Then what's the promise? "...thou shalt be saved." All right, you come down to verse 13, "...for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." See that? Now that's faith, but you have to put that faith in action by asking Him to save me, the sinner. That's Romans chapter 10.