IN FAITH
What Did Jesus Accomplish?
Is our eternal destiny a product of what Jesus did two thousand years ago or a result of what we do during our lifetime on the earth?
Most Christians believe that Jesus made eternal salvation available to all who are willing to meet the necessary requirements. With this point of view, one must conclude that without man’s cooperation, Jesus died in vain. We affirm that Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
We believe He accomplished His mission with 100% success. He did not come to offer salvation, He came to save His people and He did it! This concept may sound radical to some, however, it is consistently taught throughout the New Testament. Matthew 1:21 – The angel of the Lord tells Joseph what Jesus will do: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Mary brought forth a son, his name was called Jesus, and He saved his people from their sins. John 6:38-9 – Jesus tells his followers what he came to do: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
Jesus said his purpose was to lose none of the people which the Father gave him. Acts 20:28 – Paul tells the preachers at Ephesus what Jesus did: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
Ephesians 1:7 – Paul tells the church at Ephesus what Jesus did: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Redemption is not “offered” or “made available”. We “have” it.
Romans 8:29-30 – Paul tells God’s people in Rome about His purpose in Christ: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: (“justified” means “to declare righteous”) and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” This particular “sense” (Neh. 8:8) of justification [i.e., the sense which pertains to our eternal salvation] is a direct result of what Jesus did: “Much more then being now justified by his blood , we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:9).
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 – Paul tells the church at Corinth what Jesus does during our lifetime: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ…” If we’re “in Christ”, in the sense of this verse, it is because we are “a new creature”. The new birth [i.e., “being born again” (1 Pet. 1:23)] is not an evolutionary process brought about by the effort of man. It is a work performed by an external source, namely, God. Therefore, it is not surprising that Jesus compared the new birth to a resurrection in John 5:25.
Furthermore, in the letter to the church at Philippi, Paul teaches that God (not man) will “perform” (maintain) this work “until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Galatians 5:1 – Paul tells the churches of Galatia what Jesus did: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Notice that Christ has already made us free. Our responsibility is simply to understand this truth and remain dedicated to it.
Nonetheless, the benefit of being made free from the eternal consequence of sin is irrelevant to our understanding of what Christ did. The understanding that “Christ hath made us free” enables us to rest from the bondage imposed by the false idea that we must “do something” in order to be eternally saved.
Hebrews 1:3 – The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews tells them that Jesus finished what He came to do: “…when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”. This verse makes it clear that Jesus “by himself purged our sins”. The purging (removal) of our sins is not dependent upon our reaction or response to what Jesus did. 2 Timothy 1:9 – Paul tells Timothy that the work of Jesus is according to God’s eternal purpose: “Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”. Notice that God planned or purposed this salvation in Jesus “before the world began”. Man was not yet created; therefore, he had no input.
Many other verses could be referenced to establish our point; however, space and time limitations will not allow. Nevertheless, in this short outline, we have quoted from almost half the books in the New Testament.
If you believe what we have set forth about what Jesus accomplished on our behalf, we hope you will worship with us at Fort Wayne Primitive Baptist Church. The church is located at 2006 Nuttman Avenue, directly across from Brooklyn Medical Associates in the Waynedale area. We meet each Sunday at 10:30 AM. For more information contact Pastor Buddy Abernathy at (260) 417-7839.
Yours to serve in the gospel of Jesus Christ,
Elder Buddy Abernathy
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