JP－①－A－002－1/3 Basic Teaching English 2026(ver.9) A group Relationship with God
02 The Cross and Salvation ■・■ 2025/05/08
Our Identity as Children of God
Humans were originally created as children of God. However, they chose to turn away from Him by their own will. Therefore, salvation can be described as “restoring our original position.”
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Young children are naturally selfish and self-centered. Even though no one teaches them to do so, they lie, hoard things, and act meanly. This shows that humans are born with a sinful nature.
This sinful nature separates us from God, leading us to eternal destruction. (Isaiah 59:1?2; Hebrews 9:27) It is not that God sends people to hell?rather, it is sin that separates us from God and leads us to destruction.
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(Romans 6:23) The wages of sin is death.
Just like a part-time job pays wages according to the time worked, wages are a reward for actions. If there are no actions, there is no reward. In biblical terms, death is the result of committing sin.
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Everyone dies because everyone has sinned.
(Romans 3:10?12) “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
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The death that results from sin is like being thrown into prison as payment for a debt (Matthew 18:23?34).
Therefore, unless the full price of sin is paid, one cannot be saved. But because the value of a human life is so great, no one can pay the price, and thus we “pay with our own death.”
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■God's Solution ? The Cross
However, God made a way for salvation. The way was for a sinless person to offer their life as a substitute for all people.
But there is no sinless person anywhere.
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So, God did what humans could not. Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth as a human and died on the cross in our place.
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The value of the blood Christ shed was more than sufficient to save “all who believe in Him.”
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■What Is Needed to Receive Salvation
① Believe:
You don’t need 100% perfect faith. Every person has both belief and doubt, and we exist somewhere along that spectrum. What matters is choosing the better side?choosing to believe.
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② Confess:
To clarify what it means to “believe,” God set a clear standard for salvation: confessing with your mouth. Our tongue holds great power (see James 3:1?13).
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(Romans 10:9?10) “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
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Not Just Knowledge:
To be saved, you don’t have to read the entire Bible or have perfect knowledge of God. What matters is believing “with your heart,” not merely “with your head.” Faith is about diving into the arms of the great God, even without full understanding.
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■What Is Salvation?
1. A Gift of Grace:
Grace means a gift freely given, unrelated to our deeds.
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(Ephesians 2:8?9) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith?and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God?not by works, so that no one can boast.”
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In many religions, salvation is something to be achieved through effort or sacrifice. But because the salvation through Christ’s sacrifice is perfect, there is nothing we need to add to it. Christ has already provided the faith?we just need to receive it.
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１）Escaping the Penalty of Sin by God's Mercy
Everyone who sins was destined for judgment and hell. But through faith in Christ, we are saved from the punishment we rightfully deserved. This is due to God’s mercy.
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３）Salvation of the Spirit:
Humans are made up of spirit, soul (mind), and body. The “spirit” is the core part of a person. When the spirit is made alive, the person’s core is renewed. Since the spirit is how we communicate with God, we can hear His voice.
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4) The Holy Spirit Dwells in Us:
God’s Spirit can only dwell in a holy place. When our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled to God, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. This enables us to change things we couldn’t change before.
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Salvation of the Soul:
(Matthew 11:28?29) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened… Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… and you will find rest for your souls.”
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Often, God gives peace to our hearts the moment we believe. But there is also a kind of peace that comes as we learn from Christ, change our lifestyle and values?for example, someone who once had no peace due to constant competition with others may gain peace by changing their way of life.
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６）Healing of the Heart:
The salvation of the spirit happens in an instant, but experiencing the salvation of the soul often takes time. In many cases, it requires being freed from various forms of bondage one by one. There are many methods, but the church community is a major tool for this. (This will be discussed in future lessons.)
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７）Salvation of the Body:
To varying degrees, we experience healing in our bodies even while on earth. This is a foretaste of the world to come. The ultimate form of physical salvation is the “resurrected, immortal body” we will receive in the next world.
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８）Eternal Salvation:
Ultimately, our true life is not on this earth. We spend only a short time here and eternity elsewhere?either in heaven or hell. Which one we enter depends on the decisions we make in this life.
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Those who believe in Jesus, even after death, go straight to be with God in heaven. We will live with God forever in heaven.
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９）Becoming Children of God
Not everyone is blessed with a good earthly father. But when we know that God is our true Father, we can regain what we have lost in life and experience a complete turnaround. (We will explore this more in the next lesson.)
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