Salvation
Introduction
Is Jesus the Only Way – is an article that was originated by
Robert M. Bowman, Jr. and can be found in the HCSB. (Holman Christian Standard Bible) in the Gospel of John on page1836.
Please note: text and scripture listings by Mr. Bowman are in Italics and this font size.
This article serves as an outline for the following study.
Many of the scriptures in this study are from the HCSB which includes the very handy study notes it provides. Other bible versions are also used as noted such as; The NIV Study Bible, The Dake Reference Bible, The Message and The Voice.
The Voice – 2 Peter 1:20
But notice first that no prophecy found in Scripture is a matter of the prophet’s own interpretation.
The Message – 2 Peter 1:20b
The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.
So, the question of this study – is Jesus the only way?
NIV – John 14:6
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Expanded Study prepared by: John W Cadwallader
Is faith in Jesus Christ the only way of salvation-the only way to gain eternal life? In thinking about this question, here are some fixed biblical teachings to keep in mind:
Not everyone will be saved. Some people will not make it to heaven
(Mt 7:13,14; 25:41, 46; 2Th 1:6-9; Heb 10:26-31; Rv 20:10-15)
HCSB – Mt 7:13,14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the other gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life and few find it.
Note: The narrow gate symbolizes the exclusive nature of Christ’s Kingdom. Entrance requires the disciple to do the will of the Father in heaven. The gate that is wide indicates that hell grants unrestricted entrance and that many will enter through its gates.
The Voice – 7:14 Now then that narrow door leads to a narrow road that in turn leads to life. It is hard to find that road. Not many people manage it.
Dake’s note: 7:13 The broad way to life leads to destruction, which does not actually come until the end of the road. The reason is that destruction can be cancelled by turning from sin to God. Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Dake’s note: 7:14 This narrow way is leading to life but it cannot be given as an unforfeitable right until the end of the narrow way.
HCSB – Mt 25:41 Then He will also say to those on the left, depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!
The Voice – Mt 25:41 He will turn to those on His left hand. Get away from Me, you despised people whom My Father has cursed. Claim your inheritance-the pits of flaming hell where the devil and his minions suffer.
Dake’s note: Some will be sent to the lake of fire and eternal punishment. These will make the first fruits of the second resurrection, which is that of all the wicked dead. Due to their judgment and entrance into eternal hell here, they will not be resurrected and judged again in {Rev 20:11-15 The Great White Throne Judgement – Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works, by what was written in in the books. Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire}. Hell was prepared for Satan and his angels and no man needs to go there. If he persists in serving Satan, then he will have to spend eternity with him.
HCSB – Mt 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
HCSB – 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 Since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels – Dake’s note: “The Day of the Lord” the second coming of Christ begins that day, “Time of the Second Advent” taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from His glorious strength.
The Message (MSG) Warning against deliberate sin Hebrews 10:26-31
26-31 If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me.
NIV Note: 10:26 deliberately keep on sinning. Committing the sin of apostasy, no sacrifice for sins is left. To reject Christ’s sacrifice for sins is to reject the only sacrifice; there is no other!
HCSB – 10:30, 31 For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge His people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
People will be judged by their works. God does not condemn people who never heard of Jesus because they failed to believe in Him. Rather, God judges all people based on their works (Ps 62:12; Mt 16:27; Rm 2:6; Rv 2:23; 20:13) People who trust in Jesus are mercifully saved from God’s just judgment by Jesus’ death on their behalf.
The Voice – Psalm 62:12 Your love never fails, O Lord, for You pay every person back according to his deeds.
NIV Note: Ultimately every person will experience God’s righteousness
NIV – Mt 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
NIV Note – Son of Man is going to come. The parousia, eschatological coming of Christ.
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Eschatology by Merriam-Webster
- a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind.
- concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind; specifically: Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment.
HCSB – Romans 2:6-10 6 He will repay each one according to his works:[a] 7 eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth but are obeying unrighteousness; 9 affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
Dake’s note: 4 things to seek: 1 Glory 2 Honor 3 Immortality 4 Eternal life
These are given on conditions of seeking them (v 7) and by “continuance in well doing” and “working good” (v 7, 10). Acts of obedience do not merit such blessings, which are already provided for by grace, but they demonstrate acceptance of them by man and proof to God of conformity to His will (Phil 2:12).
The Voice – Revelation 2:23 23 I will punish her by striking her children dead. Through this all the churches will know I am the One who relentlessly explores the mind and heart, and I will deal with each of you as you deserve according to your acts.
Revelation 20:13 13 And the sea surrendered its dead. Death and Hades gave up their dead as well. And all were judged according to their works.
None of us can be saved by doing good works. “For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rm 3:20, 23). Two important conclusions follow. First, God is not obliged to save anyone, for no sinner deserves eternal life. Second, everyone needs a Savior.
HCSB – Romans 3:20,23 20 For no one will be justified[a] in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the[a] glory of God.
The Voice – Romans 3:20-24 20 Therefore, doing what the law prescribes will not make anyone right in the eyes of God—that’s not its purpose—but the law is capable of exposing the true nature of sin.
21 But now for the good news: God’s restorative justice has entered the world, independent of the law. Both the law and the prophets told us this day would come. 22 This redeeming justice comes through the faithfulness of Jesus,[a] the Anointed One, the Liberating King, who makes salvation a reality for all who believe—without the slightest partiality. 23 You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail. 24 Yet they are now saved and set right by His free gift of grace through the redemption available only in Jesus the Anointed.
The Message – Romans 3:21-24 God Has Set Things Right – But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift.
He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only Savior available. Only Jesus died to save us from our sins. (Mt 1:21; 1Co 15:3; 1Tm 1:15; 2 Tm 1:9-10). That is why Jesus is “the Savior of the world” (Jn 4:42, 12:47; 1Jn 4:14). Jesus claimed to be the only way: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn 14:6). Peter agreed: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people and we must be saved by it” (Ac 4:12)
MSG – Matthew 1:21-23 20-23 While he (Joseph) was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.”
HCSB Note: “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which means “Yahweh saves.” The angel explained that Jesus’ name revealed His purpose: He would rescue sinners from the punishment they deserve. This salvation would be experienced by His people, identified as those who follow Jesus.
The Voice – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 3-4 For I passed down to you the crux of it all which I had also received from others, that the Anointed One, the Liberating King, died for our sins and was buried and raised from the dead on the third day. All this happened to fulfill the Scriptures; it was the perfect climax to God’s covenant story.
NIV – 1 Timothy 1:15-16 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I (Paul) am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
HCSB Note: Paul marveled at his conversion since he knew himself to be so bad. He was an example of what true instruction was supposed to accomplish. He was the sort of person for whom the law was intended (1Tm 1:9-10). The result of the gospel in his life was not idle speculation but transformation.
The Voice – 2 Timothy 1:9-10 9 God has already saved us and called us to this holy calling—not because of any good works we may have done, but because of His own intention and because eons and eons ago (before time itself existed), He gave us this grace in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King. 10 And now, the time has come! That grace was revealed when our Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appeared; and through His resurrection He has wiped out death and brought to light life and immortality by way of this good news.
Dake’s note: He cancelled death and will destroy it completely at the end of the Millennium (1 Cor 15:24-28; Rev 21:4, 22:3) Christ brought to full view the life and immortality of the gospel, actually demonstrating it in His own case as a guarantee of the life and immortality of all who believe the gospel.
MSG – John 4:41-42 39-42 Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: “He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!” They asked him to stay on, so Jesus stayed two days. A lot more people entrusted their lives to him when they heard what he had to say. They said to the woman, “We’re no longer taking this on your say-so. We’ve heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He’s the Savior of the world!”
The Voice – John 12:47-48 47 If anyone listening to My teachings chooses to ignore them, so be it: I have come to liberate the world, not to judge it. 48 However, those who reject Me and My teachings will be judged: in the last day, My words will be their judge.
HCSB – 1 John 4:13-15 13 This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses[a] that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God.
HCSB Note: Confession of the truth about the Son is a condition for a relationship with God the Father.
HCSB – John 14:6 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
HCSB Note: Jesus alone is able to provide access to God because He alone paid the penalty for our sins {Is 53:5; Heb 1:3} He is the truth {Jn 1:14,17; 5:33; 18:37; 8:40,45-46} and all contrary claims are false. He alone is the life {1:4}, having life in Himself {5:26}. He is thus able to confer eternal life on all those who believe in Him {3:16}.
Jesus is truth and life, and He is the one and only way of salvation.
The Voice – John 14:6 Jesus: 6 I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Salvation is for Everyone – who truly seeks it!
HCSB – Romans 10:9-11 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame.
The Voice – Acts 4:12 12 There is no one else who can rescue us, and there is no other name under heaven given to any human by whom we may be rescued.
MSG – Acts 4:12 8-12 With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”
1 John 5 provides additional light on the fact that Jesus is the only savior available!
MSG – 1 John 5:1-21 5 1-3 Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we’ll surely love the child who was conceived. The reality test on whether or not we love God’s children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.
The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees
4-5 Every God-begotten person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.
6-8 Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God’s presence at Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.
9-10 If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.
11-12 This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.
The Reality, Not the Illusion
13-15 My purpose (the Apostle John) in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.
16-17 For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I’m not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is “fatal,” leading to eternal death), we ask for God’s help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I’m not urging you to pray about that. Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal.
18-21 We know that none of the God-begotten makes a practice of sin—fatal sin. The God-begotten are also the God-protected. The Evil One can’t lay a hand on them. We know that we are held firm by God; it’s only the people of the world who continue in the grip of the Evil One. And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles.
Those who reject Jesus will be lost. Whatever may be said about those who have never heard to gospel, those who have heard and rejected it are in trouble. Jesus warned that those who reject Him are rejecting the Father
(Lk 10:16; Jn 12:48). People who know that Christ died for them but refuse to follow Him face a terrifying judgment (Heb 10:26-27).
Does all this mean that no one who has not heard of Jesus can be saved?
Not quite. We know the Old Testament believers were saved trusting in God’s mercy, even though they lived before Jesus came (Rm 4:1-7; Heb 11:4-32). The unborn, infants, young children, and people whose mental development is impaired are not capable of discerning good from evil or making moral choices (Is 7:15-16; Rm 9:11). We may presume that God does not condemn these souls even though they do not consciously choose to follow Jesus. Apart from these exceptions, it is clear that Jesus’ command to take the gospel to all nations (Mt 28:19-20; Lk 24:47) assumes that people who do not know Christ as Savior are in spiritual darkness and need to hear and embrace the gospel (Ac 26:18; Eph 2:12). Every Christian should have a sense of urgency that all people everywhere need Jesus Christ as their Savior.
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HCSB – Luke 10:16 Whoever listens to you listens to Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
HCSB Note: The principal here is that rejection of the disciples is ultimately rejection of God the Father {the one who sent me}, for the Father sent the Son and the Son in turn sent out the 70 disciples to preach and heal (v. 1, 9). Since they were commissioned by Christ to listen to the 70 was like listening to Jesus himself. Likewise, to reject the 70 was to reject Jesus. Finally, to reject Jesus was to reject God the Father.
The Voice – John 12:46-50 46 I am here to bring light in this world, freeing everyone who believes in Me from the darkness that blinds him. 47 If anyone listening to My teachings chooses to ignore them, so be it: I have come to liberate the world, not to judge it. 48 However, those who reject Me and My teachings will be judged: in the last day, My words will be their judge 49 because I am not speaking of My own volition and from My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and speak. 50 I know His command is eternal life, so every word I utter originates in Him.
Dake’s note: A man must hear in order to believe Christ’s words. He must believe in order to keep them. He must keep them in order to be saved. I judge him not now, but My words shall judge him in the last day.
NIV Note: life. One of the great concepts of this Gospel. The term is found 36 times in John. Life is Christ’s gift (10:28), and he in fact, is “the life” (14:6). Light of men. This Gospel also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination. He is the “light of the world,” who holds out wonderful hope for man (8:12). For an OT link between life and light see Ps 36:9. Darkness. The stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in this Gospel
NIV – Hebrews 10:26-27 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
NIV Note: deliberately keep on sinning. Committing the sin of apostasy 10:29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? To reject Christ’s sacrifice for sins is to reject the only sacrifice, there is no other. See 2Th 1:6-9
HCSB – 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 6 since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, 8 taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from His glorious strength.
HCSB Note: The penalty of eternal destruction is described as being away from the Lord’s presence. The word “destruction” does not imply ceasing to exist or annihilation but separation from God in a miserable state. This is why it is described as eternal. There will be a time when God throws all His enemies into the lake of fire to be eternally judged. See Rv 20:11-1 on page 1 The Great White Throne Judgment
The Voice – Romans 4:1-8 In light of all of this, what should we say about our ancestor Abraham? 2 If Abraham was made right by performing certain works, then he would surely have something to brag about. Right? Not before the Creator God, 3 because as the Scriptures say, “Abraham believed God and trusted in His promises, so God counted it to his favor as righteousness.”[a] 4 Now, when you work a job, do your wages come as a gift or as compensation for your work? It is most certainly not a gift—you are only paid what you have earned. 5 So for the person who does not work, but instead trusts in the One who makes the ungodly right, his faith is counted for him as righteousness.
6 Remember the psalm where David speaks about the benefits that come to the person whom God credits with righteousness apart from works? He said,
7 Blessed are those whose wrongs have been forgiven
and whose sins have been covered.
8 Blessed is the person whose sin the Lord will not take into account.[b]
NIV Note: 4:6-8 God does not continue to credit unrighteousness to the sinner who repents, but forgives him when he confesses (see Ps 32:3-5; Eze 18:23,27-28,32; 33:14-16) whose sin the Lord will never count against him.
Hebrews 11:4-32 describes how in old testament times people were saved by “faith” as opposed to being saved by “grace” in the new testament, which is a “gift.”
Faith is defined as the reality of what is hoped for and the proof of what is not seen.
HCSB – Hebrews 11:4-32 4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away.[a] For prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she[b] considered that the One who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.
13 These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and he was offering his unique son, 18 the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced[c] through Isaac.[d] 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration,[e] he received him back.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.[f] 22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.
23 By faith, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. 26 For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled by the Israelites for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute received the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.
32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets
HCSB Note: Hebrews 11:1:40 This chapter compares the faith of the OT fathers with the faith exercised by Christian believers. Faith is defined as the reality of what is hoped for and the proof of what is not seen. The Greek word for “reality” is hypostasis.
It has been used previously to describe the relationship of Christ to God and the firm confidence that believers possess. Faith is not fleeting but substantial enough to generate confidence. The Greek word for “proof” is elegchos, indicating an inner conviction that is not based on visible matters. Divine approval is the primary consequence of faith. Other results of faith are the declaration of righteousness, the ability to look forward to the heavenly city of God, the ability to understand that faith is possible only because God is faithful, the ability to accomplish great things in the world, and the ability to see that even when believers are persecuted and murdered, beyond this world is a better resurrection.
HCSB – Matthew 28:19-20 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of[a] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,[a] I am with you always,[b] to the end of the age.”
MSG – Luke 24:45-49 He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.”
The Voice – See Acts 1:3 After His great suffering and vindication, He showed His apostles that He was alive—appearing to them repeatedly over a period of 40 days, giving them many convincing proofs of His resurrection. As before, He spoke constantly of the kingdom of God. During these appearances, He had instructed His chosen messengers through the Holy Spirit.
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THE RESURRECTION APPEARANCES OF JESUS
Also see: To Paul on the road to Damascus several years later Acts 9:1-19, 22:3-16, 26:9-18 and 1 Corinthians 9:1
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NIV – Acts 26:16-18 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you (Paul) to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
The Voice – Ephesians 1:10-14 10 a plan that will climax when the time is right as He returns to create order and unity—both in heaven and on earth—when all things are brought together under the Anointed’s royal rule. In Him 11 we stand to inherit even more. As His heirs, we are predestined to play a key role in His unfolding purpose that is energizing everything to conform to His will. 12 As a result, we—the first to place our hope in the Anointed One—will live in a way to bring Him glory and praise. 13 Because you, too, have heard the word of truth—the good news of your salvation—and because you believed in the One who is truth, your lives are marked with His seal. This is none other than the Holy Spirit who was promised 14 as the guarantee toward the inheritance we are to receive when He frees and rescues all who belong to Him. To God be all praise and glory!
HCSB Note: Ephesians 1:10 Days of fulfillment: The goal of history is based on God’s divine purpose concerning the crucified redeemer, Jesus the Messiah-for whom, through whom, and in whom are all things. The goal is to establish a new world order of which Jesus Christ is the acknowledged Head. He is the head of a reunited universe. He now rules and reigns from God’s right hand; one day He will establish His Kingdom and bring in the new heavens and the new earth, fulfilling and finalizing God’s redemptive purpose. This is what is involved in bringing together things in heaven and things on earth in Him. Ephesians 1:11 Received an inheritance: Paul discusses the end result of redemption from a standpoint that stretches from eternity past to eternity future. The recipients of this inheritance are people whom God has chosen and predestined. They come to faith in Christ not by chance, coercion, or unaided choice, but by the enabling of God’s Spirit. Building on OT themes, Paul envisioned those who have received this inheritance as standing in continuity with the covenant people of OT times.
The Voice – Ephesians 2:11-14 11 So never forget how you used to be. Those of you born as outsiders to Israel were outcasts, branded “the uncircumcised” by those who bore the sign of the covenant in their flesh, a sign made with human hands. 12 You had absolutely no connection to the Anointed; you were strangers, separated from God’s people. You were aliens to the covenant they had with God; you were hopelessly stranded without God in a fractured world. 13 But now, because of Jesus the Anointed and His sacrifice, all of that has changed. God gathered you who were so far away and brought you near to Him by the royal blood of the Anointed, our Liberating King.
14 He is the embodiment of our peace, sent once and for all to take down the great barrier of hatred and hostility that has divided us so that we can be one.
The relationship between faith and works is often misunderstood. Some think that salvation is God’s reward for good deeds. If that’s true, then it can’t possibly be a gift. If it were a reward, then heaven would be a place where people might compare notes on what they did to make it through the gates. But Paul is confident in the truth of the gospel. The truth is that salvation is God’s gift through Jesus. Grace and faith make salvation real in us. When we are transformed by grace, then we become His new creation and begin to live out the good works He has planned for us. Works, then, aren’t the cause of salvation; they are its result. To put it another way, works aren’t the means of salvation; they are its presence.
In closing
The Voice – Titus 2:11-13 We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping ourselves holy. Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all will share when our great God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appears again.
The Message 2 Peter 3:9-13 The Day the Sky Will Collapse
8-9 Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.
10 But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.
11-13 Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.
Eternal Life:
John 3:16 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3%3A16&version=ESVESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 ESV
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 17:3 ESV
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Matthew 25:46 ESV
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Romans 10:13 ESV
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
John 5:24 ESV
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 3:36 ESV
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Acts 4:12 ESV
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
So, the answer to this study – is Jesus the only way? Yes!
KJV 1 Timothy 2:4-5 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth; for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
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