Salvation
This week’s chapter is on Salvation. Machen is concerned with people knowing where their true salvation comes from: a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. He explains this by reminding us of why Jesus is savior, why His death was important, where liberal preachers fall short, and how the gospel is exclusive.
First, Machen wants us to know that Jesus is savior because of the sacrifice of his life. Some may try and say that Jesus was just a good guy who lived a life that is worthy of being an example of what a good person could do. But this thinking completely denies the authority of Jesus. Scripture says that Jesus is the Messiah, the saving one. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because he lived a sinless life, could take on all the sins of the world in the past, present, and future, and he was completely man and completely God.
Machen writes, “According to Christian belief, Jesus is our Saviour, not by virtue of what He said, not even by virtue of who he was, but by what he did. He is our Saviour, not because he inspired us to live the same kind of life that He lived, but because He took upon Himself the dreadful guilt of our sins and bore it instead of us on the cross.” (99, Machen)
Second, Machen wants to remind us that Jesus, who died for the sins of the world, was not just a metaphorical example of humans sacrificing their pleasures for the betterment of the world. Jesus died because he was the only man who could pay the death-penalty that would result in a life-giving restoration of the heart for intimate relationship with God for anyone who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouths that Jesus is Lord. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection was not an act of humanism. It was an act of extravagant love that no other man could do. And by the way, Jesus’ work was so perfect and the penalty of sin so paid in full by Jesus’ sacrifice that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf in prayer so we may have life abundantly in knowing God intimately. Jesus’ life was more than an example. Jesus is the way, truth, and life.
Machen writes, “Christ died instead of us to present us faultless before the throne of God. Without that central truth, all the rest is devoid of real meaning: an example of self-sacrifice is useless to those who are under both the guilt and thralldom of sin…” (101, Machen)
Third, Machen illuminates liberal preachers limitation in teaching. If Jesus was merely a man who got things right and his life is just an example of how we should live, there is no hope. Everyone sins and has fallen short of the glory of God. We were born into sin because of the spiritual inheritance of our parents. Machen writes, “To maintain our courage, the liberal preacher offers us exhortation. Make the best of the situation, he says, look on the bright side of life.” (103, Machen) I’m not sure what book of the Bible could fully aid that sermon... Certainly not Ecclesiastes!
Machen’s point is that our unshakable hope comes from Jesus’ life and death and resurrection because it paid the price for our sins in full. When God looks at his children, he doesn’t see a bunch of sinners. He removed the sin and declared his children righteous! Jesus makes us faultless before God so we can run to Him saying, “El Shaddai, Abba, hold me in your arms for you are the source of my life and adoration.”
Machen writes, “The word of the Cross no longer seems to the Christian to be merely a far-off thing, merely a matter to be disputed about by trained theologians. On the contrary, it is received into the Christian’s inmost soul, and every day and hour of the Christian’s life brings new confirmation of its truth.” (103, Machen)
Fourth, Machen wants us to remember that the gospel is exclusive. By its nature, the gospel is offensive. When you learn for the first time that you are shackled with sin and can’t control it or escape on your own, it doesn’t really give you warm fuzzy feelings and happy thoughts… it is devastating.
Machen writes, “What struck the early observers of Christianity most forcibly was not merely that salvation was offered by means of the Christian gospel, but that all other means were resolutely rejected… Salvation, in other words, was not merely through Christ, but it was only through Christ.” (104, Machen) Jesus doesn’t say, “I am one of the ways that you can get to the Father.” No, Jesus is very clear. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This was what Machen deemed important to write about. The next chapter of the book is titled, Church, so that will be the next topic of this blog.
First, Machen wants us to know that Jesus is savior because of the sacrifice of his life. Some may try and say that Jesus was just a good guy who lived a life that is worthy of being an example of what a good person could do. But this thinking completely denies the authority of Jesus. Scripture says that Jesus is the Messiah, the saving one. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because he lived a sinless life, could take on all the sins of the world in the past, present, and future, and he was completely man and completely God.
Machen writes, “According to Christian belief, Jesus is our Saviour, not by virtue of what He said, not even by virtue of who he was, but by what he did. He is our Saviour, not because he inspired us to live the same kind of life that He lived, but because He took upon Himself the dreadful guilt of our sins and bore it instead of us on the cross.” (99, Machen)
Second, Machen wants to remind us that Jesus, who died for the sins of the world, was not just a metaphorical example of humans sacrificing their pleasures for the betterment of the world. Jesus died because he was the only man who could pay the death-penalty that would result in a life-giving restoration of the heart for intimate relationship with God for anyone who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouths that Jesus is Lord. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection was not an act of humanism. It was an act of extravagant love that no other man could do. And by the way, Jesus’ work was so perfect and the penalty of sin so paid in full by Jesus’ sacrifice that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf in prayer so we may have life abundantly in knowing God intimately. Jesus’ life was more than an example. Jesus is the way, truth, and life.
Machen writes, “Christ died instead of us to present us faultless before the throne of God. Without that central truth, all the rest is devoid of real meaning: an example of self-sacrifice is useless to those who are under both the guilt and thralldom of sin…” (101, Machen)
Third, Machen illuminates liberal preachers limitation in teaching. If Jesus was merely a man who got things right and his life is just an example of how we should live, there is no hope. Everyone sins and has fallen short of the glory of God. We were born into sin because of the spiritual inheritance of our parents. Machen writes, “To maintain our courage, the liberal preacher offers us exhortation. Make the best of the situation, he says, look on the bright side of life.” (103, Machen) I’m not sure what book of the Bible could fully aid that sermon... Certainly not Ecclesiastes!
Machen’s point is that our unshakable hope comes from Jesus’ life and death and resurrection because it paid the price for our sins in full. When God looks at his children, he doesn’t see a bunch of sinners. He removed the sin and declared his children righteous! Jesus makes us faultless before God so we can run to Him saying, “El Shaddai, Abba, hold me in your arms for you are the source of my life and adoration.”
Machen writes, “The word of the Cross no longer seems to the Christian to be merely a far-off thing, merely a matter to be disputed about by trained theologians. On the contrary, it is received into the Christian’s inmost soul, and every day and hour of the Christian’s life brings new confirmation of its truth.” (103, Machen)
Fourth, Machen wants us to remember that the gospel is exclusive. By its nature, the gospel is offensive. When you learn for the first time that you are shackled with sin and can’t control it or escape on your own, it doesn’t really give you warm fuzzy feelings and happy thoughts… it is devastating.
Machen writes, “What struck the early observers of Christianity most forcibly was not merely that salvation was offered by means of the Christian gospel, but that all other means were resolutely rejected… Salvation, in other words, was not merely through Christ, but it was only through Christ.” (104, Machen) Jesus doesn’t say, “I am one of the ways that you can get to the Father.” No, Jesus is very clear. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This was what Machen deemed important to write about. The next chapter of the book is titled, Church, so that will be the next topic of this blog.
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