God’s Two Plans of Salvation: Romans 3:21-24
“21) But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22) even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24) being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; ” Romans 3:21-24
I love sharing the Gospel. I enjoy explaining the simple message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is many different ways. One message, especially for the church going religious folks is found in these four verses.
In this message, I talk about God’s two plans for salvation. That usually sets people on edge wondering if I’m a heretic. First, I talk about the Old Plan of Salvation. I explain that this based on keeping the Law. I share that if anyone can say they have perfectly kept the Ten Commandments, they would satisfy God’s righteousness and He would accept them based on their religious good works.
But then I quickly add; “There is only one problem; verse 23 says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That means not one human has kept the Law so as to be saved by that system. The problem wasn’t with the Law, it was with us as people. We are sinners by both nature and choice. We missed the mark. We have fallen short.
Usually heads start to nod in agreement, and I recognize they are starting to understanding the problem with trying to earn salvation through “do good, be good” religious efforts. The Bible is not opposed to being good, it simply makes it clear that no one has been good enough to earn their own salvation.
It’s at this point that I explain God’s second plan of Salvation. This plan is based on God’s Son coming and fulfilling the Law. But it didn’t end there. He went to the cross as a substitute payment for the sins of humanity. He was indeed the perfect “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.” He payed the debt of our sins by dying in our place on the cross. His resurrection proved that He was God’s Son.
But here is the good news, because He paid for our sin, He can impart to us His righteousness! This is a free gift for those who put faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. The Bible calls this being “Justified by Faith.” From that moment forward, God the Father looks at us from our position of being “in Christ.” We are saved and accepted because Jesus has redeemed us with His own blood on the cross.
This faith transaction is called being “Born-again.” At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit in-dwells the new believer and begins to change them from the inside out. He works to sanctify the justified. We are forgiven for our sins and a new life begins.
This happened in my life way back in 1973. The Holy Spirit is still working on changing me, but I have now enjoyed many years of fellowship with God based on faith in Jesus Christ. I didn’t come from a church background, so I was a lot better at being a sinner than a saint. Even now, I’m not very religious, but I love Jesus Christ.
So what is your story? Which plan of salvation are you embracing? Are you going to church trying to be good and earn your own salvation, or have you placed saving faith in Jesus Christ? There is only one way of salvation, and that is through personal faith in Jesus Christ.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global