Salvation for the Nations

The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth provides salvation and life for men and women of every nation and people.

After his resurrection, Jesus declared: “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations!” Thus, he sent his disciples to announce his lordship and salvation to the “ends of the Earth.” Christ’s Death and Resurrection are the foundation of the “Good News” of God’s kingdom and gracious salvation, and this life-giving message must be announced to all men and in every nation under heaven.

God exalted Jesus to the Messianic Throne as promised in the Scriptures: “I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession,” and he now sends his emissaries to announce his sovereignty and God’s salvation throughout the Earth – (Psalm 2:8).

[Castlepoint - Photo by Sebastian Knoll on Unsplash]

Moreover, by bestowing the Gift of the Spirit on his Church, Jesus has empowered us to proclaim this Good News to the entire world, to one and all:

• “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth” – (Acts 1:8).

• “Thus, it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you. But wait in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” – (Luke 24:46-49).

This salvation is offered to men and women of every generation and nation. Jesus died and God raised him from the dead so we must no longer live for ourselves but for Him, and from now on, free of the bondage of sin and the fear of death. Furthermore, salvation is found only through Jesus Christ:

• “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off” - (Acts 2:38-39).

• “And in no other is there salvation, for neither is there any other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved” – (Acts 4:12).

• “Since then, the children are partners in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil, and that he might deliver all those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” – (Hebrews 2:14-15).

God loved humanity so much that He “gave his only born Son” over to death so that all men might believe and receive “everlasting life.” Jesus has assigned to each of his followers the ministry of reconciling men and women to His Father by proclaiming His Good News to all men – (John 3:16, Acts 2:36-38):

• “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!” - (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

Because he willingly suffered “for our sins,” God raised Jesus from the dead and “gave him the name that is above every name,” – JESUS - the name that means “Yahweh saves,” for that is what Jesus is – the Salvation of Yahweh.

• “He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” - (Philippians 2:8-11).

The salvation promised by the God of Israel has become a reality for all humanity in Jesus Christ, and he is now the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth” who “shepherds the nations” to the “Holy City, New Jerusalem” so they will live before him and his Father forevermore – (Revelation 1:4-6,12:5, 19:15, 21:23-24):

• “These are they that are coming out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his Sanctuary. And he who is sitting on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will hunger no more, neither thirst any longer; neither will the sun strike upon them, nor any heat, for the Lamb that is on the throne, he will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to fountains of living waters…” – (Revelation 7:14-17).

All nations belong to Jesus. His sacrificial death voided the legal claim of Satan over humanity, and his “resurrection from the dead” broke the iron grip of Death that held us all. Thus, he now holds the “key of Death and Hades”– (Revelation 1:17-18).

This is a radical message of liberation from the tyranny of Sin, Satan, and Death that all men and every nation must hear before Jesus returns in power and glory – (1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Revelation 1:6-8,3:21, 5:5-14):

• “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole habitable earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” - (Matthew 24:14).

ONE PEOPLE

God has “spoken” with finality through His Son who alone “achieved the purification of sin,” therefore, he sits “at the right hand of the Majesty in High places” as our High Priest who mediates salvation and life for us. Salvation is available to all men “through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction.” The offer of life is made to all men because of Christ’s faithful obedience when he “died for our sins” even though we were still “dead in our trespasses” – (Hebrews 1:1-4, Romans 3:21-22).

Sin is the equalizer that condemns each of us to bondage, decay, fear, and death. Neither ethnicity, political power, nor economic status makes any difference. Death awaits us all.

Because of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, every human being may now receive the forgiveness of sins before God, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, or poor or rich. Death still occurs, but it will not have the last word. It will be reversed when Jesus raises his saints from the dead on the Last Day:

• “Then comes the end, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he will abolish all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” - (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).

Considering the Son’s faithful act on our behalf when we deserve only death, all we can do is respond to his generous offer by placing faith in Jesus and what God has accomplished in him.

Ever since Jesus “achieved the purification of sins,” God has been forming a new community composed of men and women from every nation who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, the “Assembly of God.” Every person who places faith in Christ becomes a member of this Holy Community – (Ephesians 2:13-16).

No nation, civilization, or political ideology can claim Jesus or his teachings as its property. His Gospel is Good News for every man, woman, and child. The message of salvation transcends every national and cultural boundary. Christ’s followers proclaim one way of salvation for all men, whether “Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male and female, for all are one in Christ Jesus” – (Galatians 3:28).

In the truest sense, then, Christ’s Gospel is a universal message and religion. All men have sinned. Everyone needs the forgiveness of sins and salvation. No one deserves what our Creator is offering to one and all, but He graciously gives it freely through His Son, Jesus of Nazareth.

Finally, this salvation is provided on the same basis for every individual, namely, from the faith of Jesus Christ. All we can do is respond with repentance and faith to the self-sacrificial act of Jesus Christ, the one who “poured out his soul unto death” and thereby “gave his life as a ransom for many.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Only Jesus Saves! - (Salvation and Redemption are found in no other name than ‘Jesus’. He alone achieved victory over Sin, Satan, and Death)

• One Message for all Men - (Jesus calls us to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every nation and inhabited part of the Earth)

• No Other Name! - (Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the promise to bless all nations in Abraham. Christ is the Patriarch’s Heir, and the only source of Salvation)

• His Name is Jesus! - (The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the Nazarene, the salvation promised to Israel has arrived in all its glory)