After his Resurrection, Jesus declared: “All authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations!” He dispatched his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation to the “uttermost parts of the Earth.” The Era of Salvation had commenced with his Death and Resurrection, and his life-giving message must be announced to all men. The Son of God has achieved salvation for his people!
God exalted Jesus to the Messianic Throne as promised in the
Scriptures: “I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth for your possession,” and therefore he sends
his emissaries to announce his sovereignty and Kingdom to all nations – (Psalm
2:8).
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| [Photo by Jackson Eaves on Unsplash] |
By bestowing the Gift of the Spirit on them, Jesus empowers his disciples to proclaim his Good News to the entire world, the one task he assigned to his Church before his Ascension:
- “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 uttermost parts of the Earth” – (Acts 1:8).
This salvation is for men of every generation and nation
without exception. Jesus died and God raised him from the dead so they no
longer would live for themselves but for Him, and in newness of life.
God loved humanity so much that He “gave his only born Son”
so all men might believe and receive “everlasting life.” Jesus has
bequeathed to each of his disciples the ministry of reconciling men and women
to His Father – (John 3:16, Acts 2:36-38, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20).
Because of his suffering “for our sins,” God raised Jesus
from the dead and “highly exalted him, granting him the name that is above
every name,” – JESUS - the name that means “Yahweh saves.”
In this same Jesus, the salvation promised by the God of
Israel has become real and available to all men. His Son is the “Ruler of
the Kings of the Earth” who is now “shepherding the nations” until
the day when they will stand before him in the New Creation – (Philippians
2:6-11, Revelation 1:4-6, 7:9-17, 12:5-11).
All peoples and every nation belong to him whether they understand
this or not. 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. This is a radical message of liberation from the tyranny of Sin, Satan,
and Death that all men must hear – (1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Philippians 2:6-11, Hebrews
2:14-15, Revelation 1:6-8,3:21, 5:5-14).
ONE MESSAGE, ONE PEOPLE
God has “spoken” definitively and with finality through His
Son. It is the Son alone who “achieved the purification of sin,” therefore,
he sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on High places” as the Great High Priest who mediates salvation and life for
his people. He alone has achieved victory over Sin and Death. He alone
provides salvation and the forgiveness of sins to every man who acknowledges
his Lordship and embraces his message – (Hebrews 1:1-4).
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 available
to all men because of the faithful obedience of the Son of God, the one who “died
for our sins” even when we were yet “Enemies of God” and “dead in
our trespasses” – (Romans 3:21-22).
Sin is the Great Leveler that condemns every man, woman, and child to bondage, decay, hopelessness, and death. Neither ethnicity, political power, nor economic status will make any difference. Death awaits us all.
Because
of his Death and Resurrection, anyone may now receive the forgiveness of sin
and justification before God, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor;
namely, “from the faith of Jesus
Christ.” Death still occurs, but for the disciples of Jesus, it will
be reversed when he raises them from the dead on the last day – (1 Corinthians
15:20-28).
Considering
his faithful act on their behalf when they deserved death, all that penitent men
and women can do is respond to his gracious offer by placing faith in Jesus and
what God accomplished in him.
Since His Son “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 His Son, the ‘Ekklésia’, the “Assembly.”
Every person who places faith in Jesus becomes a member of this holy community
and receives salvation – (Ephesians 2:15).
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| [Photo by Mike Lorusso on Unsplash] |
His Gospel is a message for every man, woman, and child. It transcends all national and cultural boundaries. His disciples proclaim one message 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, his “Good News” is a universal
message and religion. All men have sinned. Everyone needs the forgiveness
of sin, salvation, and everlasting life. No one deserves this salvation, “No,
not one,” but God offers it to one and all through His Son, and “freely”
so.
Finally,
salvation is provided on the same basis to every man, woman, and child, namely,
from the faith of Jesus Christ. All we can do is respond with repentance
and faith to God’s offer and the self-sacrificial act of the Nazarene who “gave
his life as a ransom for many.”
SEE ALSO:
- His Name is Jesus - (‘Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the salvation promised by the God of Israel arrived in all its glory)
- Voice in the Wilderness - (The Kingdom of God arrived in the ministry of Jesus, commencing with his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist – Mark 1:1-3)