The Way of Salvation, Part 2

by Nicholas A. Catania

August 2007

Go to the previous issue.

Man aside from God in his never-ending pursuit to resolve the problem of sin and death has in may ways complicated and expanded it.

Look at the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Here we are instructed that the soul of the person that sinneth shall die.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Now we have a real problem. Ezekiel told us the one who sinneth shall die and here in Romans we are informed that all have sinned. Man will never solve this problem of sin and death because it is inherently a spiritual one. One of God's spiritual laws that govern the universe is simply put that the cure must correspond with the problem. In other words, you don't give someone an aspirin that needs a liver transplant. The natural man is not equipped to address the problem of sin and death because it has a spiritual root.

Genesis 2:15-17 ¹⁵And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Sin and death entered into the world because of spiritual disobedience. Now there are basically two ways you can approach this problem.

1 - Through the senses.
2 - Through the spirit.

Now, when I say senses, I mean mankind apart from God and His Word. Mankind is very learned in this arena of life. However, the cure must correspond with the problem.

So, Logically, if we have a spiritual problem, we must of necessity search out a spiritual cure. We then need to decide how we are going to approach the problem: with a carnal mind or a spiritual mind?

Are we trying to attempt to correct the problem through our senses or our flesh? In other words, are we trying to correct the problem spiritually?

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Corinthians informs us that the natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit, nor can he know them.

If this is true and sin and death have spiritual roots, than natural man is doomed to fail before he begins. If God's Word is true here (and it is), mankind can never - apart from God - correct the problem of sin and death.

This is why we need a savior - someone who can and will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Thank God for our Lord and savior Jesus!

Romans 8:5-7 ⁵For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

The word carnal here means "the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God." Hostility is the extreme ill will or hatred that exists between enemies.

Galatians 5:19-20 ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies.

The word hatred in verse 20 is the same word as enmity. When a natural man works outside of God's Word and its principles, he is at odds with God. This is why he is not able to understand God or the things of God.

Jude 1: 17-19 ¹⁷But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; ¹⁸How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

You see without the spirit of God, natural man is helpless to resolve a spiritual problem.

Thus all he can do is treat the symptoms, and help in pain or disease management. Mankind aside from God will never attain a cure for a spiritually rooted problem.

So, here is the dilemma we are faced with when it comes to sin and death. Sin and death entered into the world through spiritual disobedience (Genesis chapters 2 and 3). You are all aware of the phrase "sexually transmitted diseases". We are all born with STD (Spiritually Transmitted Death).

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: The psalmists told us that no one could redeem his soul.

Psalm 49: 6-9 ⁶They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; ⁷None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: ⁸(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever;) ⁹That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

Mankind aside from God is really helpless to find the answer to cure a spiritual problem. Thus, all mankind can do is help us cope with life and sickness until we all die.

Is this all there is to life? You're born, you live, and then you die? God offers a different remedy.

Romans 5:6-19 ⁶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. ⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. ¹⁰For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ¹¹And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ¹³(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. ¹⁵But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

¹⁶And not as [it was] by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. ¹⁷For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

¹⁸Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. ¹⁹For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Praise God for our Lord and savior Jesus Christ! Without him, all that awaits mankind is the grave.ÿ

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Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation,  NAU means the American Standard Version, 1995 Edition, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.