Christ Came to Save Us

Christ Came to Save Us Capazin Thornton

Christ Came to Save Us CAPAZIN THORNTON

Christ Came to Save Us Copyright 2013 Capazin Thornton All Bible quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Christ Came to Save Us by Capazin Thornton Copyright 2013 Printed in the United States of America Feel free to print out and distribute this booklet free of charge as much as you like To learn more about and/or request other publications by Capazin Thornton, please visit the website: www.capazin.com

Dedication To Christ believers worldwide

Contents 1 Revelation of Creation 1 2 Man s Fall and Need for Salvation 7 3 God Sent His Son to Save Us 11 4 You Have the Right to Receive God s Gift 13 5 In Christ Old Things Are Passed Away 15 6 In Christ All Things Have Become New 17 7 Total Salvation Through Christ 19

1 Revelation of Creation In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ~ Gen 1:1 The Bible is God s progressive revelation of Himself and His purpose for all things. God created the whole universe and every living thing by His sovereign will and infinite wisdom and for His eternal purpose. Creation Summary In Genesis 1 and 2, God provides both general and detailed information of His creation. Here is a summary. On day 1, God called forth light, separated light from darkness, and called light Day and darkness Night. (Gen 1:3-5) On day 2, God made an expanse or dome of the heavens to separate waters above from waters below. (Gen 1:6-8) On day 3, God gathered the waters under the heavens and called forth dry land. (Gen 1:9-13) God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered to one place, and let the dry land 1

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US be seen! It was so. God called the dry land: Earth! And the gathering of the waters he called: Seas! God saw that it was good. ~ Gen 1:9-10 (Fox) Then God told the earth to bring forth plant life (grass, herbs, trees) and produce after its kind. God said: Let the earth sprout forth with sprouting growth, plants that seed forth seeds, fruit trees that yield fruit, after their kind, (and) in which is their seed, upon the earth! It was so. ~ Gen 1:11 (Fox) On day 4, God made the sun, moon, stars. God said: Let luminaries be in the expanse of the heavens, to make a separation between the day and the night... two great luminaries, the great luminary for the rule of the day, and the small luminary and the stars for the rule of the night... ~ Gen 1:14, 16 (Young).... to provide light upon the earth, to rule the day and the night, to separate the light from the darkness... ~ Gen 1:18 (Fox) On day 5, God called forth sea life and birds of the air. (Gen 1:20-23) God said, Let the waters swarm with a swarm of living beings, and let fowl fly above the earth, across the dome of the heavens! ~ Gen 1:20 (Fox) 2

Revelation of Creation On day 6, God made all kinds of animals, giving them the power to reproduce after their kind or species. (Gen 1:24-25) God made the wildlife of the earth after their kind, and the herd-animals after their kind, and all crawling things of the soil after their kind. ~ Gen 1:20 (Fox) God concluded day 6 with His crowning achievement: creation of mankind. (Gen 1:26-28) God Created Mankind in His Image Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness... ~ Gen 1:26a So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ~ Gen 1:27 God created and fashioned, detailed, and refined human beings in His image and likeness. Image means to bear a similitude in appearance or quality. It speaks of a resemblance, a likeness, or a representative figure. It is a copy, not an exact duplicate. God created humans with spiritual, moral, intellectual, rational, and emotional attributes. He made man a spirit, with a soul, in a physical body. The spirit or inner man is the innermost part of a person. The spirit man contains one s conscience, intuition, and an inner sense or consciousness of 3

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US God. The Bible says God has put eternity (a call to Himself) in every person s heart. (Eccl 3:11) The soul is essentially comprised of the mind, will, emotions, appetites, and desires. It is the seat of one s personality, one s unique self. The body, of course, is the material part of man that houses the spirit and soul and makes it possible for one to get around in the earth from place to place. Through the body s sense organs (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch), we are conscious of the world around us. God made the man Adam first. And YHWH, God, formed the human, of dust from the soil, he blew into his nostrils, the breath of life and the human became a living being. ~ Gen 2:7 (Fox) God then planted a garden in Eden and put the man that he had made there. Eden means Land of Pleasure. God gave Adam permission to partake of the food from all the trees, including the tree of life, but forbade him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. ~ Gen 2:16-17 (Fox) 4

Revelation of Creation Then God said it was not good that Adam was alone so God made Adam a suitable helper. (Gen 2:18) And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. ~ Gen 2:21-22 God Blessed Humanity God blessed the humans (empowered them to prosper) and gave them dominion over the earth. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. ~ Gen 1:28 Adam had everything he needed: A beautiful and scenic place to live, a compatible wife, innocence, youth, plenty of healthy food and clean water, his choice of nice pets, and he didn t have to pay any rent or mortgage. Most importantly, He had a fantastic relationship with the Creator of the Universe. God Created Humans for Fellowship Fellowship is companionship, togetherness, and friendship. God created humans to fellowship with Him, have families, and loving communities. 5

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US God Created Everything for His Pleasure For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ~ Col 1:16 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. ~ Rev 4:11 6

2 Man s Fall and Need for Salvation The Beginning of Sin Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig 7

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US leaves together and made themselves coverings. ~ Gen 3:1-7 We could write a book just to discuss different aspects of the temptation. However, here we will focus on three points: 1. The devil s first utterance in scripture is shrewdly intended to get Eve to question what God said. Has God indeed said? (v 1) 2. Next, the devil contradicted what God said. You will not surely die. (v 4) 3. The devil appealed to Eve s ignorance of God and who He had made her to be. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (v 5) Eve did not know God s Word firsthand, so she was easily deceived. Adam and Eve were already like God, created in His image. And they knew only good. They did not need to know evil. While Eve was deceived by the serpent, Adam was not. Adam was in the transgression because he made a free-will choice to disobey God. 8

Man s Fall and Need for Salvation The Consequence of Sin Death on Three Levels When Adam disobeyed God, he ushered sin into the world and death on three levels as the result of sin: Spiritual death. The first death is spiritual a separation from the life of God. Soul death. Death came to man s soul, as sin darkened, distorted, and perverted his personality. Physical death. Our bodies became subject to disease and decay. Ultimately, the body succumbed to physical death, a separation of the spirit and soul from the body. Adam and Eve experienced immediate separation from God. As the result of sin, they became fearful, self-conscious, guilt-ridden, and sin-conscious. Not only were they affected, but all their posterity. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. ~ Rom 5:12 9

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US A Spiritual Gap Exists A spiritual gap exists between sinful mankind and a holy God. Whether a person is the raunchiest of sinners or someone trying to live by the greatest virtues, all are spiritually dead separated from the life of God, dominated by the law of sin and death, dead in trespasses and sins, without hope and without God in the world. (Rom 3:23; 3:10; Eph 2:1, 12, 13) Every person needs a savior who has the power to break the curse of sin and death, restore us back to right relationship with God, and give us a fresh start. 10

3 God Sent His Son to Save Us For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ~ Jn 3:16 Jesus Christ came from Heaven to earth for the express purpose to pay the death penalty for our sins so we would not have to. Christ of Eternity was manifest in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, born of the Virgin Mary who miraculously conceived Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Gal 4:4; Lk 1:31, 35) Through Christ, all people can be pardoned and forgiven. We can be reconciled with God and have a position of right-standing with God. When a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior, God sees them through Christ s blood which was shed for their sins. God accounts Christ s righteousness to them, so they can stand before God justified just as if they never sinned. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~ 2 Cor 5:21 11

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US Through Christ, we receive a new spirit, an abundance of grace, supernatural inner peace, eternal life, healing for our bodies and restoration for our souls. Christ came to give us victory and dominion over everything that previously dominated us. Salvation is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. We cannot earn it, add to it, or take from it. Salvation is God s idea from start to finish. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. Because of the sin condition of all humanity, no one can have access and fellowship with God without coming through Christ. Jesus is the only way of salvation. (Gal 4:4; Lk 1:33-35; Jn 3:16; Eph 2:8-9; Acts 4:12) Each person is free to choose whether or not to accept Jesus Christ. Yet, the question begs to be answered: who would not want so great a salvation? 12

4 You Have the Right to Receive God s Gift But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. ~ Jn 1:12 If you have not done so previously, open your heart right now to receive God s gift of salvation, God s provision for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.... Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. ~ Heb 4:7 The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. (Rom 10:9-10) Here is a simple prayer for you to pray: Dear God, I know that I am a sinner, totally lost without You. I believe that Your Son Jesus paid the penalty for my sins when He died on the cross. I believe that you raised Him from the dead and I can have new life through Him. God, I ask you to forgive me for all my sins. I turn away from a life of sin. Right now I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. 13

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving and saving me. Thank you for cleansing me from sin, guilt and the shame of my past. I am forever grateful to You. Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you. Use me for Your glory. Amen. If you prayed the above prayer, a wonderful spiritual transformation has taken place inside you. Please continue reading to gain a better understanding of what has taken place in your life. 14

5 In Christ Old Things Are Passed Away Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. ~ 2 Cor 5:17 Spiritual death has passed away You are no longer alienated from God. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ~ Eph 2:13 For through Him, we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. ~ Eph 2:18 Your sins are forgiven In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. ~ Eph 1:7 Your sinful past has been erased As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. ~ Ps 103:12 15

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US Your sin nature is gone Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ~ Rom 6:6 The power of sin is broken off your life For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. ~ Rom 6:14 The devil no longer has dominion over you For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. ~ Col 1:13 (NASB) There is now no condemnation There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ~ Rom 8:1 16

6 In Christ All Things Have Become New You are a new creation The moment you received Christ the Holy Spirit washed away your sins and regenerated your spirit. You are now born again, a new creation, a new class of being a human with a recreated spirit indwelt by the eternal Spirit of God. (Tit 3:5; Jn 14:17) You have been reconciled to God. You have peace with God. (2 Cor 5:18) You are a child of God Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ~ 1 Jn 3:2 You have been delivered God has delivered you from the power of darkness and conveyed you into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Col 1:13) 17

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US You possess the kingdom of God You have entered God s kingdom, the realm of God s rule and reign. While the full manifestation of God s kingdom is future, you have a foretaste of His kingdom within you now: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rev 21:1; Rom 14:17) You have a position of authority Christ now sits at the right hand of God in Heaven. Not only are you a citizen of heaven, you have a position of authority with Christ in the heavenly places, far above all authorities, principalities, powers, might, and dominion. You have authority over all the power of the forces of darkness. (Phil 3:20; Heb 12:22-23; Eph 1:21, 2:6, 2:19; Lk 10:19) You have spiritual resources, privileges and blessings When you read the New Testament letters to the churches, you will discover the many resources, privileges and blessings Christ believers have in by and through Christ Jesus. We can praise... the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Eph 1:3) 18

7 Total Salvation through Christ Christ paid the price for our total salvation. Through Him, we are blessed in every dimension. Instantly Spiritually Reborn When you received Christ you experienced an instantaneous spiritual rebirth. The Holy Spirit recreated your spirit. He then took up residence inside your spirit. He now bears witness within you that you are a child of God. He is working in you to will and to do the will of God. (2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:16; Phil 2:13) The Soul is Being Saved The saving of one s soul (essentially mind, will, emotions, and personality) is an on-going, life-long process. Restoration of one s soul takes place progressively as we renew our minds daily with God s Word. Over time, our minds are transformed. Wrong thoughts, ideas, teachings, opinions are replaced 19

CHRIST CAME TO SAVE US with right thinking according to God s Word. Our souls are refreshed and we are healed of any emotional pain and hurt. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. ~ Ps 107:20 Day by day we become more like people re-created in the image of God. (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 4:16) Healing Now, Future Gloried Body Christ paid the price for our healing just as he paid the price for our sins to be forgiven. One day we will have a glorified body. In the meantime, we can receive healing and walk in health now. Sometimes healing is instantaneous. Most times healing occurs over a process of time. Healing is received by faith, that is, we receive and believe according to what God s Word says. God s Word says we were healed: who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. ~ 1 Pet 2:24 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. ~ Rom 8:11 20

Total Salvation Through Christ So we agree with God s Word, confess it and act as though we are healed according to the Word. God s desire for you: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ~ 3 Jn 2 You Have Eternal Life These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. ~ 1 Jn 5:13 You Can Reign in Life In Christ you are an overcomer and can reign victoriously in life in, by and through Christ. For if by the one man s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. ~ Rom 5:17 Always remember that God loves you with an everlasting love, and Jesus Christ will never leave you nor forsake you. (Jer 31:3; Heb 13:5) *** 21

Capazin Thornton is a Christian Speaker, Bible teacher and author based in southern California. Please visit her website at www.capazin.com

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