Many say to Christians: “As long as you know you are going to paradise, you can do what you like, after all, whatever happens, you are guaranteed heaven. ”
The Bible answers this question by saying, “What shall we say? Shall we continue in sin, that grace might abound? Far from it! We (that is, Christians) who are dead to sin, how can we still live in sin? (Injil, Romans 6: 1-2).
The death and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of God’s perfect plan in his desire to save sinners and free them, not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the power and practise of sin; from the slavery of sin.
The Bible teaches us that as soon as a sinner places all his trust in Christ, receiving him both as Lord and Savior, three important things take place in his life:
He is saved (freed) from the punishment of sin:
God forgives all his sins freely. Let us not forget that God is holy, upright and righteous. He cannot just forget about our sins. They must be punished. The Old Testament prophesies and the Injil explains how Jesus took upon Himself the punishment we deserve. He paid the price. This is what makes a Christian able to say, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:1).
Secondly, He is delivered from the power of sin:
God through his Holy Spirit comes to dwell in this person and gives him a new heart. So they possess a new and radical view of life. They begin to hate sin and the desire to do what is good, true and just becomes their new life’s goal. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things are past; Behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Bible also says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, gentleness, temperance; against these things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23). These virtues increasingly characterise the life of the person, who has been renewed in the heart.
Finally, He will be delivered from the presence of sin:
One day Jesus will return to judge the world. That day he will punish all those who have rejected him, reward all who have obeyed his call to repent, trust Him, and have therefore walked in His ways of love to the Lord, His people, His word, their own neighbours and even their enemies. He will, at last, deliver them forever from the presence of sin.
Whoever says, “I am forgiven of my sins, I’m guaranteed heaven, leave me alone and let me live as I please”, proves by this that he is not a Christian, because he does not manifest in his life any evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Imagine going to an auction. You see something you want in a box of tools, but you don’t want the rest of the tools. You say to the auctioneer. I only want that spanner. He says, “Sorry, you have to offer for it all, or none of it.” That’s what salvation through Christ is. Many want forgiveness, but they don’t really want to be holy. They want Christ as Saviour, but not as Lord and King. But, Jesus doesn’t offer us salvation as either/or. It is offer as both/and. He offers salvation from the penalty and the power of sin. He calls us to repent first and then to believe in His mercy.
There is no other salvation on offer from Christ.