Introduction
This sermon will be preached to the youth at New Beginnings at Roes Chapel Baptist
Church to help them recognize the proclamation of Christ and His atonement for our sins on the
cross. The Message of Christ, also known as the Gospel, is the good news of God's love and
salvation offered to humanity through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
Message of Christ is the core and the foundation of Christian faith, beliefs, and practices.
Sermon Theme: The Message of Christ
There is a particular Christmas season that I will never forget. It occurred during the 1979
energy crisis. My mother worked for a major oil company called Schlumberger Well Services
and was laid off due to the crisis. I remember talking with my brothers about why there were no
presents under the Christmas tree yet. As we evaluated our grades in school, consistency in
performing assigned chores, and obedience to our parents, our mother interrupted us to say, first,
that Christmas was not about being rewarded for our good merits but about a Savior, Jesus, being
born and being a gift to us. She went on to say that what we really deserve is death, according to
Romans: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord” (Rom.6:23 KJV). She went on to give us the Message of Jesus Christ and talked about
how He gave His life for us as a sacrifice to pay a debt that could only be paid by God in Christ
Himself.
Today, we want to talk about how Christ’s sacrifice atoned for the world’s sins and the
implications of salvation when an individual puts his or her trust, belief, and faith in the death,
burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Millard Erickson alludes to: “the
doctrines of God, humanity, sin, and the person of Christ come together to define the human
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need and the provision that had to be made for that need.”1 So the divine provision is defined by
God's grace and mercy in providing a means of salvation. Daniel Akin defines salvation:
“Salvation is the work of God that delivers us from sin and its penalty, restores us to a right
relationship with him, and imparts to us eternal life.”2 God achieved and is accomplishing this
work through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Message of Salvation
Because of the fallen state of humanity, there is a need for deliverance from sin and its
consequences that is passed on through or inherited from Adam and Eve’s original sin. The Bible
says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). According to
Erickson: “Salvation is the application of the work of Christ to the lives of humans. Accordingly,
the doctrine of salvation has particular appeal and relevance, since it pertains to the most crucial
needs of the human person.”3 It is a need that delivers sinners from spiritual death and eternal
separation from God. Therefore, the inherent sinfulness and fallen state of humanity constructs a
need for salvation.
The Need for Salvation
Without salvation, mankind faces the inevitable fate of eternal punishment. The Bible
teaches that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). This denotes not only physical death but also
spiritual death, which is an eternal separation from God. In many cases, the need for salvation is
what drives people to seek a relationship with God and strive. John Wesley writes that the fact
that all men are sinners against God, as law breakers, resulted in God sending His Son into the
1 Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic,
2013. 714.
2 Akin, Daniel L.. A Theology for the Church. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2014.
699r.
3 Erickson, Christian Theology. 826.
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world to fulfill the law, and by shedding His blood, satisfied justice's demand to His Father for
our sins. The atonement performed by Jesus Christ through the death on the cross served as a
sacrifice that satisfied the weights of divine justice, allowing for the forgiveness of human sin.
The Gospel of John emphasizes Jesus’ divinity, the Person, and the works of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. John also records a great and extraordinary reality in the third chapter of the
Gospel of John—as noted by John Webster—according to scriptures alluding to: “Jesus’
encounter with Nicodemus is one of the great resonant passages of the Gospel of John, nowhere
more so than in the deep words of John 3:16– 17.”4 John 3:16 and 17 are perhaps the most
notable verses in the Bible, and they provide a concise summary of the Gospel message. Verse
16 reads: "For God so loved the world, that [H]e gave [H]is only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in [H]im should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 KJV).
God’s love for the world is a vital message of salvation, according to Webster: “... the
cause of salvation is the love of God. What lies at the root of the saving ministry of Jesus Christ
is God’s love.”5 The love of God is demonstrated through the death of His Son, Christ: “But God
demonstrates [H]is own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom.
5:8 NIV). This scriptures confirms and exhibits God’s love as most certain and complete for the
sake of the lost, as He spared not His own Son Christ. In that, God’s love appears, while not
being moved because we loved Him, but because He first loved us (1 Jn. 3:16).
God’s love provided a gift in His Son; Webster’s explanation is that God’s gift of
Himself brings into fellowship His will and the redemptive love that allows us to live with Him
4 Webster, John. Christ Our Salvation: Expositions and Proclamations, edited by Daniel
J. Bush. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020. 11.
5 Webster, Christ Our Salvation. 12.
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in the fulfillment of peace.”6 Redemptive love of God is about a sacrificial love extended to an
undeserving people, even at a cost to oneself, just as God did for humanity through Jesus Christ.
Salvation Though Christ
In the epideictic letter of Hebrews, the author contrasts the Old Testament sacrificial
system, which required repeated sacrifices of animals by the high priest, with the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ, which was a one-time event with eternal implications. Hebrews 9:11-28 underlines
the prevalence of Christ's sacrifice, His immaculate nature, the role of the Holy Spirit, the
purifying impact of Christ's sacrifice, and a definitive motivation behind this purging, which is to
serve God.
The Work of Christ
The central work of Christ is His death and resurrection, which provide salvation for
humanity. Understanding the work of Jesus Christ is crucial to understanding the biblical concept
of salvation. Erickson alludes to what God accomplished through the work of Jesus: “Whereas
the Old Testament called for continual offerings of sacrifice in the court, twice-daily offerings of
incense in the outer tent, and an annual sacrifice by the high priest in the inner place, the Holy of
Holies (Heb. 9:1–10), Christ brought this process to an end by fulfilling it (v. 12).7
What was seen in the Old Testament working of the sacrificial atonement that was
deemed good (Heb. 10:1) was only temporary and a foreshadowed of the permanent work that
was better because it was only required to be performed once by the lamb of God (Heb. 10:10-
14).
Jesus Christ the Perfect Sacrifice
6 Webster, Christ Our Salvation. 16.
7 Erickson, Christian Theology. 83.
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The Old Testament priests needed to ceaselessly offer penances for sins. However, Jesus’
sacrifice was once and for all. His death was adequate to cover all sins for all shortcomings once
and for all (Heb. 7:27; 10:10). Nonetheless, Erickson mentions that “The basis of acceptance
would be the work of Jesus Christ, even though the person involved is not conscious that this is
how provision has been made for his or her salvation.”8
Jesus’ sacrifice was effective, truly cleansing humanity of their sins “and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7b). Not only was the sacrifice of Jesus
perfect and effective, it also brought about a reconciliation that reunited humanity back to God,
bridging the gap and relationship that sin had severed. “And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2
Cor 5:18). There are many effectual facets in the atoning work of Jesus Christ that pour into the
message of Christ and His work on the cross. Nonetheless, there are also the incomprehensible
results as well as the multifaceted and transformative results of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross.
The Result of Salvation
That which was accomplished because of Jesus’s redemptive work on the cross is
profound. His mission paid and atoned for our sins and brought a reconciliation between God
and humanity (Rom. 5:10). In addition to this, Jesus' sacrifice provided justification, a legal term
meaning that believers are declared righteous in the sight of God. Akin suggests that:
“Justification is an acquittal. This is the content of the legal declaration God makes about us.”9
Jesus' passion, His work and sacrifice, paid for our sins, and we are forgiven and justified in a
right relationship with God (Rom.5:1).
8 Erickson, Christian Theology. 138.
9 Akin, A Theology. 87.
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In addition, sanctification is a result and aspect of salvation. It is a process by which a
justified believer is made holy. Akin's diagram of salvation demonstrates this: “Objectively,
salvation is a finished event. By faith we are redeemed, adopted, and justified in Him. However,
subjectively, we are experiencing our sanctification as an ongoing process that will not be
completed until we see Him face-to-face.”10 Sanctification is a lifelong method of being set apart
for God's purposes and conforming to the image of Christ.
Lastly, and figuratively, glorification is the final stage of the results of salvation. It is the
ultimate perfection and completion of salvation. Glorification is a future event for those in
Christ, a promise that will be kept when Christ returns, when those justified by His blood will
receive eternal bodies. Paul alludes to this time when he writes: “Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
The Message of Christ Practical Implication
God’s love for His creation is seen in the redemptive work of Christ, reconciling the
relationship between His creation and Himself. His redemptive work offers us God's salvation.
Christ's message provides the means of receiving transformation in every aspect of life, such as
our relationships with others, our attitudes, the renewing of our minds (Rom.12:2), a reflection of
Jesus' love and characteristics: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil
2:1 KJV). When Jesus gave up the ghost on Golgotha, He liberated those who would believe in
Him of sin and its spiritual consequences of eternal death. Paul states: “In Adam all die, even so
10 Akin, A Theology. 699r.
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in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22).11 He grants His believers assurance and peace.
Those who have faith in the power of His death, burial, and resurrection will have eternal life
(Rom 6:4). Christ gives power to believers to live a transformed life, as they are set apart, being
made holy and righteous, ever becoming more like Him (2 Cor. 5:17).
Fundamentally, salvation should affect each part of a believer’s life, impacting their
thought process, actions, and connections with others. Being saved gives believers a new
identity, purpose, and hope, transforming us from the inside out. What a great proclamation is
the Message of Christ; one that will take all who believe into an eternal life with Christ in God.
11 Akin, A Theology. 699r.
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Bibliography
Akin, Daniel L.. A Theology for the Church. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2014.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.
Webster, John. Christ Our Salvation: Expositions and Proclamations, edited by Daniel J. Bush.
Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020.
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