Written by A. Kitson

Brethren Of Christ Articles - Doctrinal Matters

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Why salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ
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Why is it thought necessary to present the evidence for this statement? Because we live in a country that now has a number of different cultures with religions other than Christianity, each claiming that their own system of salvation is the true one.

Not only have we different denominations within Christendom, but different religions vying, as it were, to be heard and accepted. And because of the liberal and tolerant attitude of the indigenous population, these other religions have been, to a large extent, accepted and tolerated, surprisingly by the leaders of various Christian denominations. Some Church leaders have gone so far as to claim that there are a number of paths to salvation that may be found by the followers of virtually any religion. Good works and sincerity is put forward as the channel of salvation, irrespective of doctrinal beliefs.

So, what was once recognized and believed by all Christians, namely that Christianity was the only true belief, has been undermined by the embracing of other religions and their followers, on the grounds, as they put it, “we are all God’s children,” and God accepts us all.

But we are only God’s children in the very limited sense that we are all descended from Adam and that is a very tenuous link, giving us no inherent right to salvation. Death, not everlasting life, is the inheritance we derive from Adam, and in this respect we are subject to the same destiny as the rest of the animal kingdom. In referring to the first man Adam we are introducing someone whose life, as recorded in the Bible, has a direct and vital bearing on the subject of our talk. And it is to the Bible that we will turn for evidence in support of our claim that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ.

The Bible, comprising the books in what is called the Old and New Testaments, has the self evident impress of Truth that testifies to its claim of Divine Authorship. Its record of historical events, its prophecies, a number of which have already been fulfilled, and its revelation of God’s greatness, justice and love, in the working out of His plan of salvation for the world, mark it out as a unique book. This book known as Holy Bible or Holy Scriptures are, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “given by inspiration of God . . . and able to make us wise unto salvation,” (2 Timothy 3:15,16).

What do we mean by salvation and what has Adam got to do with it?

The word salvation is related to the words ‘save’ and ‘saviour’ in both the original Hebrew and Greek writings. It is when the question, “saved from what?” is asked that Adam’s role in bringing about the circumstances which required a saviour for mankind, becomes evident.

Placed in a garden adorned with all manner of trees for food, he disobeyed God’s commandment not to eat of the fruit on one of the trees, called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As a result, he and his wife Eve, who had been enticed to eat of the forbidden fruit, were evicted from the garden and sentenced to death, and told that after a life of labour and travail they would return to the earth from which they had been formed. The relationship of sin and death was thus determined at the very beginning and a rule or law established that death was to be the consequences of sin. This law has prevailed ever since and affects us all. Death is not a natural phenomenon, but the direct consequence of Adam’s disobedience. Not that we are guilty of Adam’s sin, but as Adam’s posterity we inherit his sinful nature and with it the sentence of death. Even Jesus Christ, who was unique in having God for his Father by virtue of his birth, inherited the same nature as the rest of mankind from his mother.

This state of things has blighted, as it were, all mankind. All suffer death as a result of our inherited sinful Adamic nature. And it is from this state of things that we need to be delivered or saved. This is the salvation that the Bible speaks of, and which has been made possible through Jesus Christ. In other words salvation, as understood from the Bible, is the deliverance or saving from sin and death. The work of the John the Baptist is said to be “to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by or for the remission of their sins,” (Luke 1:77).

Of course, there is no room for such things with evolution, which sees death as a natural phenomenon, not the consequence of disobeying God’s laws. We read that “as by one man, i.e. Adam, sin entered into the world and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,” (Romans 5:12). This inspired statement expresses the truth concerning the cause of our mortality. And unless this truth is recognized and accepted the purpose of Jesus Christ’s life, death resurrection and future return to this earth cannot be correctly understood. How could God forgive sins in a way that exalted His righteous law that the wages of sin is death, at the same time as showing His mercy?