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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll learn that salvation is entirely God’s work from start to finish and that each member of the Trinity plays an essential role in our redemption.

Key Verse

Ephesians 1:11: In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

Introduction

The Bible teaches that God always takes the first step toward us. We do not find God by ourselves. This was true in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve hid from God after they sinned. It was true at the cross when Christ died for us while we were still His enemies. And it remains true today as God draws people to Himself.

Genesis 3:8-9: Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

All false religion teaches that people can reach God by their own effort—through good works, religious ceremonies, or moral improvement. But the Bible reveals a completely different truth: God begins and finishes the work of salvation. From the very first moment of conviction to the final moment when we see Him face to face, salvation is God’s work accomplished for us and in us.

In this lesson, we’ll discover how God plans and accomplishes our salvation. Each member of the Trinity participates perfectly in the work of salvation:

• The Father plans for our salvation
• The Son offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice
• The Spirit draws us to salvation

What Does the Father Do?

God is perfectly holy and just. Sin must be punished because His righteous character demands it. But He is also a God of mercy, grace, and love. Understanding these attributes of God helps us see why salvation had to be His work rather than ours.

Mercy is when God withholds His just punishment from us. Grace is when God blesses us even though we don’t deserve it. Love is when God desires the highest and best thing for us. We would be completely destroyed apart from the mercy, grace, and love of God.

Lamentations 3:22-23: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

What does the Father do to bring about our salvation? He planned our salvation, called us to Himself, and sent His Son. Let’s look at each of these carefully.

First, the Bible teaches that God planned our salvation before the world was made. This wasn’t an emergency plan that God developed after sin entered the world. Our salvation was part of God’s eternal purpose.

Ephesians 3:9-11: And to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:9: He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

Second, the Bible teaches that God has called us to salvation. God knows who will believe, and so He calls us out from the world. This calling is both general—through the preaching of the gospel to all people—and specific—through the Holy Spirit’s work in individual hearts.

Acts 13:47-49: For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.

Romans 8:28-30: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

We don’t fully understand how God chooses us and calls us to salvation. This is one of the great mysteries of Scripture. We know that God is not willing that any should die in their sins—He desires all people to be saved.

2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But we also know that God calls every believer out from the world. This was true of Abraham when God called him to leave his homeland. It was true of the Children of Israel when God called them to be His special people. And it is true of us.

Genesis 12:1: The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”

Romans 9:11-15: Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Acts 13:48: When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

(Notebook Moment: How does it encourage you to know that God chose you and called you to salvation before you ever thought about choosing Him? What does this teach us about how much God loves us?)

Finally, the Father sent His only Son to bring His plan of salvation to completion. This demonstrates the incredible cost that salvation required and the amazing love that motivated God to save us.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:10: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

What Does the Son Do?

The work of the Son in salvation is absolutely central to everything else. Without Christ’s perfect sacrifice, there would be no salvation for anyone. The Father’s plan and the Spirit’s work both depend completely on what the Son accomplished at the cross.

The Son willingly offered Himself to fulfill the Father’s will. Jesus was not a victim of circumstances or an unwilling sacrifice. He chose to lay down His life because He loved us and wanted to obey His Father perfectly.

Hebrews 9:14: How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Mark 14:36: “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

The Son willingly laid down His life as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. This is where we need to understand the great theological truth of substitutionary atonement—Christ died in our place, as our substitute, bearing the punishment that our sins deserved.

Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

John 10:17-18: The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

To understand how Christ’s sacrifice saves us, we must understand what the word “sacrifice” means. A sacrifice is when you give something up, usually something precious, to accomplish something greater. Christ gave up all the glories of heaven, took on human flesh, lived a perfect life, and then died the death that we deserved to die.

But Christ’s sacrifice was not just any sacrifice—it was the perfect sacrifice that God required. Here’s why His sacrifice was perfect and effective:

First, Christ was the perfect substitute because He was truly human. He could represent us because He became one of us. He experienced everything we experience, yet without sin.

Hebrews 2:17: For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

Second, Christ was the perfect substitute because He was truly God. Only someone with infinite worth could pay for the infinite offense of sin against a holy God. His divine nature gave His sacrifice infinite value.

Colossians 2:9: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.

Third, Christ was the perfect substitute because He lived a perfectly sinless life. He could die for our sins because He had no sins of His own that needed to be punished.

1 Peter 2:22: He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.

2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Bible uses several powerful words to describe what Christ accomplished for us through His sacrifice. He provided redemption—He paid the price to buy us back from slavery to sin. He provided propitiation—He satisfied God’s wrath against sin. He provided reconciliation—He made peace between us and God by removing the barrier of sin.

Ephesians 5:2: And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Galatians 1:4: Who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

1 Timothy 2:6: Who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

Romans 5:6-8: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to our hearts. Without the Spirit’s work, we would never understand our need for salvation, never be able to believe the gospel, and never experience the new life that salvation brings.

The Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of sin, brings understanding to the Word of God, brings new life to the heart, and makes our salvation secure.

First, the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of sin and judgment. Before we can be saved, we must understand that we are sinners who deserve God’s judgment. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see our true spiritual condition.

John 16:8: When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.

Second, the Holy Spirit brings understanding to the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, but spiritual understanding comes from the Holy Spirit. Without His illumination, we cannot understand spiritual truth.

Romans 10:17: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:11: For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Third, the Holy Spirit brings new life to the heart. We are spiritually dead because of our sin, but the Holy Spirit gives us new life in Christ. This is what Jesus called being “born again.”

Ephesians 2:1: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.

John 3:5-6: Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

Titus 3:5: He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”

(Notebook Moment: Think about your own salvation experience. Can you see how the Holy Spirit worked in your life to convict you of sin, help you understand the gospel, and give you new life in Christ?)

Fourth, the Holy Spirit makes our salvation secure. When we believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us as a guarantee that we belong to God forever.

Ephesians 1:13: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

2 Corinthians 1:22: Set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

A seal is a mark of ownership. When the fruit of the Spirit is seen in our life, we know that we belong to God. Our changed life is evidence that God has truly saved us.

2 Timothy 2:19: Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Conclusion

John reminds us once again that God always takes the first step toward us. Everything He has done for us flows from His great love. Our salvation is not something we achieved or earned—it is a gift that demonstrates God’s amazing grace.

1 John 4:10: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

What should our response be to this incredible truth about salvation?

First, we should love Him because of His great love for us. When we truly understand what God has done for us, our hearts cannot help but overflow with love and gratitude.

1 John 4:19: We love because he first loved us.

Second, we should love our fellow believers with the love of Christ. Those who have experienced God’s amazing grace should extend that same grace to other members of God’s family.

1 John 4:11: Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Third, Paul reminds us that we should love those who have never experienced God’s love. The same grace that saved us should motivate us to share the gospel with others who need to know about God’s salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:14: For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

(Notebook Moment: How has learning about God’s role in salvation changed the way you think about your relationship with Him? How should this truth affect the way you relate to other people?)

Understanding that salvation is entirely God’s work should fill us with both humility and confidence. We can be humble because we know that we contributed nothing to our salvation—it is all of grace. We can be confident because we know that the same God who planned, accomplished, and applied our salvation will also preserve us until the day when we see Him face to face. What a wonderful God we serve!

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