Lesson Eight

GOD'S SALVATION

CHRIST'S REDEEMING DEATH ON THE CROSS (1)

Burden to Impart:

In order for God to recover man after he had fallen, the first thing He needed to do was to redeem man back to Himself God would not give up man; instead, He would pay whatever price was necessary to repossess His lost treasure. So Christ, the Lamb of God, died upon the cross to redeem us by His own precious blood and pay the great debt our sins had incurred (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

Memory Verse: "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold,...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Facts to Teach:

  1. The result of man's fall was very damaging to him. Man had taken the evil nature of Satan into his being and had become constituted a sinner. Also, man's spirit had died and his destiny had changed from the possibility of receiving God's eternal life, to suffering the lake of fire eternally with God's enemy, the devil.
  2. It seemed that God's eternal purpose with man was over. Man's situation was utterly hopeless and helpless. But, God had a way! Before man sinned or had even been created, God, in His infinite wisdom and foresight, had prepared a way for man's restoration and recovery. God had planned and prepared redemption for man before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).
  3. When Adam disobeyed God in the garden he broke God's commandment and transgressed against God's righteousness. He also acquired a sinful nature and fell short of expressing God's glory (Rom. 3:23). In fact, man now expressed God's enemy, Satan. Man was lost! Man was corrupted! Man was destroyed! In order for God to still have anything to do with man in a positive way something had to be done. Man had to be rescued! Man had to be recovered back to God. All of man's sins, rebellions, and problems with God could not just be ignored by God. They had to be solved in an absolutely proper way. If man was to ever be restored to his God and God's eternal purpose he must be redeemed.
  4. Redeem means to buy back something that was originally yours. Although it was originally yours it was somehow lost. Now, in order for you to rightfully repossess it you must pay a price for it.
  5. We have been redeemed from our sinful and vain manner of life by the Lord's death on the cross and the shedding of His precious blood (1 Pet. 1:18-19; 2:24). He paid the very highest price that could have been paid, His own blood (Acts 20:28), to redeem us back to Himself. Therefore, we are not our own (1 Cor. 6:19b-20a).
  6. Before God could do anything else, He had to redeem us back to Himself. Thus, He has the legal right to save us to the uttermost.

[See God's Full Salvation, Lesson 11, Living Stream Ministry]