We’ve seen that God is Holy and just, and because of this, he cannot have fellowship with those who haven’t yet been forgiven of their sin. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (Romans 3:21-22).”
We can only be made right with God by placing our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus because he was punished in our place.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).”
Salvation is where we cease to be aligned with the devil enslaved to our sinful nature, inherited by Adam, and we become alive with Christ.
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-2).”
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:4-9).
So if we go back to our football analogy, when we are born, Adam is our quarterback, when he committed a penalty the human race was punished for his sin as he was the representative of our “team”. When we place our faith in Jesus as our savior we join his team, and through his obedience your new “team” committed no penalty.
“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:19).”
When you place your faith in Jesus you become righteous, or right with God, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself (2 Corinthians 5:18).”
Those who do not believe in the Son of God, Jesus will suffer eternal death, those who believe in Him will be given eternal life with Him.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God (John 3:16–21).” Jesus is the light spoken of here.
