Alistair Begg, the senior pastor of Cleveland’s Parkside Church, was recently speaking on the sufficiency of Christ and Christ alone, to save us. It is not us, in any way, it is Christ alone who saves. Our only contribution is our sin, our unrighteousness. It is Christ and His righteousness alone that saves us. If we arrive at the gates of heaven and are asked, “how did you get here?” If our answer in any way begins with the first person, “I believed.” “I repented.” “I lived for Christ.” etc,” then we have started down a wrong path in our thinking. Salvation, when discussed out of the mouth of the saved, is really a “third person expression.”
“Christ saved me.”
“He paid the price for my sins.”
“He redeemed me.”
“His grace brought me near.”
“He forgave me.”
Alister Begg on salvation:
You know, I always think about this in relationship to the thief on the cross when he arrives at the portals of heaven. You imagine that interview process?
“What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, who sent you here?”
“What? No one sent me here. I . . . I . . . I’m here!”
“Well, are you . . . Have you been justified by faith? Do you have peace with God?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, do you know anything?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you know?”
“The man on the middle cross said I could come here.”
So should we all say.
We are saved by the work and the word of the man on the middle cross.
The one who said, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
May we glory in Him.
May we stand in awe of Him.
May we tell the world of Him, who saved us and made us His.
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