THE PRIMARY GOAL OF SALVATION

 HOME OF ARTICLES 

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17 NKJV)

 

God created man primarily for a loving and intimate relationship, fellowship, or communion with Himself. God entered the Garden of Eden to fellowship with the first man and woman (Gen. 3:8).

God highly esteems and cherishes His relationship with a man. The Scripture reveals that God’s delight is with the sons of men (Proverbs. 8:31).

The Psalmist wondered aloud when he thought about God’s love towards man.

Psalms 8:3-6 – NKJV

 3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.

But the disobedience of Adam resulted in spiritual death, separation, or alienation of the entire human race from God. Paul aptly states and explains this truth in his epistles (1 Cor. 15:20-23).

Romans 5:12-14 – NKJV

 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned–

 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

As a result of the corruption of the entire human race by sin, no man could approach God, stand before God, or enjoy intimacy with God without any sense of shame, fear, guilt, or condemnation as before the advent of sin.

Sin resulted in hostility between God and men. It created a spiritual barrier between the Holy God and sinful men.

Isaiah testifies to this truth.

Isaiah 59:1-2 – NKJV

 1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

But thank God for Christ, who abolished in His flesh the enmity or hostility between God and men and thus reconciled us to God.

Paul testifies to this truth.

Colossians 1:21-22 – NKJV

 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. 

John the Baptist rightly pointed Jesus out among the crowd as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NKJV).

The primary goal of salvation is not deliverance from sin, the flesh, the world, or the devil. It is not for us to experience and enjoy healing, good health, miracles, breakthroughs, prosperity, or success. It is not to provide an escape from hell fire or serve as a ticket to heaven.

All these are benefits of salvation but not the main, primary, or ultimate goal of salvation.

What is the primary goal of salvation?

Intimacy with God!

A loving, intimate, and eternal relationship with God!

The primary purpose of Jesus Christ coming into the world to offer Himself as a propitiation for our sins is to restore us to a loving and intimate relationship with God, just as before the advent of sin.

The primary goal of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross is to deal with sin and restore us to a loving, intimate, and eternal relationship or friendship with God.

However, for sinful men to be brought into intimacy or a loving relationship with the Holy God, sin, which brought hostility and separation between God and men, must be dealt with. That is why sin was condemned and judged in the flesh of Jesus Christ on the cross (Romans. 8:3).

The Lord Jesus abolished the enmity or hostility between the Holy God and sinful men by bearing our sins in His own body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). John testifies, “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:5 NKJV). 

However, removing our sins alone cannot restore us to intimacy or a loving relationship with God.

Why?

Because sin has wholly corrupted our nature!

Even though God has changed His disposition towards us because Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross had fully satisfied the demand of God’s justice to punish sinners, God’s holiness cannot allow Him to have any intimacy or loving relationship with unholy or sinful men (Hab. 1:13).

The holiness of God is a consuming fire; no sinner can endure God’s holiness. Therefore, we need to be righteous or holy before we can enjoy intimacy or a loving relationship with the holy God.

Because the ultimate goal of Christ’s death was to restore us to intimacy or a loving relationship with God, the Lord Jesus did not just remove, bear, or carry away our sins on the cross; He also bestowed His righteousness as a gift on us.

Paul testifies, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NKJV).

What a divine exchange!

Although the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God has been offered on the cross as a perfect propitiation for the sins of the whole world, not everyone is enjoying a loving relationship or intimacy with God. Why?

Because not everyone has received the gift of righteousness that Christ offers men!

While it is the gospel truth that God has forgiven everyone’s sins and not imputing sins on anyone, it is only the person who has received the righteousness of God as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ who can stand boldly, without any fear, shame, guilt, or condemnation, in God’s holy presence and enjoy intimacy with God.

The unbelievers are not enjoying a loving and intimate relationship with God not because the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has not atoned for their sins but because they refuse to receive God’s gracious gift of righteousness through faith in the person of Jesus and His finished work.

Sadly, many religious folks today still hold fast unto their self-righteousness, ignorantly thinking that God will approve them and receive them into His presence.

The Scripture states, “All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” in God’s presence (Isa. 64:6 NKJV).

When you approach God in your self-righteousness, you approach God clothed in a filthy and stinking garment.

Your self-righteousness, performance, or good works cannot earn you a right standing, intimacy, or a loving relationship with God. Neither can they make you reign with Christ in and after this life.

Only those who receive, appropriate, and continue in the righteousness of God through faith in Christ can enjoy intimacy with God in this life and hereafter. Only the recipients of the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ will reign with Christ in this world and throughout eternity.

Romans 5:17 – NKJV

17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.  

Friend, if you are not presently experiencing or enjoying intimacy or a loving relationship with God, standing in God’s presence without any sense of fear, shame, guilt, or condemnation, it may either mean that you have not received God’s gift of righteousness through faith in Christ, or that you are not walking in the consciousness that you are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Beloved, don’t settle for anything less than the best (the gift of righteousness) that Christ offers you. Without receiving the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, you cannot attain the ultimate or primary goal of salvation – enjoying a loving, intimate, and eternal relationship with God.

 Prayer:

I receive the gracious gift of righteousness today through faith in Christ Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to walk in the consciousness of the truth that I am now the righteousness of God in Christ, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our: mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

Share this: