How Great Thou Art! – The Wonder of Salvation

What is Salvation?

How would you briefly explain or describe Salvation to someone with whom you came into contact?

Have a think about that and then write out an “Elevator Pitch” to share with people in the group.

An elevator pitch is about 20–30 seconds long. Usually three or four sentences. See how you go. (about five minutes to do this)

When you have finished, share what you have with people around you or the whole group if you like.

At the bottom of the study is my elevator pitch (but don’t look at it before you do yours).

When you have finished, have a look at my “pitch” and give feedback to the group on your thoughts.

Do you notice that something is missing?

If we are talking about salvation and the Good News of the Gospel, the thing that is missing from my elevator pitch is that God did this for ME.

In fact, for every individual person in the world. That’s what makes God’s salvation so powerful.

To truly marvel at the Wonder of Salvation it is vital that concept of the Grace of God is understood.

Below is a link to a short video produced by The Bible Project on the concept of Grace in the Bible.

(The Bible Project videos are free to use) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABPVVw_aw44

(or search for “God’s Consistent Posture Toward All Humanity”)

The group may like to share their thoughts

The story of a 10-year-old finding Grace through a broken window.

As a young boy, I once broke a neighbour’s VERY expensive window while playing cricket with a golf ball (yes what a dumb thing to do!).

When it happened, I did what any self-respecting 10-year-old boy would do, I ran away and hid.

Eventually, I returned home because I was hungry. That night there was a knock on the front door, and it was the neighbour. When he left, my father asked me to tell him if I had broken the window. I denied it. My father then said he just wanted me to tell the truth. And I did. I explained what happened and said I was sorry for both the broken window and for not telling the truth.

My father then said he would take care of the window. However, I had to go with him and apologise to the neighbour, which I did.

And I did it happily (even though he was a scary man) because my Dad had forgiven me, he was going with me, and he was going to pay for what I had done wrong.

As I look back on that incident, I realise just what a powerful and beautiful example of Grace that was and what a wonderful lesson my father taught me.

For sharing with those around you

How old were you when you first heard about the gospel and God’s salvation? Can you remember who you heard this from?

Can you remember when the idea of God’s salvation was something that was really important to you? (So, for example for me, it was when I was in my 20s)

During your life who or what has influenced or enhanced your understanding of God’s salvation?

However, have we lost the sense of awe about the power of salvation and the great sacrifice it represents?

This is from a Christian Lecturer

“I think we need to spend more time wondering at the marvel of salvation.
“Sometimes for those of us, myself included, who have been Christians for a while, or came from a Christian heritage, we can just say ‘Jesus died for my sins’ and then ‘what’s for lunch’.

“The key is to go back and contemplate what God has done for us in Jesus. Another way to say it is, because I’ve been purchased with a price, therefore I want to glorify God with my life.

“Do we take for granted that the reason we can even enter into God’s presence is simply because of Jesus? Without Him, we would still be lost.” Paul Borthwick

What is your reaction to what Borthwick says?

God’s Salvation leads to our New Creation as we live out our lives as God’s chosen people. We do that as a response to all that God has done for us, especially the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

It is known as the “Because … Therefore”

Because God has shown us his Grace, therefore we will follow him and live for him.

Read Colossians 3:1

Have a go with the following verses and discuss with the person next to you how St Paul links the way we are now called to live as Christians (Therefore) back to what God has done for us, his Grace to us (Because).

Colossians 3:12–14

Ephesians 2:8–10

2 Thessalonians 2:13b–17

Because God has shown us his Grace, therefore we will follow him and live for him.

Martin Luther expresses this so beautifully in his Commentary on the Book of Romans:

Faith is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God (John 1:12,13); it kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different people, in heart and spirit and mind and all powers, and it brings with it the Holy Spirit. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them and is constantly doing them … Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake life itself on it a thousand times. The knowledge of and confidence in God’s grace makes people glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures; and this is the work the Holy Spirit performs in faith. Because of it, without compulsion, a person is ready and glad to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, out of love and praise to God, who has shown this grace.

Richard Wurmbrand in “Tortured for Christ” tells a story that brings out this idea of living our lives for Christ.

There were two brothers. From an early age the older brother was a perfect child, and he continued to grow up to be a wonderful and responsible person. He was always compassionate and ethical in everything he did and was universally respected and loved.

Unfortunately, his younger brother was just the opposite. He was in trouble as a child, moved into petty crime and then finally onto more serious criminal activity.

One night the younger brother turned up at his elder brother’s house and told him that he had just murdered someone, and the police knew he had done it.

The elder brother told his younger brother to go into the country somewhere and hide. He said he would take care of it and then be in touch with his brother when it was all sorted out. The younger brother left.

His older brother then dressed up as his brother and pretended to be him when the police arrived. They arrested him. He was tried, convicted and executed for his brother’s crime.

Sometime later, the younger brother received a letter written just before his brother was executed. In it, his older brother explained what he had done and why he had done it. He was his brother, and he loved him.

He asked just one thing from the younger brother. As I have taken your life and died your death for you, I simply ask that you take my life and live it as I would have.

Share your thoughts/personal experience of the wonder of salvation in your life with those around you.

God loves the world so much that he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, into the world to live and die, so that people in the world could be saved and have eternal life.

And this is a gift from God. It is not deserved.

God does this because he is love.

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