Salvation: What Needed to Be Done Has Already Been Done

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES The Hope of Easter

Salvation: What Needed to Be Done Has Already Been Done By Rick Warren — Apr 1, 2015 “All need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” (Romans 3:24 NCV) If you were to ask 50 random people walking along the sidewalk, “How do you get to Heaven?” you’d get a lot of different answers. But basically they would all be summarized by the idea that you’ve got to earn your way to Heaven. You’d hear things like, “Try to be good, and do your best” or “Do more good things than bad things in life.” It’s all based on works, not grace. But Romans 3:24 says, “All need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ” (NCV). God says that salvation is absolutely free! You don’t work for a gift, and you can’t earn it or buy it. This is the fundamental difference between Christianity and every other religion. Every other belief system can be summarized by one word: “do.” You do certain things in order to gain bliss, gain Heaven, gain God’s approval. It’s full of rules, regulations, and rituals. On the other hand, if you were to summarize Christianity in one word, it would be “done.” I had a guy ask me one time, “Pastor Rick, what can I do to be saved?” I told him, “You’re too late!” (That kind of shocked him.) “You’re about 2,000 years too late! What needed to be done for your salvation has already been done, and you can’t do anything about it.” Jesus Christ already did it. He paid for your salvation on the cross, and now he offers his grace as a free gift to you. That’s why Jesus Christ, when he was hanging on the cross, stretched out his arms and said, “It is finished.” What’s the “it”? It’s your salvation — the plan to provide grace for every person who needs it. You’re not getting to Heaven based on what you do. You get to Heaven based on what has already been done for you by Jesus Christ. There isn’t anything you can do to save yourself. You just accept God’s free gift of grace. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Why do you think it’s hard for people to accept something that’s free? What does God’s free gift of salvation say about his nature? What are the things you do to try to earn God’s favor? What do you think he wants your motivation to be instead? Our Gift: Eternal Realities Complete Audio Series Are heaven and hell real places and what are they like? How can you be absolutely certain you’ll spend eternity in heaven?  To answer these questions and more, Pastor Rick put together an audio series called, Eternal Realities: Heaven and Hell. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren The Hope of Easter teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Amazing Grace Message 2: The Answer Is Easter PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe