SO GREAT SALVATION

P. L. Johnson

Exodus 12: 5–7, 12, 13; 14: 13, 21–23, 26–30; Joshua 3: 14–17; 24: 2–8, 13

What I had before me in reading these scriptures is that we have in the history of Israel an illustration of an expression that is found in the epistle to the Hebrews. We read in that epistle of “so great salvation”, Hebrews 2: 3. I was thinking of the breadth of salvation; how great it is. Salvation is sometimes limited to the thought of being saved from eternal judgment and going to heaven in a coming day. Some may enlarge it a little more than that, and speak about the forgiveness of sins at the present time. The great salvation as seen in these three passages we have read has to do with God bringing His people into the place that He had in mind for them. They bring before us the death and resurrection of Christ by which God has brought to pass this great salvation. When the apostle Paul says ‘My gospel’, I do not think that he preached a different gospel but his gospel was more comprehensive as seen in Romans, Colossians and Ephesians. These epistles set out Paul’s gospel of this great salvation that is secured by the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. God would have us enlarged in all that He has wrought in the salvation that belongs to everyone who is a believer on the Lord Jesus. It may be that a young believer may not fully apprehend the greatness of the salvation that is his, but it belongs to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. My desire is that we might look at these scriptures so that our apprehension of salvation might be enlarged.

In the scripture read in Exodus, the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt by going through the Red Sea. It was this passage through the sea that delivered them out of Egypt, the house of bondage. This is a type of that aspect of our salvation that constitutes

deliverance from the world of sin. Before they went through the Red Sea they kept the passover; that shielded them from the judgment of God, which was to come upon all the firstborn in Egypt. We read that “all have sinned” and thus are liable to the judgment of God.

But God has made provision to escape that judgment in the blood of Christ just as in Egypt those who had the blood on the door-posts and lintel were shielded from the destroying angel.

The passover shielded the people from judgment, so that they were assured that they would not come under the judgment of God as did the Egyptians, but it did not take them out of Egypt. They were still in Egypt, in bondage without liberty and freedom. The Red Sea was the way out of their bondage. We read in Exodus 14 that they all went through on dry ground.

It is the way believers are delivered from being slaves in bondage to sin.

I turn to the epistle to the Romans. In Romans we have the teaching of both the passover and the Red Sea. In chapter 3, we read, “But now without law righteousness of God is manifested, borne witness to by the law and the prophets; righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ towards all, and upon all those who believe—for there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth a mercy-seat, through faith in his blood, for the shewing forth of his righteousness, in respect of the passing by the sins that had taken place before, through the forbearance of God; for the shewing forth of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just, and justify him that is of the faith of Jesus” (Romans 3: 21–26). Notice the expression, “the passing by the sins”. No doubt that is a reference to the sins of those who had faith in God before the coming of Christ. It is like the passover when those who had the blood on the lintel and door-posts were passed over by the destroying angel. You will notice that a different expression is used in relation to the present

time as we read “that he should be just, and justify him that is of the faith of Jesus”. It is not now a matter of “passing by” sins nor is it the forgiveness of sins, but it is justification which is more than forgiveness of sins. Not only is it that my sins are forgiven, blessed as that is, but being justified means that no charge can be brought against me and I am righteous before a holy God. This is the only way that one can be with God, for God is righteous and just and those with Him must be in accord with Him. Justification in Romans 3 is in regard to our sins and our standing in righteousness before God and it is ours “through faith in his blood”.

Typically this would link up with the passover.

In Romans 6 we have what would correspond to the Red Sea. “We have been buried therefore with him by baptism unto death, in order that, even as Christ has been raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we are become identified with him in the likeness of his death, so also we shall be of his resurrection” (Romans 6: 4, 5). “For he that has died is justified from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ having been raised up from among the dead dies no more—death has dominion over him no more. For in that he has died, he has died to sin once for all; but in that he lives, he lives to God. So also ye, reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6: 7–11). This does not have to do with sins, but with life, as seen in the expression at the end of verse 4,

“walk in newness of life”. When the children of Israel were in Egypt they were living a life of bondage, a very unhappy life, without liberty. When they went out through the Red Sea they were delivered from that kind of life. The salvation which God offers, which is unto all, is not only that I might be a forgiven person; not only that I might be justified before God; but that I might live in newness of life. This is the kind of life of which the world knows nothing. Sin here is the life of this world which we no longer serve. The very character

of the life of man in this world apart from God is sin. One might reply that not everyone is immoral or violent. True, but sin is not only immorality or violence; sin is lawlessness. Sin is living my life the way I want to live without reference to the will of God. This is basically the philosophy of life in this world. It may be that some have good human motives and desires so as to be acceptable in this world, but if they are not living to God, they are serving sin. Notice what the scriptures say that we are to be dead to sin and alive to God. This means that the believer no longer responds to the life of this world. When a person is dead, he does not respond to anything. One can shout; one can punch; one can do anything; yet there is no response. Being dead to sin is part of the “great salvation” which delivers us from the life of this world. We do not respond to that kind of life.

One might think that this is an exhortation to Christians, but I think it is a part of the gospel.

When one responds to the gospel, by faith in Christ, he is delivered from a useless and fruitless life in this world. It is very sad that one would live his whole life as totally useless for God and in the end worthless. What is that kind of life? James says it is like a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing. Who wants a life like that! This newness of life is entirely different. It is alive to God; it has meaning; it has substance and reality; and it is eternal. This great salvation not only shelters from judgment by the blood of Christ, as in the passover, but it is salvation out of bondage as passing through the Red Sea. The Red Sea was the way out of a terrible life and this is what the gospel declares. It is sad that there are those who do not find the gospel appealing because they have not come to see that to be

“alive” to this world, and “dead” to God is a fruitless life. Regardless of what one may have in this world as to material things, position and pleasant circumstances, it is all vanity without being “alive to God”.

The word in the gospel is that there is a way out of a life of bondage which is through the Red Sea. The passover, which preceded the passage through the Red Sea, takes you out from under judgment, while the Red Sea takes you out of a life of bondage to sin. In Romans we have both the passover and the Red Sea. Romans does not take you off the earth, but it exempts you from judgment and takes you out of the world where man lives morally. Bodily, one is still here in the world, but he is delivered entirely from the world morally. The children of Israel went through the Red Sea, but they did not enter the land of Canaan at that time.

They came into the wilderness. They were out of Egypt and in the wilderness. We go through the Red Sea, as did the children of Israel, so the world for us no longer has the Egypt character, but it has a wilderness character. This is what we have in Romans. We are delivered from the Egyptian world of bondage and the world becomes a wilderness. This is not a life of bondage as they had in Egypt, but they are not yet in the land.

The crossing of the Red Sea did not bring them into the land and this is the reason I read of the crossing of Jordan in Joshua. The Red Sea is the way out of Egypt, but the Jordan is the way into the land. When you come to Jordan it is not now deliverance from the bondage of sin but it is the opening up of something to enter into. The crossing of the Jordan does not bring you into the fulness that God has for you, but it is the way into it. You cannot get into the land without going through Jordan, just as you could not get out of Egypt without going through the Red Sea. The Red Sea is the death and resurrection of Christ which delivers us from this present evil world; but Jordan is the death and resurrection of Christ which opens up to us an entirely new world, and a new life in a new sphere.

Colossians answers to this crossing of Jordan and I turn to chapter 2 of the epistle, “buried with him in baptism, in which ye have been also raised with him

through faith of the working of God who raised him from among the dead. And you, being dead in offences and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has quickened together with him, having forgiven us all the offences” (Colossians 2: 12, 13). Then in verse 20, “If ye have died with Christ from the elements of the world, why as if alive in the world do ye subject yourselves to ordinances?” What a remarkable statement, “as if alive in the world”. Yes, we are indeed alive in the body, but our life is not in the world. This world is not the sphere in which our life is found. Our life is hid with Christ in God. We read in chapter 3, “If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ”. I would say a word on this word, “if”. This is not an “if”

of doubt. This is an “if” with a consequence. Sometimes the word “if” is used when something is in doubt, but it is also used when there is a contingency. For instance one might ask, ‘Am I to do this?’, and one replies, ‘Yes, if that is your job’. This is not necessarily raising a question whether it is one’s job or not, but your doing the thing is contingent upon it being your job. So “If therefore you have been raised with the Christ” is the fact and “seek the things which are above, where the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God—have your mind on the things that are above”, is the consequence.

Now, as I have said, the crossing of the Jordan gives entrance to another world. It is not the thought of being located in it which is Ephesians. Being in the land is what we have in the end of Joshua when God said that he gave them a land which they did not earn and as being brought into the land they have the fruit of it; this is Ephesians. In Colossians it is not the position in the heavenlies, but “things that are above” are opened up. I am impressed by the way the apostle puts it as he says, “seek the things which are above ... have your mind on the things that are above”. He does not say to seek the things that are heavenly, nor does he say to have your mind on what is heavenly, but the things that are “above”. The thought is of moral elevation, not position. In Ephesians we have the position as seated in the heavenlies in Christ. That is being in the land, whereas here you have crossed the Red Sea so that you have found a way out of Egypt and in the crossing of the Jordan you have found a way to enter into a sphere which is unknown to man and morally elevated above him—“the things which are above”.

We are in the world as being in the body, so that we are not out of the world in that sense, but our life is not here. We have things we must do as being bodily in this world, but it is not a matter of being here in the world, but of what, one is “seeking” and what his mind is set on.

You can be seeking the things that are above and have your mind set on things above while doing earthly duties. It is not a question here as to doing, but what is one seeking? Man without Christ, without salvation, obtains an education and training seeking to establish himself in pleasant circumstances in this world which is really a life of emptiness and folly. I would not say that one should not seek to provide for himself in his living conditions, but is that what one is seeking? Is that his life? If so he will find no real satisfaction at the present time and grave disappointment in the end for, to such, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. You might through education, training and diligence do well at your job or in your business, but the point is, what are you seeking and what is your mind set on? I am not speaking only about thoughts in the mind, but that on which one is focused. It is sad for one to have his whole focus on this world and life in it as it passes away as a vapour as James speaks of it. The good news of the gospel is that we do not have to seek things down here. We no longer have the passing things of life in this world as our objective. Things that are above, elevated things, have been opened up to us to seek and have our minds set on. They are things that are satisfying and will not pass away, greater things than anything which one might seek in this world. This is part of that great salvation offered in the gospel. One does not have to live a pointless and fruitless life seeking things of this world which are

without real value. One might continue in such a life in unbelief, but the glad tidings not only tells of a way out of such a life, but tells of the opening up of wonderful things above, which is typified in the crossing of the Jordan.

Now I turn to Ephesians. In the last chapter of Joshua, when Moses was recounting the goodness of God in what He had wrought, he went all the way back to Abraham, because the blessing they were enjoying, as having been brought out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the promised land, was the sovereign work of God. So in Ephesians we read,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ; according as he has chosen us in him before the world’s foundation ... having marked us out beforehand for adoption ... according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1: 3–5). That we are now in the land is a part of this great salvation. In the beginning of chapter 2, we read, “and you, being dead in your offences and sins”, and in verses 5 and 6, “(we too being dead in offences,) has quickened us with the Christ, (ye are saved by grace,) and has raised us up together, and has made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”. This takes us beyond Colossians. Colossians is the passage of Jordan which opens up to us a new life in a new sphere, but in Ephesians we are brought into a new place; in the heavenlies in Christ. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ and are seated in the heavenlies in Him.

This is typified in what we read in Joshua 24 as it was said to the people that they had been brought into a land which they did not earn and they ate of a vintage which they did not plant.

They had the enjoyment of the land which God gave them by His sovereign grace as it is said of us, “for by grace are ye saved through faith”. That verse is sometimes quoted as if it were limited to the thought of the believer being saved from eternal judgment but it is more than that. It is the grace of God which brings us into the land flowing with milk and honey as we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ and have our place in the heavenlies in Christ. So we, as did the children of Israel, have a land for which we did not labour and enjoy vineyards which we did not plant. This land and its fruits are all God’s provision for the believer. This is the great salvation which belongs to every believer. It is not only that we have found a way out of judgment, and a way out of this world which is under judgment, as in Romans; and that we have found a way into a new life and sphere, as in Colossians; but we have been brought into the land of promise, the heavenlies, as in Ephesians. This great salvation has been secured through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for every one who believes. This great salvation is offered to all as the gospel is “towards all” for the Lord Jesus has given Himself a ransom for all. How wonderful that this great salvation is available by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and is for every believer to know and enter into and enjoy at the present time. May the Lord bless the word.

Preaching at Denton
26 January 1997