10. The New Testament Teachings on Salvation

No one would willingly suffer such cruel persecutions unto death for a cause knowing full-well that they did not believe or knew it was based on falsehood. Someone would have confessed under pressure. However, the disciples and many eye-witnesses died under persecution because they told the truth to the very end. For they personally saw the miracles Jesus performed. Some were recipients of those miracles. They talked, walked, ate, touched Jesus after His resurrection, and then watched Him be taken up into the heavens. That is why they could not change their story even under the most severe punishment.

Also in the Gospel accounts found in Matthew chapter 17, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to the mountain where they witnessed His transfiguration. They saw two apparitions appear before Jesus. It was Moses, who represented the Law of God, and Elijah, who represented the prophets who spoke of the coming Messiah, Jesus. They spoke to Jesus about His death in order to save humanity. God’s voice was heard with a loud thunderous sound as He acknowledged Jesus as the Savior of the world. It was such a glorious and frightening experience for them.

God did all of this so that there could be no denying that Jesus and He are one and part of the Holy Trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). Then Jesus told them not to reveal what they witnessed until He is resurrected and returns to Heaven to be glorified by the Father.

Lastly, before Jesus was crucified, He also told His disciples that He would send them the Comforter (the Holy Spirit of God). He said, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate, the Spirit of Truth, to help you and be with you forever.”

Jesus told His disciples to wait in their usual location, the upper room, located in Peter’s house, and to pray for the Holy Spirit to come. The work of the Holy Spirit is to testify of God the Father and God the Son. By His coming, each believer who accepts Christ as their Lord and Savior, is confirmed and guaranteed eternal salvation. The Holy Spirit indwells and empowers believers to use their gifts to be a witness of Christ to the world. The Holy Spirit guides, grooms, and prepares believers for the return of Christ in His full glory to bring them to live eternally in the presence of God.

And this promise was fulfilled. After the ascension of Christ to sit at His rightful place on the Throne next to God, the Holy Spirit did appear to the disciples. The disciples were gathered in the upper room praying on one accord for the Holy Spirit. A miraculous sign like fiery tongues manifested over each of the disciples. It was a sign of the visitation of the Holy Spirit.

Additionally, the Holy Spirit caused them to speak in other languages they never spoke before when the fiery tongues appeared. They left the room and began to speak in different languages. The merchants who passed by from other countries understood them, but the locals thought that the disciples were drunk. However, Peter informed them they were not drunk, but filled with the Holy Spirit which Jesus had promised them. The merchants who did understand them were pleased that they could communicate with the disciples in their native language and were able to understand the Gospel preached to them.

Then there were others who believed in God, but not Jesus. They were the Jews who were the people of God’s initial promise. A righteous Pharisee named Saul was one of those Jewish leaders. He was highly educated and an eloquent speaker. Saul knew the Old Testament scriptures intimately. He believed he lived a life that pleased God. As a devout Jew, he also believed that the followers of Christ were blasphemers. So he personally received permission from the Sanhedrin leaders (the supreme council and tribunal of the Jewish leaders) to go out and search for the Christians and drag them to prison. Even Saul confessed to dragging some of the Christians to the point of death.

On his way to persecute Christians who fled to Damascus, Saul was blinded by a bright light that made him fall off his horse. Chapter 9 of the Book of Acts is Saul;s account of his experience and his confession after His conversion to Christianity. He described hearing a loud voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He was given divine revelation by Jesus who revealed that Saul was persecuting Him when he persecutes His Christian followers. Saul became undone at hearing that He displeased God in doing these things. Then Jesus changed his name to Paul and led him to the be used by the Spirit of God to save the gentile nations. 

Jesus anointed Paul and used his passion and great communication skills to preach the Gospel to the unbelieving Jews and to the Gentile nations. Jesus gave Paul instructions that changed the course of his life. Paul lived a life of pain and suffering to defend the name of Christ. There were so many miracles Paul witnessed and personally performed by the power of God, that he simply could not deny the truth that changed His life. Paul established churches and raised up an army for Christ with his dying breath. The apostle Paul recounts his story in Acts chapter 22.

Many individuals served in various capacities as they followed the teachings of Christ. By their demonstration of love towards others and establishing trust among the people, they gained opportunities to preach the Gospel.

These individuals of the New Testatament were fully committed to freeing people from demonic oppression, healing the sick, and providing words of hope, faith, and restoration. Throughout their lives, they preached the Good News of the Gospel of Christ and led countless individuals to salvation. This practice is at the core of Christianity, and it is a commandment from God to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and live in a manner that reflects His teachings, His righteousness, and Holiness on earth.

These stories of the Bible found in Old Testament before Jesus Christ coming to the world and to those who followed and believed in Jesus in the New Testament were written as evidence of what a life without and with the Holy Trinity of God looks like. It is God’s love story to humanity so that we can see the extent of His love for us. He willingly gave His life to save us, because there was no possible way for us to save ourselves. He desires for us to follow in His way so that He can fulfill the promise He made to save us, and to bring us to a healthy mental and spiritual state where we can live our lives according to His purpose for our lives here and beyond.