Salvation is that vast, indescribably glorious thing accomplished by the Son of God as the sinners' Substitute. It is the deliverance of our souls from all our enemies, from sin, death, hell, and the grave. Yet, it is much, much more. Salvation is the destruction of all our enemies and his by his own omnipotent arm. Still, there is more. Salvation is deliverance from all sin and all the consequences of sin by Christ; and it is the deliverance of our souls into the full, perfect, "glorious liberty of the sons of God" by his sovereign grace. Salvation includes all that God has done for us, all that he is doing in us, and all that he shall do with us in Christ by his almighty grace. When our Lord Jesus Christ entered into heaven with his own blood, he obtained eternal salvation for us" (Heb. 9:12). He obtained, by the merit and virtue of his precious blood all that is involved in the deliverance of our souls into his heavenly kingdom in perfect righteousness.

This salvation is God's work alone. It was planned and purposed by God the Father. It has been purchased and obtained by God the Son. It is effectually executed and applied to the hearts of chosen sinners by God the Holy Spirit. It does not, in any measure or to any degree, depend upon us. It is not, in any measure or to any degree determined by us. "Salvation is of the LORD!" While all three Persons in the Holy Trinity are united in the affair of salvation, be sure you understand this - The Triune God devised a plan and purposed a method of salvation that was designed to give all the glory, honor, and pre-eminence to the God-man Mediator, our most glorious Lord Jesus Christ. It is the purpose of the Triune God "that in all things Christ should have the pre-eminence" (See Psa. 25:1).

The burden and responsibility of the work of salvation was laid upon the back of our Savior. He agreed to it as our Surety in the covenant of grace. The Father trusted him as our Representative to accomplish it. The Holy Spirit prepared a body for him in the womb of the virgin in the incarnation in which to perform it. When he came into the world, just as he had done before the world began, our great, glorious Savior avowed that he would "save is people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21; Psa. 40:6-8; Heb. 10:5-7, 10). Either he did what he came to do, or he was a fake, a charlatan, an impostor. There is no middle ground. This is the teaching of Holy Scripture: Jesus Christ is Salvation! He has saved all his people from all their sins!

Like John the Baptist, every true messenger of God is sent to give knowledge of salvation accomplished by Christ. In preaching the gospel, we are not offering good advice, but proclaiming good news. To preach the gospel is to declare that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished the salvation of his people. By his obedience and death as our Substitute, the Son of God satisfied the justice of God for the sins of his people. He has, "magnified the law and made it honorable." Salvation is not something yet to be done, but something already done by Christ. It is yet to be experienced and known by some for whom it was done; but it is already done. Peter tells us that it is yet to be revealed to us all; but it is already done (Gal. 3:13; Col. 2:13-15; Heb 1:3; 10:11-14). The incarnate God, our Savior, has recovered for his people all that we lost, all that we justly forfeited by the sin and fall of our father Adam. He has obtained for us, by his own mighty arm alone, that glorious inheritance to which we were predestinated from eternity. He has done so equally and fully for everyone of his people. Not only has he redeemed us from the curse of the law, he has robed us with perfect righteousness. Not only has he redeemed us and robed us, he has been received up into glory for us. Yonder, he sits possessing and holding for his redeemed ones, holding by legal right, all the glory of heaven itself in the perfection of that glorious righteousness and holiness to which we were chosen from eternity. This salvation holds within its embrace eternal life here and eternal glory hereafter. It includes all the fullness of grace here and all he fullness of glory hereafter forever. Salvation is the perfect, full, complete restoration of sinners to God in holiness, happiness, and blessedness forever, by Christ alone (1 Pet. 1:3-9). So complete, so thorough is his salvation that God sees no sin in Jacob and no perverseness in Israel (Num. 23:21). He sees no sin in us because Christ has put away our sins (1 John 3:5; Jer. 50:20). Our Redeemer's name is Jehovah-tsidkenu, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS; and we are the righteousness of God in him (Jer. 23:6; 33:16). This glorious salvation is, in all its fullness and entirety, the present and everlasting possession of every believer. This salvation is the present possession of every sinner who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ. With him, because we are in him, we have it in full possession presently! The weakest, most insignificant believer lacks nothing. All that Christ did and experienced, he did and experienced as our Representative and Substitute before God. Because he did it as our Surety and Substitute, we did it in him. It is as though we did it personally. Christ did not obey the law for himself. He obeyed it for us; and we obeyed it in him. He did not die for his own sins (He had no sin!), but for our sins; and we died in him. He did not rise from the dead for himself, but for us; and we rose in him. He did not enter into heaven and take possession of it for himself, but for us; and we ascended into heaven and took possession of it in him (Eph. 2:6; Heb. 6:20.)

Zacharias, speaking by the Spirit of God, tells us that it is the work and business of gospel preachers "to give knowledge of salvation" to God's elect. Gospel preaching is designed and intended to be the means by which God's salvation is published and made known. Here is the importance of gospel preaching: There is no other way by which God's salvation is made known to men. Someone asked recently, "Do you mean to say that God cannot or will not use his own inspired Word alone to give knowledge of salvation to his elect; but that the only way a sinner can obtain faith is through the preaching of the gospel by uninspired men?" Certainly, I would never say such a thing. However, the Word of God does say exactly that (Rom. 1:16-17; 10:17; 1 Cor. 1:21; Tit. 1:3; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23-25). Evangelism cannot be accomplished by flying over Africa and throwing out copies of the gospel of John, or by smuggling Bibles into heathen countries. The Ethiopian eunuch was as sincere as a lost religious man can be. He went to Jerusalem to keep the required feasts of the Jews, and read the Scriptures with great care. Yet, he could not understand the message of God's inspired Word until some man was sent of God to explain it to him (by uninspired words) in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:31). He could never obtain faith in Christ apart from the preaching of the gospel, either orally or in writing. Not only is the preaching of the gospel necessary to obtaining faith, it is necessary to the believer's growth in grace, and faith, and the knowledge of the Lord (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Tim. 4:12-16). God did not establish his church in this world for nothing. He did not give his preachers to men for no reason. If you could get along just as well without them, they would not be here. Sheep need each other (local churches); and they need shepherds, too. The only time you see sheep alone and without a shepherd is when they are in serious trouble. Zacharias also spoke of a specific people to whom God's salvation is made known by the preaching of the gospel. God has sent his gospel preachers into this world, preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified, "To give knowledge of salvation unto his people." There is a people in this world, scattered among the fallen sons of Adam, a people scattered abroad by God's providence into every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue, whom the Lord calls, "His People." They are the people of his choice, the people of his covenant. Christ came to redeem and save "His People." Everything God does, he does for "His People." If you and I are numbered among God's saints, it is because "It pleased the LORD to make you His People." The Lord God is long-suffering toward us, "His People," because he is not willing that any of "His People" should perish, but that all should come to repentance and knowledge of the truth. In the fulness of time, he will make his salvation known to every one of "His People" by the preaching of his gospel. We preach the message to all who will hear us; but our message is for and shall be heard by "His People."

God sends his servants out preaching the gospel to every creature - "To give KNOWLEDGE of salvation unto his people BY THE REMISSION OF THEIR SINS." Much more could and should be said about this part of Zacharias' statement than I will be able to get said in this brief space. Perhaps the Lord will allow me to come back to it another day. For now, let me show you just two things taught here by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit here declares that God's salvation is something that his people are caused to know in this world. I know that there are many who struggle with assurance. No doubt, some who will read these lines do. There are some who will tell you that it is not possible for us to know in this world whether or not we are "his people." I would do nothing to discourage our weaker brethren; but I do want you to understand that the Word of God speaks about a salvation that God himself makes known to his people through the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 5:8-11; 2 Tim. 1:12; 1 John 5:11-13). If you are struggling with this matter of assurance, if you do not know whether or not you are saved, the problem is one of two things: either you are not saved, or you are looking in the wrong place for assurance. Assurance is not found in ourselves, but in Christ. My assurance before God is not based upon what I think, feel, know, or do. It is not even based upon what I have experienced. My assurance is my Savior! How could we ever be his witnesses, if we cannot determine whether we even know him? Peter speaks of us looking with confidence and hope for the coming day of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:12). But how could any mortal, sinful man anxiously await that great and terrible day of judgment, if he does not know that God's salvation is his? Paul describes Christ's coming as being a matter of blessed hope (Tit. 2:13). But how can it be called a blessed hope by a people who do not have an assured hope before God? This knowledge of salvation accomplished by Christ is imparted to chosen, redeemed sinners by the supernatural work of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration and conversion "BY THE REMISSION OF THEIR SINS." The remission of sins is the release or dismissal from sins. When a sinner is born again, God the Holy Spirit convinces him of sin (his own), of righteousness (Christ's), and of judgment (God's judgment of sin in Christ). He gives the regenerate sinner faith in Christ. He also sprinkles, or applies, the blood of Christ to his heart and conscience. Thus he speaks in the heart, in the conscience, forgiveness, and remits or dismisses the ransomed sinner from sin (Heb. 9:11-14). This knowledge of salvation by the remission of our sins should be in every believing heart a fixed, unwavering, assured fact of life in Christ. Indeed, just to the degree that we trust Christ alone, having no confidence in the flesh, it is an assured fact. We have it (Eph. 1:7); and we live upon it, just as a man lives upon a piece of property that he rightfully owns. Thus it is written, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee" (Isa. 26:3).