We read in Acts 2:47, “every day the Lord was adding to their number those being saved.” (TLV)
As we study the latter part of Acts 2:47 we take special note of the fact “that every day the Lord was adding to their numbers those being saved.” Firstly it was the Lord Himself who adding the people to the church, and secondly they were being added every single day, and not just once in a while.
As we look closely at the way the early church functioned we will then understand the reason why they were a strong church. Only if we can comprehend this fully, can we also become a strong church that the Lord desires for us to be. The church is God ordained, and if it is the Lord who brings people in, He does so for a reason. If the Lord was daily bringing into the fold those who were being saved the question we need to ask is, ‘What is salvation or what does it mean to be saved?’
Many people including those who have been part of the church for many years are still not sure if they are saved. The word of the Lord is uncompromising on the fact that only a person who is saved can enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is therefore imperative that everyone needs to have the assurance that they are saved for sure.
We will look into the Parable of the Good Samaritan as recorded in Luke 10 and see the allegory we can draw from the same, and see how the Lord worked out His divine plan of Salvation for us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Below is the question that was raised to Jesus by a man who was an expert in the law.
We read in Luke 10:25, “Then an expert in Moses’ Teachings stood up to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”(GW)
If we read the passage carefully we see that the expert in the law asked Jesus two questions. The first question was, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” and the second one was “who are my neighbors?” It was in connection with this man’s questions that Jesus narrated this parable. Many are of the opinion that this parable was an answer to his second question, but if we read closely, we see that Jesus was answering the previous, and more important question of the man namely ”What must I do to inherit eternal life?” In simple words he was asking Jesus how he could be saved, and get to heaven.
Luke 10:30 reads, “ And Jesus, answering him, said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he got into the hands of thieves, who took his clothing and gave him cruel blows, and when they went away, he was half dead.” (BBE)
Let’s look at this parable in detail. A certain man was travelling from Jerusalem (represents a city of peace) to Jericho (represents a city of peril, with no walls). In a way this man who was in a place of peace (Jerusalem) was journeying to a place of danger (Jericho), and this he is doing of his own accord, and not on compulsion from anyone.
The man is probably a representation of Adam. In the Garden of Eden, Adam was enjoying himself - he had everything he could ask for - God’s peace, His presence and the absence of fear. Everything changed when Adam and Eve decided to disobey the Lord and listened to Satan’s lies, and thereby fell into the trap he set for them. The consequence that Adam and Eve had to face was an eternal one. They were chased out of the presence of God, and were now in their fallen state, exposed to every form of sin and danger.
One of the reasons many people are going astray is they are being ensnared by the cunning and craftiness of Satan and decide to do as he prompts, not aware of the aftermath of their choices.
When this man decided to move away from Jerusalem, which was a place of peace to Jericho, a place of peril what happened was inevitable. He fell into the hands of thieves who stripped him, beat him up, and left him half dead. The man made a wrong decision, and was now in a place of danger and deep trouble.
The thieves are a representation of Satan. The only aim of Satan is to kill, steal and destroy. He tricks people into his schemes, and then leaves them in a deplorable condition. Let us never think for a moment that we will receive anything good from following Satan’s plans.
If we find ourselves in a situation where our peace is removed, or in a place of unforeseen danger and desperation where we are unable to pray or worship the Lord we must remember that this is not from the Lord, but most certainly the work of Satan.
That’s the reason we need to seek the Lord’s guidance and counsel for every decision we make. For example a person in a job, who is facing some small issues there, may decide to move to another job, only to find it is far worse or someone thinks that the person they married is not suitable, and so looks for another spouse only to realize they made a bigger mistake. Many of the decisions we take are predominantly based on our senses (what we see and hear) and our emotions. We need to constantly remind ourselves that every decision we take has a consequence.
For instance many people while choosing their marriage partners only look on outward things like age, appearance, education, family background etc., and never bother to seek the Lord. When the marriage gets into trouble then they run to God. Let’s decide to pray about everything, wait for the Lord’s word, and then do what He says. When we pray and wait the Lord will reveal His will, and then we will surely make the right decision, which will always be for our good.
Man in his fallen state
The man who fell into the hands of robbers was in a very pitiful and distressing condition. He was in a state wherein, if no one came to help him he would have probably died.
The situation of the man was the exact condition of all mankind after the fall. Man, who was made to enjoy himself, and live in the presence of God, was now in a place of sin, suffering and hardship simply because he chose to listen to the lies of Satan, and disobey God. Satan always tempts us with temporary pleasures that bring about permanent damage. For instance a person is lured into the habit of smoking or drinking which later becomes an addiction. Eventually they end up with damaged lungs or kidneys.
The first thing the thieves did was they stripped the man of his clothes.
The robe refers to the righteousness that the Lord gives. The privilege to have a right standing before God, and this was removed. It was sin that separated man from God, and made him relinquish the beautiful union that Adam enjoyed with God in the Garden of Eden. Many people have brought themselves to this place where they are not only filled with a deep sense of guilt about their sins, but are also in doubt if the Lord will even listen to their prayers and cries for help, because they are filled with the guilt of sin.
The Law could not save fallen man
We read in Luke 10:31, “And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he went by on the other side.”(BBE)
A priest who passes by saw the man wounded and bleeding, but he quickly turned aside and passed by.
The priest in the Bible is a symbolism to the Law. There were a total of 613 laws in the Old Testament, but none of which could save man from sin. For example, when the Law commanded, “do not commit adultery” in the Old Testament, only a person who was actually caught in the act was punished. However, when Jesus explains it in the New Testament He said, ‘if a man looks at a woman lustfully he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’
There was also the law that commands that one should honor their father and mother. Over a period of time this law was twisted so that instead of one taking the responsibility to help their parents they thought they could give a gift (corban) to God, and in this way be freed of their obligation toward their parents. Instead of upholding the law they were trying to find a way around it, and so be freed from its commitment.
Many people are also hung up about which day of the week Sabbath needs to be upheld, but conveniently ignore all other rules and regulations that went along with keeping the Sabbath in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the people labored the whole week and then they had to observe the Sabbath to rest and worship the Lord. In the New Testament however, we observe the Sabbath to celebrate and remember that the Lord fulfilled all the requirements of the law, and by taking all our sins and curses on the cross he has won the victory for us.
Repeatedly in the New Testament we read how the people gathered together on the first day of the week. When Paul went and reasoned with people on the Sabbath day, it was only to help them understand the message of the Gospel, and remove the people’s blindness. One of the reasons the religious leaders were very angry, and wanted Jesus crucified was because he healed and delivered people on the Sabbath. We as believers, can worship the Lord every single day of the week.
A lot of people are still made to believe that they need to fulfil certain rituals and traditions to be accepted by the Lord. Let’s be certain that the outward keeping of the law can save no one. The Bible says those who follow the Law do so by the letter only. We on the other hand need to follow the Spirit of the Law because it clearly says ‘the letter kills but the Spirit gives life’. The Law only condemns, but it is only God’s grace that lifts us up.
Sacrifices could not save fallen man
We read in Luke 10:32, “And in the same way, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, went by on the other side.” (BBE)
The next person to pass by and not help the wounded man was a Levite. The Levite symbolizes the sacrifices that were offered.
The main purpose of the Levites was to offer various sacrifices. The Old Testament is replete with requirements for numerous sacrifices, and none of them could save anyone. The greatest and only sacrifice that could really atone all of our sins was the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. If we can only comprehend the true meaning of this supreme sacrifice, we will be filled with love for the Lord and worship Him with all our heart.
Jesus alone can save
We read in Luke 10:33, “But a certain man of Samaria, journeying that way, came where he was, and when he saw him, he was moved with pity for him,” (BBE)
The next person passing by the wounded man was the Samaritan. He was truly moved with compassion when he saw the condition of the wounded man. We must note that the Jews and Samaritans never mingled with each other, and yet the man reached out to the wounded Jewish man.
If we think about it the Samaritan in a way symbolizes Jesus. A holy God can never associate with sinful humans, and yet the Lord Jesus came down willingly to save and redeem a lost and sinful mankind, only because of a heart overflowing with love and compassion for us.
Romans 5:6 says, “For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose.” (GNB)
While we were in a desperate and despicable condition with no hope, the Lord came and chose to die for us on the cross.
In Philippians 2:7, we read, “Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!” (MSG)
Jesus emptied himself, took a form of a slave, became a human and came down from heaven itself only to save sinful man. If we could only fathom the depth of God’s love for us in sending Jesus down to the earth, it will transform us to worship the Lord, praise Him and thank Him with our whole heart the whole time.
Let us see what the Samaritan did Luke 10:34, “And coming near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And putting him on his own animal, he brought him to an inn and cared for him.”(LITV)
The Good Samaritan comes to the wounded man, and pours oil and wine on his wounds and binds them. He not only did that, but also laid him on his donkey and took him to the inn and cared for him.
The oil represents the Holy Spirit to heal a man in his spirit, and the wine the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to heal the man in his body. The inn is a representation of the Church.
Salvation therefore can be explained this way. When man was in a sinful, desperate and helpless condition, in his fallen state nothing could save him. Not the law or any form of sacrifices. A man who is not saved is only doomed for hell where the Bible says the fire is never quenched. The pain and agony will be so real, but death will evade those there even though they desire it.
Salvation is the Lord Jesus saving mankind from this eternal destruction. That’s what the Lord Jesus did for us in reality. He came down to the earth shed his precious blood (Symbolized by the wine) for our sins, redeemed us from damnation to hell, and places us in the church (Symbolized by the inn). He gives us His blessed Holy Spirit (Symbolized by the oil) to live this life on earth.
Just like there would have been all sorts of people in an Inn so also we have all kinds of people who are part of the church. People in the church are with various needs, and are at varying levels in their walk with the Lord. The purpose of the church is to welcome, accommodate and help all these people be saved, grow in the fullness of the Lord, and be prepared to enter into the Kingdom of heaven. This is an important reason why we should not neglect the coming together to church for fellowship. We need the fellowship of other believers to grow and be totally healed and reach the fullness of life that the Lord intends for us.
Salvation brings man back to that pristine state in his body, soul and spirit that the Lord intended for us to be in and enjoy the place that He actually intended for Adam and Eve when God first created them.
The Priest and the Levite noticed the wounded man, but walked away. Only the Samaritan chose to come near and help the wounded man. It was up to the wounded man to accept the help that was offered. If he refused the help even the Samaritan could not have assisted him.
The offer for Salvation too is like that. The Lord comes close to us, and offers this gift of salvation to each one of us. It is up to us to accept it or reject it. The Lord will never force this on anyone.
There’s an illustration of a man who knew very little swimming who started to drown at sea. A man on the shore who was a good swimmer was summoned, and asked to go in and help him. He waited for a long time until he saw the drowning man almost helpless, and only then he ventured in, saved him and brought him out. Later, his friends asked him why he had to waste so much time to save the drowning man and he replied, ‘I had to wait for him to come to the point of helplessness, and only then I could help him. If not he would have pulled me in and I would have drowned along with him.’
All of us must come to that point of total helplessness and realization that we need the Lord to save us, and only then the Lord can intervene. We ought to let the Lord bind all our wounds and heal us of all the sins that still enslave us. We need to have the assurance of Salvation that Jesus offers. It is also important for us to be in the church, in fellowship of believers and grow in the fullness of the life that Jesus offers by praying, hearing the word and living in obedience to God’s word.
For the man who is saved and has the assurance of Salvation that Jesus offers, the physical death he will face is not death, because the moment he breathes his last on earth, he will be found in the Lord’s presence, but for the one who is not saved he not only faces death on earth, but eternal death (separation from God) in hell. May the Lord help us to be filled with the assurance of this salvation that He so graciously offers us, so we can enjoy the bountiful life He promised right here on earth which goes on into eternity.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
