Stage Two

    Tecond stage of salvation is Jesus'faithfulness to the father's will-a faithfulness until death.In Romans:512,we read,"therefore,just as sin came into the world through man and death spread to all because all haved sinned."This passage shows why we need salvation-because Adam,the first man,though he was human,tried to be like God.While Adam might be considered a "son of God" insofar as he owes his existence to God.He didn't humble accept his status as a creature but tried to set a standard rather than abide by God's plan.He strected his hand out to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.His disobedience brought death to himself and to he human race.

    Jesus Christon the other hand is THE Son of God.He is God in the flesh.Yet Pauls tells us that Jesus.Though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited but emited himself talking the form of a slave being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on the cross" (Philippians 2:6-8)

    JJesus the Son of God,humbles himself by sharing our humanity and stretches his arms out on the tree of the cross.In so doing,he reconciles the world to the father through this expression of unconditional love.The father looks upon his Son and says,"that's what I want the human race to be like.That's how i want humanity to respond to me:with loving obedience."even as Jesus was called to follow the will of his Father for the sake of our salvation,so are we,in working out our salvation,called to emulate that faithful obedience to God's plan.