James wrote, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26). Man, it seems, has always known that there is a part of man that lives beyond the grave. We refer to that immortal part of man as the spirit or soul. The soul part of man is that with which we are primarily concerned. Although reunited with the body in the resurrection, it is the soul of man that will hear God and come forth from the grave. As Jesus pointed out, "the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29).

God laid down His principle of divine justice, with reference to the transgression of His law and the Judgment, in Ezekiel 18. He stated, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (verse 20). In Romans (chapters 1-3), Paul points out that mankind (i.e. both Jews and Gentiles) has "sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Scheme of Redemption, then, is the process by which God the Creator has established to redeem or save our souls from the rightful sentence of eternal damnation with the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

Christianity, or the Gospel, as revealed in the New Testament is the scheme or plan by which God has determined man can redeem his soul. This is what "salvation" or being saved is all about. It is that process by which an individual becomes a Christian, a Believer, a Disciple, a child of God, or a citizen in His kingdom. Paul expressed it this way, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" (Colossians 1:12-14).

The need for the redemption of our souls is based on the Judgment Day of Jehovah. Paul made this clear when addressing an unbelieving audience in Athens (Acts 17). After condemning idolatry (verses 28-29), he stated that the times of ignorance (of God and His will) was once "winked at" or overlooked (ASV) by God, but now He "commandeth all men every where to repent:" (verse 30). The necessity of repentance is because God "hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness" (verse 31). The assurance of the Judgment Day is based on the resurrection of Christ (ibid). It should be no wonder that those who have lost faith in the Bible as God's revealed will and the resurrection of His son, no longer feel the weight of sin and fear of the Judgment.

Dale I. Royal, Elk City OK