"As it is written: 'There is no one who is righteous, not even one.'" (Romans 3:10)
"Everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence." (Romans 3:23)
The exodus of the Old Testament is a historical event that begins from the Israelites freedom from slavery in Egypt to the promised land.
Salvation of the New Testament is a historical event that begins from the freedom out of the slave market of sin to the kingdom of God.
Exodus is the Israelite journey and salvation is the Christian journey. After Israel's exodus, salvation was prepared for the world to free it from greater slavery.
The exodus timeline consists of three stages:
Stage I. Redemption
Stage II. Righteousness
Stage III. Worship
After God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He simply did not 'teleport' them to the promised land. As a matter of fact, each of them had to go on foot in the wilderness to the destination.
Along the way, God gave them the moral law to follow, so that they would live in righteousness. Because only the righteous can come to worship God.
"When you bring the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain." (Exodus 3:12b)
"Who may go up the LORD's mountain? Who may stand in His holy place? Only those who do right for the right reasons, and don't worship idols or tell lies under oath." (Psalms 24:3-4)
The stages of this sequence can't be violated.
You must be redeemed first in order to be righteous in Gods sight. Unless you are righteous, you can't worship God.
Each stage of the exodus applies to the stages of salvation's timeline:
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6)
Stage I. Way
Stage II. Truth
Stage III. Life
Atonement for the sins of the world was offered by Christ on Calvary.
Only those who believe in Him and accept His atonement will be redeemed from the slave market of sin.
Without atonement, there could be no redemption. Atonement is the only way to be redeemed from the slave market of sin.
Thats the 'way', the path, or 'the wilderness' to the destination.
"Moses and his law are the truth." (A Jewish saying)
Along the way, Jesus gave the redeemed His truth, His laws:
Law I: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
Law II: "Love others as much as you love yourself."
"No other commandment is more important than these two." (Mark 12:31)
"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." (Romans 2:13)
Until you're redeemed, you can't be righteous.
Until you're righteous, you won't see life.
"And they (the unrighteous) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)
"But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home." (2 Peter 3:13)
The exodus and salvation are 'pilgrimages':
Egypt  -------> Wilderness -----> Canaan
Old life  ------> Christian Life  ---> Kingdom of God
Redemption  --> Righteousness  --> Worship
In salvation, God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit play Their own role:
#1. God the Father provided His love and initiated salvation by giving His begotten Son to the world (John 3:16)
#2. The Son came to the world:
A. To offer atonement
B. To promise eternal life
Christ died for all. The atonement for sin on Calvary was universal, final, one and done.
However, only those who has faith in Him will be redeemed from the slave market of sin.
They are no longer on one-way ride to eternal death, but are now on the way to eternal life.
"We know that we have crossed over from death to life..." (1 John 3:14)
They are no longer slaves to sin but God and in His righteousness.
"Now you are free from your slavery to sin and you have become slaves who do what God approves of." (Romans 6:18)
"But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved." (Matthew 24:13)
"He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever." (Romans 2:7)
#3. The Holy Spirit was sent to continue where Jesus left off.
"Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you." (John 14:16)
"The Helper whom I will send to you from the Father will come. This Helper, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, will declare the truth about Me." (John 15:26)
"The Spirit will come and convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment." (John 16:8)
"The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on His own. He will tell you only what He has heard from Me, and He will let you know what is going to happen." (John 16:13)
There could be no redemption without the atonement. But if redemption is not appropriated, the atonement still remains.
The work of atonement was the act of one person, but redemption involves several agencies. Christ, by suffering the death of the cross, made the atonement.
In effecting redemption, the subject works, the teacher works in presenting God's truth, the Holy Spirit works and applies the Gospel with power to the heart.
By this threefold agency, redemption is effected.
The atonement came without the world's request.
Redemption never comes without the earnest seeking of the individual.
The atonement was an event that took place 'once and for all' at one period, on Calvary, two thousand years ago.
Redemption is constantly taking place in all parts of the world, and in all periods of human history.
