This post was originally from a Thread entitled, "Why did Jesus allow Noah to build the arc that saved him?" But, because it was off topic, I (Travis) eventually decided to move it, and many related posts to a new thread of it's own. This is that thread.
Grace to you,
Travis
When the Lord sent me out to preach the gospel on the streets of New Orleans 5 years ago, not long after I began walking closely with Him, I was compelled to understand our salvation because, as someone called to preach the gospel, I had better understand it fully.
So I have been diligently seeking His truth ever since and I have come to a pretty comprehensive understanding of how salvation works and I will try to succinctly share what the Lord has shown me here.
Many people in modern Christianity view salvation as a dot in their past, a moment of repentance, belief, and understanding that brings them into right standing with Father God by believing in the work of Jesus on the cross. This is only partially correct.
Salvation begins at that dot, and proceeds in a direct line towards and into eternity, as repentance isn't a one-time act, but an ongoing attitude of humility towards God and submission to Jesus' Lordship. In other words, salvation is a process, not a one-time occurrence in the believer's heart.
Salvation in the New Testament is referred to in past, present, and future tenses. This is because there are three stages to our salvation in Christ: Justification, sanctification, and glorification. Make no mistake, every aspect is still centered on Christ and His glory, as it is His power working in and through us to bring these stages to completion.
That being said, our salvation requires cooperation! Jesus is supremely humble, gentlemanly, He does not push His way into anyone's heart, but He will woo you and shepherd you into His flock. And, when you are in His flock, He will also chastise you like any good father would, to keep you in the flock.
The dot where our salvation begins always starts with Christ's atoning work on the cross. This is why Jesus is referred to as the Cornerstone. You don't build a beautiful temple without beginning with a cornerstone. The cornerstone, if cut properly, will assure the rest of the building will be straight and the walls will be plumb. Of course, Jesus as the cornerstone is perfect, praise God!
It is Christ who justifies us, nothing else can get us into right standing with the Father but what Jesus did. And once we believe, we are given, by His grace, full access to Father God in His throne room.
This "justification" is crucial to understand and stand firm on by faith as every believer requires this righteousness. Having that faith should give us peace, joy, and boldness to go to Father God no matter how badly we've messed up or stumbled.
Paul lays out the doctrine of justification, using a building as metaphor, in Christ alone as our chief cornerstone:
Ephesians 2
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands- 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,3 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
You will note that Paul also speaks of the "apostles and prophets" here because our Lord Jesus chose to partner with the apostles and prophets to bring forth the epistles of the New Testament in order to teach the church and explain in greater depth Jesus' teachings.
But the ideas are complex, and a great deal of revelatory understanding had to come forth and Jesus did this through the apostles/prophets writings so that we could understand better these stages of our salvation (justification, sanctification, glorification).
The second stage, sanctification, is the ongoing work in us to change us into the likeness of Christ. The old saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree has a lot of truth. Children grow up to be a lot like their parents. Father God wants sons and daughters, and sons and daughters should be like their Father.
This stage requires cooperation, as it is relational. How can one learn if they don't maintain a humble, repentant, workable attitude towards the One who teaches? This stage is what Jesus was talking about when He said "abide in Me." He used the metaphor of a plant growing because it's a perfect illustration. When we abide in Him, we will grow, mature, and bear fruit.
This is the stage that brings much tension to believers, but if we understood our salvation in Christ better we would not freak out. Remember, it is Christ who justifies. God doesn't expect you to be perfect once you are justified, He expects you to be workable. If we are humble and repentant He will change and transform us.
But how much fruit? Jesus said some would bear 30 fold, some 60 fold, and some 100 fold. Outside of this, however, the teachings all point to Father God's best for us.
Look, a teacher doesn't start a school-year by telling the kids, "You can get a D in this class and you'll be passing. Don't worry, just skim by and you won't flunk."
That would be crazy, right? Father God approaches it the same way. If you look at the New Testament teachings God lays out the plan for getting an A. This is why Paul said "run" your race.
Do people "walk" their race? Yes. Are they saved? Yes. Is it as glorifying to God? Not as much as it could be, but there's grace. He loves us. We're His children. Does He want the best for us? Yes! That's why the teachings of the New Testament epistles point to the "A" plan God has for us.
How, then, practically speaking, do we become sanctified? There are a number of references, and this list is not comprehensive, but there are some very clear examples.
God taught His people in the Old Testament to carefully wash things in the natural. Jewish tradition took this to even greater lengths, but God ordained these things so that they may transfer them into the kind of spiritual washing that would be able to change their hearts after Messiah had come. Now, this spiritual washing takes place by being in His Word as much as they would practice washing themselves in their daily lives:
Ephesians 5
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Spending time daily in His presence in our prayer closets will bring about change and sanctification. Often times we're like Peter when we experience His presence, and we say, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." But Jesus is so gracious and merciful. He will take that plea and work a miracle of transformation in your heart. So it's by beholding His glory that we are changed:
2 Corinthians
2Cor 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Maintaining an attitude of obedience to His Word and His Spirit, of course, is crucial. Every believer should "practice" the righteousness we see we are called to in the the scriptures. This is why our ongoing humility and repentance is so important. Otherwise, how can the Teacher teach us?
Romans 6
I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
The last stage is glorification, which will take place at the resurrection of the righteous. This, much like the first stage justification, is completed in an instant:
1 Corinthians 15
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is at this point we are given our glorified bodies and we will no longer have this fallen flesh to deal with anymore. This is going to be awesome! I can't wait...
So...
Our salvation is a process:
Justification (Christ's atoning work on the cross) ---> Sanctification (Christ's work ongoing work in the heart of the believer) ---> Glorification (God's final work in our physical form)
It is the second phase in which God calls upon us to "build our ark," so to speak. Like a bride eagerly anticipating the Bridegroom, we prepare ourselves for the wedding:
Revelation 19
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
Since this sanctification stage is expressed by God in terms of relationship (Father/sons and daughters, Bridegroom/bride) we need not freak out. We just love Him and follow Him and trust Him. He will do the rest.
Grace to you,
Travis
When the Lord sent me out to preach the gospel on the streets of New Orleans 5 years ago, not long after I began walking closely with Him, I was compelled to understand our salvation because, as someone called to preach the gospel, I had better understand it fully.
So I have been diligently seeking His truth ever since and I have come to a pretty comprehensive understanding of how salvation works and I will try to succinctly share what the Lord has shown me here.
Many people in modern Christianity view salvation as a dot in their past, a moment of repentance, belief, and understanding that brings them into right standing with Father God by believing in the work of Jesus on the cross. This is only partially correct.
Salvation begins at that dot, and proceeds in a direct line towards and into eternity, as repentance isn't a one-time act, but an ongoing attitude of humility towards God and submission to Jesus' Lordship. In other words, salvation is a process, not a one-time occurrence in the believer's heart.
Salvation in the New Testament is referred to in past, present, and future tenses. This is because there are three stages to our salvation in Christ: Justification, sanctification, and glorification. Make no mistake, every aspect is still centered on Christ and His glory, as it is His power working in and through us to bring these stages to completion.
That being said, our salvation requires cooperation! Jesus is supremely humble, gentlemanly, He does not push His way into anyone's heart, but He will woo you and shepherd you into His flock. And, when you are in His flock, He will also chastise you like any good father would, to keep you in the flock.
The dot where our salvation begins always starts with Christ's atoning work on the cross. This is why Jesus is referred to as the Cornerstone. You don't build a beautiful temple without beginning with a cornerstone. The cornerstone, if cut properly, will assure the rest of the building will be straight and the walls will be plumb. Of course, Jesus as the cornerstone is perfect, praise God!
It is Christ who justifies us, nothing else can get us into right standing with the Father but what Jesus did. And once we believe, we are given, by His grace, full access to Father God in His throne room.
This "justification" is crucial to understand and stand firm on by faith as every believer requires this righteousness. Having that faith should give us peace, joy, and boldness to go to Father God no matter how badly we've messed up or stumbled.
Paul lays out the doctrine of justification, using a building as metaphor, in Christ alone as our chief cornerstone:
Ephesians 2
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands- 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,3 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
You will note that Paul also speaks of the "apostles and prophets" here because our Lord Jesus chose to partner with the apostles and prophets to bring forth the epistles of the New Testament in order to teach the church and explain in greater depth Jesus' teachings.
But the ideas are complex, and a great deal of revelatory understanding had to come forth and Jesus did this through the apostles/prophets writings so that we could understand better these stages of our salvation (justification, sanctification, glorification).
The second stage, sanctification, is the ongoing work in us to change us into the likeness of Christ. The old saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree has a lot of truth. Children grow up to be a lot like their parents. Father God wants sons and daughters, and sons and daughters should be like their Father.
This stage requires cooperation, as it is relational. How can one learn if they don't maintain a humble, repentant, workable attitude towards the One who teaches? This stage is what Jesus was talking about when He said "abide in Me." He used the metaphor of a plant growing because it's a perfect illustration. When we abide in Him, we will grow, mature, and bear fruit.
This is the stage that brings much tension to believers, but if we understood our salvation in Christ better we would not freak out. Remember, it is Christ who justifies. God doesn't expect you to be perfect once you are justified, He expects you to be workable. If we are humble and repentant He will change and transform us.
But how much fruit? Jesus said some would bear 30 fold, some 60 fold, and some 100 fold. Outside of this, however, the teachings all point to Father God's best for us.
Look, a teacher doesn't start a school-year by telling the kids, "You can get a D in this class and you'll be passing. Don't worry, just skim by and you won't flunk."
That would be crazy, right? Father God approaches it the same way. If you look at the New Testament teachings God lays out the plan for getting an A. This is why Paul said "run" your race.
Do people "walk" their race? Yes. Are they saved? Yes. Is it as glorifying to God? Not as much as it could be, but there's grace. He loves us. We're His children. Does He want the best for us? Yes! That's why the teachings of the New Testament epistles point to the "A" plan God has for us.
How, then, practically speaking, do we become sanctified? There are a number of references, and this list is not comprehensive, but there are some very clear examples.
God taught His people in the Old Testament to carefully wash things in the natural. Jewish tradition took this to even greater lengths, but God ordained these things so that they may transfer them into the kind of spiritual washing that would be able to change their hearts after Messiah had come. Now, this spiritual washing takes place by being in His Word as much as they would practice washing themselves in their daily lives:
Ephesians 5
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Spending time daily in His presence in our prayer closets will bring about change and sanctification. Often times we're like Peter when we experience His presence, and we say, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." But Jesus is so gracious and merciful. He will take that plea and work a miracle of transformation in your heart. So it's by beholding His glory that we are changed:
2 Corinthians
2Cor 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Maintaining an attitude of obedience to His Word and His Spirit, of course, is crucial. Every believer should "practice" the righteousness we see we are called to in the the scriptures. This is why our ongoing humility and repentance is so important. Otherwise, how can the Teacher teach us?
Romans 6
I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
The last stage is glorification, which will take place at the resurrection of the righteous. This, much like the first stage justification, is completed in an instant:
1 Corinthians 15
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is at this point we are given our glorified bodies and we will no longer have this fallen flesh to deal with anymore. This is going to be awesome! I can't wait...
So...
Our salvation is a process:
Justification (Christ's atoning work on the cross) ---> Sanctification (Christ's work ongoing work in the heart of the believer) ---> Glorification (God's final work in our physical form)
It is the second phase in which God calls upon us to "build our ark," so to speak. Like a bride eagerly anticipating the Bridegroom, we prepare ourselves for the wedding:
Revelation 19
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
Since this sanctification stage is expressed by God in terms of relationship (Father/sons and daughters, Bridegroom/bride) we need not freak out. We just love Him and follow Him and trust Him. He will do the rest.
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