"Grace also gives us peace with the Lord. Before salvation, a person is His enemy, under a sentence of eternal death. But after trusting in Christ, that individual is adopted into God's family and has His favor forever."
You see, I am not clear on the forever part. OK , through Grace the Holy Spirit works in you, and this leads to conviction and repentance. At that point, you receive justification, as God in His grace and through grace, gives you a new heart, a heart of flesh. I do know that once this happens you are saved and have received salvation. What I am not clear is post repentance, you may have undergone repentance and received salvation at say age 32, and go on to live say 78 years. During this period between 32 and 78, is God's favor conditional depending on your works? I am convinced completely of the doctrine that if I love my God with all my heart, soul and body, I would not commit sin consciously that jeopardizes my salvation. However knowing God's character of being a Just God, what about the sins that I commit unconsciously?
I am aware of the imputed righteousness that I receive through Jesus' blood shed on the cross of calvary, but am still disturbed by the thought that even with all the grace that God is providing me, I fail Him. Is this unnecessary guilt ? Yes I know that Paul said that our nature is sinful till our resurrection in Christ. How can I measure my growth in Christ, I think I need to know this else how can I ask God for help in the areas that I need help?
I feel that if I dont ask these questions, I am being just a passive being without actively seeking my destiny in God. Do you think this is normal ?
The next day these are the thoughts that came to me on my drive to work while listening to John MacArthur, on the questions mentioned above.
Once you are saved by God's grace, you have eternal life, guaranteed. Now the saved person will sin after receiving salvation. But God in His grace and through His Word ( in the scriptures) still gives the person eternal life. Romans 8:38
Now coming to the troubling question, of continuing in sin after receiving salvation, this is where the part of "the kingdom of heaven is here now at hand" comes to life. God redeems the sinner by purchasing him through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ by His grace. The sinner repents and has a new heart and the Holy Spirit is in him. Although now the person is a bond servant, he still is given free will. The sacrifices of a person offered to God out of his free will is the sweet smelling aroma rising up to His Holy throne.
I feel that if I dont ask these questions, I am being just a passive being without actively seeking my destiny in God. Do you think this is normal ?
The next day these are the thoughts that came to me on my drive to work while listening to John MacArthur, on the questions mentioned above.
Once you are saved by God's grace, you have eternal life, guaranteed. Now the saved person will sin after receiving salvation. But God in His grace and through His Word ( in the scriptures) still gives the person eternal life. Romans 8:38
Now coming to the troubling question, of continuing in sin after receiving salvation, this is where the part of "the kingdom of heaven is here now at hand" comes to life. God redeems the sinner by purchasing him through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ by His grace. The sinner repents and has a new heart and the Holy Spirit is in him. Although now the person is a bond servant, he still is given free will. The sacrifices of a person offered to God out of his free will is the sweet smelling aroma rising up to His Holy throne.
When the redeemed person starts to love God with all his heart, body and soul, he is actually living the Kingdom of heaven now on earth, a life full of joy, praise, and victory in Jesus Christ. With His power, the redeemed person now has the opportunity to spread the Kingdom of heaven now , here on earth through his love for his creator and by loving fellow humans. You are transformed and you have the power to transform. What is this source of transformation, the source of power? It is God.
Everyone knows that in order to be powered , there are 3 things involved. One, the power source, two the power connection, and three the power receptor. I have already mentioned that the power source is God, and you are the power receptor. What constitutes the power connection? It is the relationship. The relationship is established, nurtured and strengthened through tangible ways, namely prayer, and study of the scripture, justice, and acts out of the fruits of spirit. Again you all know that in order to receive power the power receptor must be built and maintained as per established specifications. At the time of your salvation, God Himself has built/transformed you into the power receptor. Now it is in the hands of the individual to get familiar with the specifications and maintain. You may think, oh boy am I now totally responsible to maintain the power receptor all alone? Now God did not abandon you after transforming you through your salvation. He provides you with a wonderful Helper for you to work with. This is the Holy Spirit
2 comments:
Our salvation is eternal if we are truly born again of God. It is not what we have done that will carry us into eternity. It is what Christ has done, that takes us into Eternity. Our trust should be in God.
All the sins of God's elect, committed throughout their life time were laid on Christ and "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many" (Heb 9:28) with the foreknowledge of God. Christ is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world"(Rev 13:8). The debt is paid in full when Christ said "It is finished" (Joh 19:3) which is why "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom 6:23).
So no matter what sins we have committed before salvation or what sins we commit after salvation cannot jeopardize our Salvation. It is 100% secure. The sins we commit after salvation will be chastised by God like he did for David's sin but God will not remember the sin into eternity. "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid" (Rom 6:15), then we missed the point altogether and if we are still living in sin, we might not have been saved in the first place.
After we are saved, we see sin more clearly in our life in the light of the Bible and we realize that we are the chief of sinners like Paul said “sinners, whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:15) and we go back to God and cry out for His Mercy for victory over each sin, thus growing in Grace.
The only thing we cannot be sure of is, if we are truly born again. We can be deceived by our own heart into believing that we are born again, especially if we trust in “free will Gospel” or “accepting Christ” or in any work we do. The evidence of salvation is the obedience.“By this we know that we do know Him, if we keep His commandments.” ( 1 Joh 2:3). God asks us to "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 cor 3:5).
An honest self-examination of our Christian life will lead us to go to God, and cry out "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Ps 139:23-24). We cannot assure ourselves. The only one who can give assurance of our salvation is God's spirit. As God’s Spirit is working within the child of God, we will have that desire to do the will of God, to keep His commandments, and there will be more of an ability to keep God’s commandments, and so we wait on the Lord. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). This is a good prayer for anyone who is not sure where they stand, to beseech God to "say unto my soul, I am thy salvation"(Ps 35:3).
How is God going to speak to our soul? He will do it through the Word, through the Bible, as “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” This is why we want to keep reading the Bible and praying that God would apply His Word and that He would convince us, that He would grant us the assurance.
God is the giver of all gifts. He gives repentance. He gives faith. He is able to give assurance so we can know that we are one of His. The Bible says that a person can know in 1 John 2, “By this we know that we do know Him, if we keep His commandments.”
What an assuring verse!!!
Psalm 89:30-34:
30If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Post a Comment