Salvation is in Christ

In the early Christian work "Shepherd," written in the II. n. e., Herman sees in the dream an old, wrinkled woman. There is a time, and he sees that the woman is changing: although her body remains old and her hair gray, her face is getting younger. Finally, the beauty of youth returns to her.

T.F. Torrance (Torrance) compared this woman to the Church. Christians can not always be in the same state. If the Holy Spirit reigns in their hearts (see Romans 8: 9), they will necessarily change.

Paul said:

This purification is the goal to which the Church aspires. Consequently, the believers that make up the Church can attest that, although "our outward man is decaying, the inner one is renewed from day to day" (2 Cor 4:16).

This transformation can be called an internal Pentecost in the life of every believer.

Where Scripture speaks of the spiritual experience of a Christian - about his salvation, justification, sanctification, purification and redemption, he presents them as facts: 1) those that have already happened; 2) ongoing; 3) which will be implemented in the future. This triple perspective of time helps to overcome apparent difficulties in understanding when emphasis is justified and sanctified. Therefore, this chapter consists of three main parts related to the salvation of the Christian in the past, present and future.

The experience of salvation and the past

Knowledge of God, His love and kindness, based only on external facts, is not enough. The attempt to develop a virtuous character in oneself independently of Christ often leads to opposite results. The experience of salvation affecting the soul of man is given only by God. About this experience Christ said:

Only through Jesus Christ can man experience salvation

Jesus said:

The experience of salvation includes repentance, confession, forgiveness, justification and sanctification.

Repentance

Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus promised his disciples to send the Holy Spirit, who would reveal to them Christ Himself, instructing "the world about sin, about righteousness, about judgment" (John 16: 8). When on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit convinced people that they needed a Savior, they asked what they should do now. Peter answered, "Repent" (Acts 2:37, 38, compare 3:19).

What is repentance?

The word repentance is translated from the Hebrew verb "naham", which means "regret", "repent". In Greek, it is equivalent to the word "methanoes", which means "change your mind", "experience the pain of conscience", "repent." True repentance leads to a completely different attitude to God and sin. The Spirit of God reveals to the host of Him all the seriousness of sin. He does this, leading them to the consciousness of God's righteousness and their own fallen state. Those who repent are sad and guilty. Agreeing that

they confess their specific sins. Through a determined effort of will, they completely submit to the Savior and abandon their sinful actions. Thus, repentance reaches its apogee in conversion - turning the sinner to God (from the Greek "epistrophe," which means "turning to", Wed Acts 15: 3) 2. The repentance of David in his sins - adultery and murder - is a living example of how repentance prepares the path to victory over sin. Under the influence of the Spirit, he despised, lamented his sin and begged for the purification of his heart:

Although repentance precedes forgiveness, only it does not guarantee the sinner the blessing of God. The sinner actually can not even come to repentance himself, because it is a gift from God (see Acts 5:31, compare Romans 2: 4). The Holy Spirit attracts a sinner to Christ so that he can receive repentance, a feeling of regret for sin.

Motivation for repentance

Christ said:

Our heart is moved and subdued when we feel that the death of Christ justifies us and saves us from eternal death. Imagine that a prisoner who is sentenced to death will feel and awaits the execution of this sentence when he is suddenly informed of pardon.

Justification

In His boundless love and mercy, God made Christ "who knew no sin," "a sin offering (in the original, sin), that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The word "justification" has been translated from the Greek word "dikayoma", which means "just demand", "judicial sentence", "just act". They also translate the word "dikoio-sis", meaning "justification," "rehabilitation," "liberation." Deeper understanding of the meaning of the word "justification" is helped by the verb "dikayo", related to the above-mentioned Greek words, meaning: "to be proclaimed righteous and to have a proper attitude towards oneself", "to be rehabilitated", "to be justified", "to be liberated, purified", "to justify "," Restore justice ".

In the theological sense, justification should be understood as

1. Faith and business

Many people mistakenly believe that their position before God depends on their good or bad deeds. Reasoning about that.

how people can be justified before God, Paul definitely declared that he considered everything "loss ... to gain Christ and to be found in Him not with his righteousness ... but with him who through faith in Christ, with righteousness from God by faith" (Phil. 3: 8.9). He pointed to Abraham, who

Abraham was justified before his circumcision, and not because of it (see Romans 4: 9, 10).

What kind of faith did Abraham have? Scripture says that "by faith Abraham obeyed" the call of God, he left his homeland and went "not knowing where he is going" (Hebrews 11: 8-10, cf. Gen. 12: 4, 13: 8). His sincere, living faith in God manifested itself in obedience. He was justified by this effective faith.

The apostle James warned against another distorted understanding of justification by faith: if a person can be justified by faith without backing it with deeds. He showed that true faith can not exist without works. Like Paul, Jacob, in support of his point of view, cited the example of Abraham. Abraham manifested his faith by sacrificing his son Isaac (see James 2:21).

From the experience of Abraham, it is evident that deeds are evidence of a true relationship with God. Therefore, faith, which leads to justification, is a living faith manifested in action (see James 2:24).

With regard to justification, Paul and Jacob have the same point of view. While Paul shows that trying to get an excuse through deeds is a delusion, Jacob draws attention to the fallacy of another view, according to which justification is possible without the cases that accompany him. Neither deeds nor dead faith lead to justification. It can be accomplished only through true faith, which works by love (see Galatians 5: 6) and purifies the soul.

2.Experience of justice

The righteousness of Christ is imputed to us through justification by faith in Christ. We become righteous in the sight of God, because Christ took our place. The Apostle Paul said that God, who "knew no sin," made sin for us (sin in the original) for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God "(2 Corinthians 5:21). As repentant sinners, we experience complete and perfect forgiveness. We are reconciled to God!

The truth about justification is beautifully portrayed in Zechariah's vision of Jesus, the great Priest. Jesus stands before the angel of the Lord in stained clothes, which symbolize desecration by sin. Satan demands his condemnation. The accusations of Satan are just: Jesus does not deserve an excuse. But God, according to His wondrous grace, rebukes Satan: "Is not he a brand, plucked out of the fire?" (Zechariah 3: 2). Is he not dear to Me? Did I protect him in a special way?

The Lord commands immediately to take off his stained clothes and proclaims:

Our loving and merciful God refutes all the accusations of Satan, justifies the sinner's trembling and puts it on the garment of Christ's righteousness. Just as Jesus's soiled clothing symbolized sin, his new clothes were the embodiment of a new spiritual experience that the believer acquires in Christ. In justification, confessed and forgiven sin is transferred to the pure and holy Son of God, to the Lamb, which has suffered the sin of the world.

Effects

What is the cause of repentance and justification?

1. Salvation

The word "consecration" has been translated from the Greek word "hagiasmos", which means "holiness," "dedication," "sanctification." It, in turn, came from the verb "Hagiadzo, meaning" to do the saints, "to" consecrate, "" sanctify, "" separate. " It is equivalent to the Hebrew word "kadash" - "to separate for a special purpose".

True repentance and justification lead to sanctification. Justification and sanctification are closely related. They differ from each other, but they are always inseparable. They reflect the two phases of salvation: justification is what God does for us, and sanctification is what God does in us.

The Bible reveals three stages of sanctification:

1. the finished act of the believer in the past;
2. the process that takes place in the present;
3. the end result that the Christian will experience on the return of Christ.

As for the past life of a Christian, at the moment of justification he is also sanctified "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). A Christian becomes a "saint." In this sense, the newly converted person receives salvation and is wholly owned by God.

Believers who responded to God's call (see Romans 1: 7) are called "saints," because they are "in Christ" (Phil 1: 1; see John 15: 1-7), and not because that they have reached a sinless state. Salvation is accomplished in the present.

separating us and dedicating us for a glorious purpose and life with Christ.

2. The accepting of family in god

At the same time, newly converted Christians accept the "Spirit of adoption". God has adopted them for Himself, that is, he made them His children, sons and daughters of the King! He made them his heirs, "joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8: 15-17). What a wonderful advantage, honor and joy for them!

3. Confidence in salvation

Justification also gives a feeling of confidence that a Christian is accepted by God. It also brings joy from the reunion with God, which is happening right now. No matter how sinful our life is in the past, God forgives all sins, and we are no longer under condemnation and the curse of the law. The Atonement became a reality: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1: 7).

As our faith grows, our healing and transformation becomes more complete. He sends us new victories over the forces of darkness. His victory over the world guarantees our deliverance from the slavery of sin (see John 16:33).

5. The gift of eternal life

A new relationship with Christ brings with it the gift of eternal life. The apostle John confirmed this thought: "He who has the Son (God) has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life "(1 John 5:12). With our sinful past, it's all over. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can enjoy the blessings of salvation.

The experience of salvation in the present

Through the blood of Christ, which brings purification, justification and sanctification, the Christian becomes a new creation - "the old things are passed away, now all things are new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Call for life of saddle

To have salvation is to live a consecrated life, relying on the redemption committed by Christ on Calvary. The apostle Paul called Christians to a holy and virtuous life (see 1 Thessalonians 4: 7). To enable believers to experience the experience of sanctification, God gives them the "Spirit of holiness" (Romans 1: 4, Eng.). "May God give you (according to the riches of His glory)," said the Apostle Paul, "to be firmly established by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." Eph. 3:16, 17).

Christians become a new creation, so they are assigned new responsibilities. The apostle Paul said: "As you have committed your members to slaves to impurity and iniquity to deeds of lawlessness, so now imagine your members as slaves of righteousness to the works of the saints" (Romans 6:19). Now they must live "in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).

Spirit-filled believers "do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8: 1, cf. 8: 4). They are transformed, because

By the Spirit of God dwelling in them, they live "not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8: 9).

If a Christian is filled with the Spirit, then His highest goal will be to do what is pleasing to God (see 1 Thessalonians 4: 1). Paul said that sanctification is God's will. Therefore, "you should refrain from fornication", and "no one should do anything illegal and greedy with his brother ... For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness" (1 Thessalonians 4: 3, 6, 7, Eng. ).

Internal change

At the Second Coming, we will be changed physically. Our perishable mortal body will be clothed in immortality (see 1 Corinthians 15: 51-54). As for our character, it must change in the process of preparation for the Second Coming.

The transformation of character affects the mental and spiritual aspects of the image of God, according to which "our inner man" must be renewed from day to day (2 Corinthians 4:16, compare Romans 12: 2). Consequently, like the old woman in the "Shepherd" of Hermas, the Church is getting younger; every Christian who has surrendered himself completely to God changes from glory to glory, until at the Second Coming he is finally transformed by God's image.

God wants to live in His people. He promised: "I will dwell in them" (2 Corinthians 6:16, cf. 1 John 3:24, 4:12). Therefore, Paul could say: "Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20, cf. John 14:23). The presence of the Creator in the heart of a Christian revitalizes him from day to day (see 2 Corinthians 4:16) and renews his mind (see Romans 12: 2, cf. Phil 2: 5).

2. Connection to divine nature

The "great and precious promises" of Christ assure us that the Divine power will complete the transformation of our character (2 Peter 1: 4). Thanks to this divine power, we can with all diligence show

A. Only through Christ

Only having put on the Lord Jesus Christ, or in other words, having joined Him (see Romans 13:14, Hebrews 3:14) and having experienced the "renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3: 5), people can change in the image of their Creator. Thus, God's love manifests itself in us (see 1 John 4:12). Here, a sacrament is performed, similar to the sacrament of the incarnation of the Son of God. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, the Divine Christ became attached to human nature. In the same way, thanks to the Spirit, we are attached to the properties of the character of God. This communion with the Divine nature renews our inner self and makes us like Christ. Christ became man, but believers do not become Divine. They become like God in their character.

B. Sacrifice is a constant age

Consecration is progressive. Through prayer and the study of the Word, we are constantly growing in fellowship with God.

It is not enough to understand the plan of salvation only with the mind.

In this way, Christ clearly shows that believers should be nourished by His Word. Jesus said:

What our mind "eats and drinks" is our character. If we eat the Bread of Life, then we are transformed into the likeness of Christ.

3. Two portraits

In 1517, the same year, when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in the German city of Wittenberg, Rafael began to paint his famous painting "Transfiguration" in Rome. These two events had something in common. Luther's action marked the birth of Protestantism, and the picture of Raphael, although he himself was unconscious, expressed the spirit of the Reformation.

The painting depicts Christ standing on a mountainside. Below, at the foot, a demoniac is shown, whose eyes are fixed on Christ with hope (see Mark 9: 2-29). Two groups of students - one group on the mountain, the other in the valley - represent two types of Christians.

The disciples on the mountain wanted to stay with Christ, Apparently they were not interested in the needs of the people below, in the valley. Over the centuries, many have settled on the "mountains", far from the needs of this world. Their life was a life of prayer without works.

On the other hand, the disciples in the valley worked without prayer, and their attempts to drive out the demon were unsuccessful. Many people were defeated, trying either to work for others without prayer, or to pray a lot for others easily. Those and others need the image of God restored in them.

If we do not obstruct Christ, then He "will so merge with our thoughts and goals, so will bring our heart and mind into accord with His will, that, obeying Him, we will fulfill nothing but our desires. Purified and sanctified, our will will joyfully participate in the ministry of Christ. "

В. Two purposes

The transfiguration of Christ opens another striking contrast. Yes, Christ was transfigured. But in a sense, the young man was transformed in the valley. He was transformed into a demonic image (see Mark 9: 1-29). We are faced with two opposing schemes: the plan of God, whose purpose is to restore us, and the plan of Satan, who wants to destroy us. In the Holy Scripture it is said that God is able to keep us "falling away" (Jude 24). Satan, on the contrary, is doing everything possible for his part to keep us in a fallen state.

Life does not stand still. There is no neutral strip in it. We are either spiritually perfected or degraded. We are either "slaves of sin" or "slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:17, 18). We have the one who occupies our thoughts. If by the Holy Spirit our thoughts are focused on Christ, then we will become like Christ. The Spirit-filled life will lead "every thought to obedience to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10: 5). But without Christ we are cut off from the source of life, deprived of the possibility of transformation. In this case, our final death becomes inevitable.

The perfection of Christ

What is perfection in the light of the Bible? How can I get it?

1. Perfection in the light of the bible

The words "perfect" and "perfection" are translated from the Hebrew word "there", or "ta-mime", which means "finished", "right", "peaceful", "robust", "morally pure", "impeccable". As a rule, the Greek word "telioos" also means "complete", "fully grown", "mature", "fully developed" and "reached its goal."

In the Old Testament this word is used in reference to people in a relative sense. Noah, Abraham, and Job are spoken of as perfect people, or undefiled (see Genesis 6: 9, 17: 1, 22:18, Job 1: 1, 18), although each of them had imperfections (see Gen. 9:20, 21; Job 40: 2-5).

The New Testament is perfect, often called mature persons who lived in harmony with the light that they discovered and, as far as possible, developed their spiritual, mental and physical abilities (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:20, Philippians 3:15, Heb. 5:14). Christ said that believers must be perfect in their limited sphere, just as God is perfect in His infinite and absolute realm (see Matthew 5:48).

2. Complete perfection in Christ

How can we become perfect? The Holy Spirit gives us the perfection of Christ. Through faith, the perfect character of Christ becomes our character. No one has the right to declare that perfection does not depend on God, believing that it can be innate or rightfully owned. Perfection is a gift from God.

Without Christ, people can not attain righteousness.

Christ "became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30).

In Christ, these qualities are our perfection. He once made sanctification and redemption for all. We have nothing to add to what He has already done. Our wedding garment, or the garment of righteousness, is woven from the threads of Christ's life, death, and His resurrection. Thus, we can "be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:19).

3. Strengthen to perfection

What kind of participation do we take in all this, believing people? Through the Christ that dwells in our heart, we grow, reaching spiritual maturity. Thanks to God's gifts given to His Church, each member can become a "perfect husband" by coming "to the measure of the full age of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). We should grow from our spiritual infancy (see Eph 4:14) and, having mastered the basic truths of Christianity, strive for "solid food" prepared for mature believers (Hebrews 5:14). "Therefore," says Paul, "leaving the first principles of the teaching of Christ, let us hasten to perfection" (Hebrews 6: 1).

Sanctified life does not mean absence of difficulties and obstacles. Paul instructs the believers to "save their lives with fear and trembling". But then he adds encouraging words:

But the Scripture warns: "If we, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, arbitrarily sin, there is no longer a sacrifice for sins, but a terrible expectation of judgment" (Hebrews 10:26, 27).

These exhortations clearly show that Christians need "not only legal justification or sanctification. They need holiness of character, although salvation is always given by faith. Only the righteousness of Christ is the basis for life in heaven. But God's plan of salvation consists in that man received not only justification, but also was prepared for life in heaven through the Christ, who is in the heart of man. This readiness must be seen in the character of the person as proof that "salvation" was "committed" in him. " What does this mean from a human point of view? For the consecrated life, which is perfect at every stage of its development, constant prayer is necessary.

Daily Justification

All believers who are filled with the Spirit and live a consecrated life need the daily justification that is given by Christ. We are alienated in it, because we not only commit conscious sins, but also unwillingly sin. Realizing the sinfulness of the human heart, David prayed for the forgiveness of his "secret errors" (Psalm 18:13, cf. Jeremiah 17: 9). Bearing in mind the sins of the believers, God assures us that, despite the fall.

The experience of salvation and the future

Our salvation will be completely and completely accomplished when we are either glorified in the resurrection, or taken alive to heaven. Glorifying the redeemed, God will share with them the radiance of His glory. We, as children of God, look forward to the fulfillment of glorious hope. According to Paul: "We glory in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5: 2).

This hope will be fulfilled at the Second Coming, when Christ will appear "for those who are looking for Him for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28).

Glory and Surrender

The presence of Christ in our heart is one of the conditions of the future salvation, which consists in glorifying our mortal body. Paul called Christ living in believers "the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Elsewhere he explains:

Paul assures us that "God from the beginning, through the sanctification of the Spirit and faith in the truth, chose us to salvation ... to attain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14).

In Him we are already in the throne room of heaven (see Col. 3: 1-4). Those who became "partakers of the Holy Spirit" actually tasted "the forces of the age to come" (Hebrews 6: 4, 5). Thinking about the glory of the Lord and looking spiritually at the attractiveness of the character of Christ, we "are transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are preparing for the transformation that we will experience at the Second Coming.

Our final redemption and adoption by God will take place in the future. Paul says: "The creature waits with hope for the revelation of the sons of God. And not only she, but we ... we groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body "(Romans 8:19, 23, compare Eph 4:30).

This culminating event will happen "at the time of the commission of all things" (Acts 3:21). Christ calls it "restoration," or "renewal of all things" (Matt. 19:28, Eng. per.). Then "the creature itself will be liberated from slavery to corruption in the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).

It turns out that, on the one hand, adoption and redemption, or in one word - salvation, "has already" happened, and on the other, it will happen in the future. Some people are confused by this approach. However, the study of the whole ministry of Christ as Savior clarifies this question. Salvation in the present Paul refers to the first coming of Christ. In the crucifixion, resurrection, the ministry of Christ in heaven, our justification and sanctification are assured once and for all. However, our future salvation, the glorification of our body, Paul refers to the Second Coming.

"That's why Paul could say at the same time," We are saved, "referring to the cross and resurrection of Christ in the past, and" we are not saved, "meaning the future return of Christ when He redeems our bodies." To speak only of our present salvation and to lose sight of our salvation in the future is to misunderstand the whole process of salvation that Christ performs.

Glorification and perfection

Some people mistakenly believe that the final perfection that glorification brings with it is available to people right now. But Paul, this consecrated man of God, wrote about himself at the end of his life so.

Consecration lasts a lifetime. Now we have perfection only in Christ, but the final, all-round transformation of our life in the image of God will take place at the Second Coming. Paul warns:

The history of Israel, the life of David, Solomon and Peter are a serious warning to all. "As long as a person lives, he must control his attachments and passions, holding on to one firm goal. The corruption of human nature manifests itself from within, the temptations operate from the outside, and wherever successes in the work of God are outlined, Satan immediately creates such circumstances when the temptation presses on the soul with force. We can not be safe for a single instant, except when we rely on God and our life is hidden with Christ in God. "13 The final transformation of our nature will end when we are clothed in incorruption and immortality, when the Holy Spirit completely restores the original creation.

On what grounds does God accept us

Human righteousness without Christ is only a stained garment (Isaiah 64: 6; see Dan 9: 7,11,20; 1 Corinthians 1:30) 14.

Even what we do in response to the saving love of Christ can not be the basis for accepting us as God. This acceptance is inseparably connected with the ministry of Christ. God accepts us when Christ, through the Holy Spirit, inflows into our hearts.

What is the basis for acceptance of us by God: on the justifying righteousness of Christ, on His sanctifying righteousness or both?

John Calvin noticed that, like

The ministry of Christ needs to be seen as a whole. And therefore it is extremely important not to try to base our assumptions on justification and sanctification, scrupulously delving into all the subtleties of the differences between them ... Why should we be more scrupulous than Inspiration in such vital questions about righteousness by faith? "16 Just as light and the heat radiated by the sun is inseparable from each other, although both light and heat have a unique destiny, so Christ has become both righteousness and sanctification for us simultaneously (see 1 Cor. 1:30). We are not only fully justified, but completely consecrated in Him.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit, the Calvary cry of Christ "It is finished" finds fulfillment in the human heart. We become accepted by God in the true sense of the word. What has "been accomplished" on the cross casts doubt on all other human attempts to be accepted by God. Only the life of Christ crucified on the cross in our heart gives us the right to the salvation, prepared by God, and makes us fit for him.