1. We Are Saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salvation is\nthe general term that the Bible uses to describe the miracle of grace God\nperforms for us. It has three main, inseparable aspects: past, present and\nfuture (cf. 2\nCorinthians 1:10<\/strong>). We were saved at a point in the past: born again,\nbelieved, repented of sin and justified. It happens only once, perfect and\ncomplete. Second, we are being saved in\nthe present. Christ’s blood keeps us safe from the wrath of God and He daily\nrescues us from Satan. Third, we will be saved in the future, at death and at\nthe Judgement Day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. The Christian Personally Knows God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every person\nknows that God exists (Romans 1<\/strong>), but only the Christian knows God\npersonally. This is true knowledge, a heart-to-heart personal relationship. It is part of having eternal life (John 17:3<\/strong>)\nand God granted us this privilege (Matthew 11:27<\/strong>). We know Him because He first knew\nus (I Corinthians\n8:3<\/strong>; Galatians\n4:9<\/strong>). It is a personal, deep, intimate and growing knowledge (Philippians 3:8, 10<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. We are Adopted into God’s Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we were\nchildren of the Devil but God took us out of that family and made us His own\nchildren. Now God is our Father (John 1:12, 13<\/strong>),\nother believers are our brothers and sisters, and Christ is our elder brother.\nBeing His children, we are also His heirs (Romans 8:17<\/strong>). We can now call God “our Father\nin Heaven.” Adoption is not the\nsame as regeneration. Regeneration affects our nature; adoption affects our\nrelationship. So, we are doubly God’s\nchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. We Are Reconciled to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a\ngreat benefit of salvation, often overlooked, as we were once God’s enemies;\nnow we are His friends (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19<\/strong>). We are reconciled. It is\nmore than a truce; it is the end of hostilities. We have peace with God. Properly speaking, it is we that are\nreconciled to God, not God to us. Yet,\non His part, the righteous enmity was removed when His wrath was appeased when\nChrist died for us, shedding his innocent blood on our behalf (Hebrews 9:12<\/strong>).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. We Are No Longer Under Wrath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were once\nsinners under the wrath of God – condemned, doomed, facing judgement (Romans 3:23<\/strong>).\n All that has changed. God saved us from several things: sin, Satan,\ndeath, Hell. But most importantly, He saved us from His own wrath. As fierce as His wrath was against us then, so\nintense is His love for us now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. We Are Cleansed From Sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our sins\nwere filthy and disgusting, even our religious acts were filthy rags. But God\nchanged all that. He cleansed us by the blood of Christ, making us new\ncreations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17<\/strong>), freeing us to serve the\nliving God, to glorify Him, and to enjoy Him forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. We Are Transferred From Satan’s Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God has transferred\nus from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13<\/strong>). Christ, not Satan,\nis now our King. We have been rescued\nfrom Satan’s clutches; he cannot ever have us again. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. The Holy Spirit Indwells Us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Spirit\nenters the believer at the moment of salvation and never leaves. The Holy\nSpirit regenerates and renews (Titus 3:5<\/strong>), comforts believers with fellowship and\njoy as they go through a hostile world (1 Thessalonians 1:6<\/strong>; 2 Corinthians 13:14<\/strong>) causing believers to \u201coverflow with hope<\/strong>\u201d (Romans 15:13<\/strong>). The Holy Spirit has another important role:\ngiving believers wisdom by which we can understand God (1 Corinthians 2:10\u201311<\/strong>). Since we\nhave been given the amazing gift of God\u2019s Spirit inside ourselves, we can\ncomprehend the thoughts of God, as revealed in the Scripture. No amount of human knowledge can ever replace\nthe Holy Spirit\u2019s teaching (1 Corinthians 2:12\u201313<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. We Abide in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the\nproofs of salvation is perseverance, or sustained abiding in Christ. The saved\nwill continue in their walk with Christ (Revelation 2:26<\/strong>). That is, they will \u201cabide\u201d or\nremain in Him. God will complete His work in us (Philippians 1:6<\/strong>), and we will bring\nforth much fruit to the glory of God (John 15:5<\/strong>). Abiding in Christ includes obedience\nto Christ\u2019s commands (John 15:10<\/strong>; 1 John 3:24<\/strong>); following Jesus\u2019 example (1 John 2:6<\/strong>);\nliving free from habitual sin (1 John 3:6<\/strong>); and the awareness of a divine\npresence within one\u2019s life (1 John 4:13<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. We\nCannot Lose Our Salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the\ngreat glories of salvation is that it is permanent. God elected us to salvation\n(Romans 8:29-30<\/strong>)\nand completes what He starts (Philipians 1:6<\/strong>). He has sworn to preserve, keep\nand guard us forever (Psalm 37:28<\/strong>, 66:9<\/strong>, 97:10<\/strong>, 145:14<\/strong>, 20<\/strong>, I Timothy 1:12<\/strong>). He keeps us by His omnipotent\nhand (1 Peter\n1:5<\/strong>), keeps us safe from Satan (I John 5:18<\/strong>, John 17:11<\/strong>, 12<\/strong>, 15<\/strong>), and seals us with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians. 1:13<\/strong>,\n4:30<\/strong>).\nThe saints in Heaven are happier, but not more secure. Simply put, God loves\nHis people too much to let usm go. He holds us firmly and lovingly in His arms\nof love, from which no one can snatch us away (John 10:28<\/strong>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1. We Are Saved. Salvation is the general term that the Bible uses to describe the miracle of grace God performs for us. It has three main, inseparable aspects: past, present and future (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:10). We were saved at a point in the past: born again, believed, repented of sin and justified. It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526,537],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n