Part 17 of 22

Salvation Leads to a Sanctified Life

The unsaved person needs only to “believe,” meaning “trust in” the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation from judgment.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death; but THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord. Acts 16:31 (AMP) …BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and YOU WILL BE SAVED, [and this offer applies both to] you and your household as well.

Romans 5:1 …being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 5:18b …by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the FREE GIFT came upon all men unto justification of life.

Paul clearly says believers will immediately receive the endowment of His eternal resurrected life and not have to endure the wrath to come upon the world in judgment.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (AMP) For GOD HAS NOT APPOINTED US (believers) TO [INCUR HIS] WRATH [He did not select us to condemn us], BUT [THAT WE MIGHT] OBTAIN [his] SALVATION THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ¹⁰ Who died for us so that WHETHER WE ARE STILL ALIVE OR ARE DEAD [at Christ’s appearing], WE MIGHT LIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM AND SHARE HIS LIFE.  

 

The members of “the body of Christ” - “the Church” (Eph 1:22b-23a) of the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2), will one day soon, “meet the Lord in the air” at His appearing “in the clouds.”

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we (the members of the body of Christ) which are alive and remain shall be caught up (Latin, reptura) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Thus the members of “the body of Christ” are saved and eternally secure in Christ.

NOTE: This meeting “in the air” (1Thes 4:17b) is not to be confused with Jesus’ second coming to earth. Some several years after this meeting “in the air” Jesus will return to the earth as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings to take the throne of David in Jerusalem . When He returns His feet will literally touch the Mount of Olives (Act 1:11-12). He will then separate the sheep and goat nations (Matthew 25:31-34) and set up The Kingdom on earth with those who “will live and reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev 20:4).

Paul says today, in this continuing age of grace, there is only “one Spirit” that is of God (Eph 4:4) and “Now the Lord (Jesus Christ) is that Spirit” (2Cor 3:17a). I know many chop God up into multiple “spirits” but this is not the case as seen in Paul’s writings.

At the time of exercising saving faith, a believer is born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, which is “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Christ’s Spirit then comes to dwell within the believer…renewing his spirit and soul. Titus 3:5 (AMP) He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit. The believer is enabled and guided to live the Christians life by the life and power of “the Spirit” of the resurrected Christ as his new life (Gal 2:20a).

The believer’s human spirit is united to and one with the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” 1Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. The believer is sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), and “baptized (immersed) by the Spirit into Christ’s body.”  1Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. This is not to be likened to the Acts 2 “baptism in the Spirit” when Jesus baptized the 120 Jewish disciples in the upper room with the Spirit. In 1Cor 12:13 the Spirit is the baptizer of believers into Jesus’ one body – “the body of Christ” called “the church” (Eph 1:22b-23a).

Always associated with saving faith is the immediate dispensing or impartation of the “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” with His nature, to the believer (Romans 6:5-7; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:9-10). This new nature in the believer causes the believer to display Christ’s presence through a new way of living and genuine “good works” (1Corinthians 4:5; James 2:18, 21-26). Of course, good works may not always be immediately discernible in a new believer, but these good works are an inevitable consequence of the new birth that has occurred in conjunction with saving faith (John 3:3, 5; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-12, 14; 3:8; 1 Peter 1:3, 23). However, salvation is in no way contingent upon good works. 

Any so-called faith that does not eventually result in “good works” (Ephesians 2:9-10) is not saving faith. The corrupting element in ineffectual human faith may be intellectual. One may fail to see, grasp or accept the truthfulness of the facts of the gospel and Christ’s substitutional work at the cross; or it may be volitional, due to their stubborn will inhibiting them. They may not be willing to trust and yield to Christ wholly for forgiveness of sins – many proud men prefer to earn what they may receive. Failure to trust Christ alone is often traceable to one’s attempt to accumulate merit through the performance of human works, by attempting to add self-effort to the finished work of Christ (Romans 4:5; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:9). It is only the pure grace of God that saves, having no requirement except faith in Christ.

The word sanctification means separation unto God. The same Greek word is sometimes translated “holiness.” Sanctification in the experience of the believer is the logical continuation of saving faith. Though God has already inwardly sanctified (separated) the believer from the things of the world (1Cor 1:30) by the presence of Christ’s indwelling Spirit in the believer ( Col 1:27), the outworking of sanctification is a continuing lifetime process while God works in the life of the believer.

1.      In his growth, the believer is expected to come to submission to the indwelling lordship of “the Spirit of life in Christ” over all things in his life (Romans 6:11-13; 12:1-2). 

2.      The implied obedience to Christ is expected to become an active obedience to Christ’s “Spirit of life” (Gal 5:16, 18, 25). Anyone born of God hears God in their conscience (John 8:47) and does know the truth in their spirit (John 2:20, 27).

3.      The implied repentance (change of direction) is expected to become explicit, resulting in a purging of sinful behavior as they learn to cooperate with the indwelling “Spirit of Christ” prompting them from within. (1Corinthians 5:7; 6:9-10, 18; 1Thessalonians 4:1-8). 

The lack of such spiritual progress in sanctification is characteristic of a “carnal” (fleshly, 1Corinthians 3:14) Christian, or “natural” (psuchikos, soulish, 1Cor 2:14) Christian. God may tolerate this lack of response to the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit for some time, but will eventually He will bring chastening against the delinquent saved believer. Such delinquency without the correction of God the Father may serve notice that the person’s profession was not really “saving faith” and that they really are not really regenerated “children of God” (1Corinthians 11:30-32, Titus 1:15-16; Hebrews 12:5-11), not born of His “seed, which is Christ” (Gal 3:16, 1Pet 1:23). A Biblical method of confronting a Christian with his carnality and or his pretending to be a Christian with the insufficiency of his faith is through presenting the fact that God judges sin (Matthew 16:24-28 (1 John 3:6, 9; 5:18). If he is a carnal Christian he is faced with the illogical nature of his behavior and forced to reevaluate his spiritual standing, and if he is a pretending Christian He then is faced with the realization that he was never saved. 

The Scripture brings reminders and tests to cause those who have professed faith in Christ to examine themselves (1Cor 11:28; 15:2; 2Cor 13:5; 2Pet 1:10). The Christian should have heard, via his own conscience, if he is walking contrary to the Lord. A walk that is contrary to the indwelling Lord disturbs the believer's inherent Christ-peace within. Paul says the enjoyment of Christ’s peace, or lack thereof, should be a guide to us.

Colossians 3:15 (AMP) And LET THE PEACE (SOUL HARMONY WHICH COMES) FROM CHRIST RULE (ACT AS UMPIRE CONTINUALLY) IN YOUR HEARTS [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

The Christian’s walk in accord with Christ has its own immediate, instantaneous, reward of maintaining inner peace and rest. While not the practice of a Christian, when carnality or soulishness does sometimes manifest in the life of a believer, an unlearned Christian may entertain doubts about whether he is really saved – but of course he should know he is “saved only by the grace of God and appropriated through faith alone.” Nevertheless, the solution for such doubt is for the believer to simply turn his heart back to the Lord to restore broken his fellowship with God (2Cor 3:15-18). Sometimes, while we know all our sins have been long paid for at the cross, our conscience may still have the sense of being soiled. The Lord has provided a means by which we can immediately be freed from the consciousness of our sins. Hebrews 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

An assurance of eternal life is provided to believers by God’s written Word.  

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that YE MAY KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Ephesians 3:12 In whom (In Christ) WE HAVE BOLDNESS AND ACCESS WITH CONFIDENCE BY THE FAITH OF HIM.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD

All the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s work and the power of Christ’s cross; thus they are secure “in Christ” forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; Col 2:6, 1Corinthians 1:4-8, Jude 1:24).  John says the “wicked one” (the Devil) cannot get a grip on those who are born of God. 1 John 5:18 (AMP) We know [absolutely] that anyone born of God does not [deliberately and knowingly] practice committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God (that is Jesus Christ) carefully watches over and protects him [Christ’s divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch [him].

It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s written word; which however clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as reason to yield “to the flesh” (Romans 13:13, 14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).