Is Salvation Obtained or to be Obtained?
2003-11-28 12:52
God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. The Bible refers to such a great salvation, through which we shall not perish but have eternal life in Christ Jesus, as the will of God. The Bible exhorts us, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2)."
Jesus Christ, the faithful Son God sent, fulfilled God's will by the death of man. It is written, "Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll--I have come to do your will, O God (Hebrews 10:7).'" And again, it is written, "'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work (John 4:34).'"
Jesus Christ, the faithful Son He sent, fulfilled His good, pleasing and perfect will by which God so loved the world, as it is written, "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30)."
God accomplished salvation for the world through Christ Jesus. God raised him from the dead and made him the hope of all believers. It is written, "Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:13-14)."
Then, is that salvation obtained or to be obtained? The Bible says about it, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)." The faith, through which we have been saved, is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
The Bible says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me (John 14:1)." It says that we are saved by hope, as well as by faith. It is written, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has (Romans 8:24)?" God accomplished salvation through Christ Jesus. We are only working it out in us by precious faith and hope.
The Bible says that we were saved and also shall be saved. It refers to salvation as "imperishable seed" and also "fruit to holiness." Seed is the Alpha; fruit is the Omega. It is written, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13)."
Therefore, salvation is the process of producing fruit from given seed. It is Christ the firstfruits who worked it out first in this world. Christ, our salvation, is "the way and the truth and the life." Every way has its end; we should come to the knowledge of the truth; the life grows to the fulfillment of hope. In order to fulfill all these things, God gave the gift of faith, hope and love to us who are being saved in our Lord Christ Jesus.
The Truth says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)." Salvation is not of yesterday or today or tomorrow. It is what God's will decided beforehand according to the foreknowledge of God in Christ Jesus from everlasting to everlasting. It is written, "...My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (John 5:17)."
Therefore, we can say, "We have been saved" or "We shall be saved." The Spirit of truth testified about the salvation by his apostle, "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life (Romans 5:9-10)!"
The Bible says, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippinas 2:12)." We have obtained salvation, and also are working it out. Faith, if it is not accompanied by salvation being worked out, is useless and dead.
The Spirit of truth surely lives with the believers. The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of His Son. The Bible says, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12)." Christ Jesus and those who have the Son are the children of God.
Salvation is what we are working out. It is testified, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Philippians 3:12)."
Salvation without fruit is not true. Thank you, Lord.
The least brother, Kim Yun-gu
Jesus Christ, the faithful Son God sent, fulfilled God's will by the death of man. It is written, "Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll--I have come to do your will, O God (Hebrews 10:7).'" And again, it is written, "'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work (John 4:34).'"
Jesus Christ, the faithful Son He sent, fulfilled His good, pleasing and perfect will by which God so loved the world, as it is written, "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30)."
God accomplished salvation for the world through Christ Jesus. God raised him from the dead and made him the hope of all believers. It is written, "Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:13-14)."
Then, is that salvation obtained or to be obtained? The Bible says about it, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)." The faith, through which we have been saved, is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
The Bible says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me (John 14:1)." It says that we are saved by hope, as well as by faith. It is written, "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has (Romans 8:24)?" God accomplished salvation through Christ Jesus. We are only working it out in us by precious faith and hope.
The Bible says that we were saved and also shall be saved. It refers to salvation as "imperishable seed" and also "fruit to holiness." Seed is the Alpha; fruit is the Omega. It is written, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13)."
Therefore, salvation is the process of producing fruit from given seed. It is Christ the firstfruits who worked it out first in this world. Christ, our salvation, is "the way and the truth and the life." Every way has its end; we should come to the knowledge of the truth; the life grows to the fulfillment of hope. In order to fulfill all these things, God gave the gift of faith, hope and love to us who are being saved in our Lord Christ Jesus.
The Truth says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)." Salvation is not of yesterday or today or tomorrow. It is what God's will decided beforehand according to the foreknowledge of God in Christ Jesus from everlasting to everlasting. It is written, "...My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (John 5:17)."
Therefore, we can say, "We have been saved" or "We shall be saved." The Spirit of truth testified about the salvation by his apostle, "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life (Romans 5:9-10)!"
The Bible says, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippinas 2:12)." We have obtained salvation, and also are working it out. Faith, if it is not accompanied by salvation being worked out, is useless and dead.
The Spirit of truth surely lives with the believers. The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of His Son. The Bible says, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12)." Christ Jesus and those who have the Son are the children of God.
Salvation is what we are working out. It is testified, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Philippians 3:12)."
Salvation without fruit is not true. Thank you, Lord.
The least brother, Kim Yun-gu
