The Foundation of Our Faith
Born again Christians have entered the gateway to a relationship with God by faith in Christ’s forgiveness for our sins by His death and resurrection. Through Christ’s gracious sacrifice, God sees us without fault and completely accepted by Him (Ephesians 2:7-9; Romans 3:21-25; Romans 10:9).
Our Relationship with God is Secure!
What is next step after salvation? It is vital to realize that as a Christian we are SECURE in our relationship with God. Why is this critical? We cannot grow in our faith and serve others well if we lack confidence that God accepts us. Otherwise, we will be distracted from serving God and others by wondering if God will reject us for some sin.
The Bible makes a great example in Ephesians 5:20-33. In this wonderful passage the Apostle Paul likens the relationship between Christ and the church (individual believers) to marriage. In the same way a married couple will find it difficult to grow in their love, intimacy and confidence in each other if they fear their partner will reject them, so a Christian will find it nearly impossible to grow in the love of God if they fear His repudiation.
Likewise, our loving God, who made and understands us, knows we cannot grow in His love without the confidence that He will not reject us. Wow, what a great promise!
So then, how can we know from scripture we are secure?
Direct statements - God states directly that we are secure (1 Peter 1:3-5; John 10:27-31; Romans 8:28-39).
Assurances - After we become a Christian by faith alone, we are not simply called a Christian, there is so much more. Our precious salvation provides wonderful, irreversible morphologic and legal assurances to our standing before God. No scripture indicates these assurances of salvation can ever be reversed returning us to our original corrupt and sinful selves. These assurances are linked to the security of our salvation which is discussed in another summary in the Teleios ‘Know the Bible’ section (under ‘Our great salvation’). Below is a short summary of our standing before God after we come to salvation by faith.
Legally innocent – We are declared ‘not guilty’; as in a court of law, this cannot be overturned (Romans 3:21-25)!
In God’s family – We are adopted as God’s children (Ephesians 1:5).
Possession – We are sealed by the Holy Spirit to salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:5).
Spiritual baptism – We are baptized a new person by the Holy Spirit, being made like Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:2-9)!
Perseverance – God Himself causes us to persevere through our life unto salvation, not by our own works and resources (2 Timothy 1:12; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Chosen – God chose us to salvation before the world began (Ephesians 1:4-5; Romans 8:28-20).
Wow, God is gracious to us! Because of our faith in Christ we are a new person who cannot be unmade, with legally unchangeable promises that guarantee our salvation. This comfort and confidence allow us to invest ourselves in knowing and serving God. We should not be burdened with guilt and worry over the status of God’s acceptance of us.
The certainty of our salvation is one of the great comforting promises of Scripture. It is our hope!
Thank you for joining me today. In the following blogs we will look at more detail of these assurances of salvation so you can gain a complete and joyful understanding of what God has done for us by grace. I look forward to seeing you then.
William C. Stewart, MD
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Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.
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