Your Relationship with God is Secure!
Welcome back to my blog. We began last week a series on our security of salvation. This is a critical point to understand from scripture.
Christians have entered the gateway to a relationship with God by faith in Christ’s forgiveness for our sins by His death on the cross. Through His gracious sacrifice, God sees us without fault and completely accepted by Him (Ephesians 2:7-9; Romans 3:21-25; Romans 10:9).
However, after salvation, it is vital to realize that as Christians we are SECURE in our relationship with God. In providing salvation, God also has graciously given us promises and positions that cannot be broken.
Why is this critical? We cannot grow in our faith and serve others well if we lack confidence that God accepts us.
Last week we discussed the important concept of our justification before God; that He sees us without sin based on the forgiveness by faith through Christ. This week let us examine two other great promises that point to our permanent relationship with God that cannot be broken.
Adoption
When a family legally adopts a child, the new family member gains all the rights and privileges of a naturally-born offspring (2). In other words, their new status in the family is permanent and cannot be overturned. What great security to the adopted child!
Likewise, in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, generally comparable to our own society, adoption provided permanent legal status for a child that could not be overturned (3).
The Apostle Paul states our status as adopted children into God’s family in four separate places in his epistles, indicating the importance of our assurance following accepting Christ as Savior through faith (Romans 8:15,23; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:5). Consequently, we are children of God, adopted into His family with legal protection and a permanent status. What a great promise!
God’s possession
The wonderful story of our being the possession of God starts in Exodus 19:5-6 when our Father told the redeemed Israelites that He intended them to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His special possession. However, they failed in their commitment to God and sinned against Him. Therefore, they did not become the kingdom of priests or holy nation that God desired. Nonetheless, God will keep His promise to Israel – that the nation will be His eternal possession (Psalm 89; Psalms 132:11-17; Romans 11:26-29).
However, through Christ’s death on the cross, He redeemed us (purchasing us at the cross) and thereby enabled us to become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His special possession (1 Peter 2:9).
The Spirit’s sealing – We are marked as God’s possession at salvation when the Holy Spirit is given to us as God’s down payment to completing our full redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9). This is a great promise and is a part of the results of our belief to salvation by faith alone in Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Seals were used in the ancient world as a legal means to make a document official. If a king had gave a new order, molten wax might be poured on the document to seal it and the king’s signet ring pressed into the wax. The king’s symbol in the wax would tell the carrier or the recipient that the contents of the document were the king’s will and breaking the seal inappropriately or ignoring the order was done at a person’s own peril (4).
We are sealed by our King and it reflects the same legal and unbreakable character as ancient law. Further, the Spirit seals us throughout our whole life on earth as God’s own possession, until we go to heaven. Importantly, all those who believe by grace in Christ’s forgiveness on the cross are Christians and possess the Spirit and the seal (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9).
Thank you for visiting my blog. Surely, we have a wonderful God who has provided for us a great salvation which is secure, embedded in his great promises, that cannot be overturned. He deserves our thanks and praise every day for this kind provision. Join me again next time as we continue discuss the great promises that provide our security in our salvation.
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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