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What about Israel’s future?

Folks, I have been doing a survey of Premillennialism and this is the section concerning God’s covenant faithfulness to His elect nation of Israel. I wanted to communicate this all at once for those who have interested in this, therefore it is lengthy, but not too long as it is just a brief overview of the topic and not a comprehensive treatise. Whether you are a Premillennialist or not, there is a profound number of promises made by God to the ethnic nation of Israel and one must consider how they interpret these matters. Here is the view of one Historic Premillennialist.

What about Israel’s future?

One important feature of Premillennialism is the insistence by most that the ethnic nation of Israel will be regathered in Palestine in the last days (largely fulfilled in 1948), when the Lord will supernaturally bring salvation to Israel as a nation, and then and there fulfill many promises made to them in the Old Testament that have yet to come to pass in history. These promises have to do with the land of Palestine and the city of Jerusalem, where the worship of God in Israel at Jerusalem will be a prominent feature among all the nations coming worship God when also God’s blessing upon the whole regathered nation of Israel will result in God exalting them above all the nations of the world. This idea is commonly called the Restoration of Israel, meaning the ethnic nation of Jews in contrast to the idea of the Israel of God which many Amillennialists refer to being the church (made up of believing Jews and Gentiles… Gal 6:16) that has superseded Israel (also called Replacement Theology). Premillennialists read these promises in the Old Testament and believe they must have a literal fulfilment in history in order for God to remain faithful to His Word, and so they look forward to the Second Coming and the Millennial Kingdom where God will fulfill these promises to Israel. It is typically the hermeneutic (method of interpretation) that Premillennialists use (literal-grammatical-historical) that drives them to this belief. This is held in contrast commonly to the hermeneutic of Amillennialists (redemptive historical) where they read these Old Testament prophecies as typology (types, symbols, shadows) of Messianic salvation in the church having there fulfilment in the New Covenant realities of the church age and the Eternal state. This Amillennial view of Israel is often called “Supercessionism” or “Replacement Theology.” These two different ways of interpreting the bible make a stark contrast when it comes to the Millennial Kingdom and also the fulfilment of God’s promises to the ethnic nation of Israel, which Premillennialists believe is yet to come to pass in history. Therefore Premillennialists see many of these promises in the Old Testament coming to pass in the Millennial age, before the Eternal state, and this Millennial age is often called the “Intermediate Kingdom.” In what follows briefly I want to just make you aware of the New Testament teaching on Israel’s future restoration by God and also some of these promises in the Old Testament that clearly inform us of the nature and scope of that last days restoration of Israel according to God’s eternal purpose.

I cannot now give an exhaustive treatment of Supercessionism and the issue of distinctions between Israel and the Church (Continuity and Discontinuity) in this teaching. Let me suffice to say that being a committed Premillennialist I hold a certain level of Discontinuity, that is that Israel is distinct from the Church, even in the New Covenant age in some degree. The New Testament clearly teaches that believing Israelites become one body and temple together with the Gentile church in Christ (Eph 2:11-22), and that in Christ the racial and religious barriers are broken down (Gal 3:28) through the sonship and peace that Christ brings, especially in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 3:26-29 – 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. NASB

Clearly, Jew and Gentile become heirs together of God’s Abrahamic Covenant and brought into the privilege and blessing of sonship. This does not however remove the Jewish identity of ethnic Israel any more than it removes our gender identity of male and female. In what follows I will show that God does indeed have eschatological purposes for the ethnic nation of Israel, and in the last days He will exalt them above all the nations of the world under the Kingship of Jesus in the Millennium. This He does according to His Covenant faithfulness to them where He will literally fulfill all the promises He has made to them. There are no grounds for somehow assuming that God has cancelled or forgotten His promises to Israel just because Jewish nation has rejected Christ as a whole, and that now individual Jews can be brought into Messianic salvation by grace through faith. What is at stake here is the character and nature of God and His Word in being faithful to fulfill His promises in spite of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, something the prophets emphasized. This is the subject of Paul explicit treatment of the issue of God’s elective purposes for Israel and their eschatological fulfilment in the last days in the book of Romans chapters 9-11. One must understand that Paul is a converted Jewish Pharisee, and writing from the perspective of someone who knows and understands the entire Old Testament. He assumes that those who read his letters have some exposure to the rich Old Testament narrative and prophecies, something which is very much neglected in our day and time.

The Future Restoration and Salvation of Israel

The New Testament clearly lays out a future restoration and salvation for the ethnic nation of Israel. This comes in a key section of the New Testament where Paul is giving a treatment on the ethnic nation of Israel, specifically in regard to God’s election of them, His faithfulness to them (even though they rebelled), and the nature and scope of God’s present and future purposes for them. After bringing up the “Israelites,” (Roman 9:4) Paul goes into a lengthy treatment in Romans chapters 9-11 discussing the election of Israel, God’s faithfulness according to His electing purposes for them, and their present and future state.

Romans 9:1-6 – 1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; NASB

This treatment of ethnic Israel in Romans 9-11 can be seen in an overview in this outline.

I. Israel’s Past: The Election of God 9:1-29

A. Paul’s Sorrow 9:1-5

B. God’s Sovereignty 9:6-29

II. Israel’s Present: The Rejection of God 9:30—10:21

A. Israel Seeks Righteousness by Works 9:30-33

B. Israel Rejects Christ 10:1-15

C. Israel Rejects the Prophets 10:16-21

III. Israel’s Future: The Restoration by God 11

A. Israel’s Rejection Is Not Total 11:1-10

B. Israel’s Rejection Is Not Final 11:11-32

C. Israel’s Restoration: The Occasion for 11:33-36

Glorifying God

(from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

When Paul arrives in chapter 11, he begins to deal with Israel’s rejection of Christ, its consequences upon them in the present age, and God’s faithfulness in His election of them to save them finally, in spite of their hardened hearts. This we know that God finally does for the sake of His own glory and faithfulness, but nevertheless it results in a powerful salvation and restoration of Israel in the last days. In verse 11:1-10 Paul makes the point that their rejection is not total in that even now in the church age some Israelites are being saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and Paul refers to these Messianic believing Jews as a “remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5).

Romans 11:1-6 – 11 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 "Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, they have torn down Thine altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life." 4 But what is the divine response to him? "I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. NASB

There is then a remnant chosen by grace, who through election and regeneration believe in Christ and are saved (like us Gentiles), and the rest of the Israelites in this present age (Church Age… times of the Gentiles) are given a blindness and hardening by God to the Gospel.

Romans 11:7-10 – 7 What then? That which Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; 8 just as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day." 9 And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, And a stumbling block and a retribution to them. 10 "Let their eyes be darkened to see not, And bend their backs forever." NASB

Now in verse 11-32 Paul makes the point that even though they have received a blindness and hardening by God in the present age, their rejection of Christ is not final and they will again be restored by God, because of God’s faithfulness in electing them for blessing and privilege. So Paul argues that they will not be totally cut off, but finally restored and saved by God and in God’s time. Paul argument progresses and builds to include the supernatural work of God and re-grafting Israel back into the olive tree (the true and genuine elect of God). Notice how in this text/context that Israel (they, their, them) is set in contrast to the believing elect/chosen Jews (v-1,5) and Gentiles(v-7,12-13) who are described as (you, your).

Romans 11:11-24 – 11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 And if the first piece of dough be holy, the lump is also; and if the root be holy, the branches are too. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? NASB

Paul has built the argument to this point to set this important and fundamental point of God’s covenant faithfulness in view. Israel was “cut off” for unbelief, blindness and hardness of heart, but God will for the sake of His great name, electing love and covenant faithfulness graft them back in in spite of their sin, and bring about a supernatural restoration and salvation of the whole ethnic nation of “Israel,” who is clearly in this context the blood descendants of “Jacob.”

Romans 11:25-27 – 25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob." 27 "And this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." NASB

He furthers the contrast of the unbelieving ethnic nation of Jews with the elect Jew/Gentle believers in verses 28-32, calling them beloved enemies of God who have an irrevocable calling from God by His election, and that ultimately in the same way He saved us Gentiles through His mercy in the Gospel, He will again save them through His mercy verse 31.

Romans 11:28-32 – 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all. NASB

Don’t miss this important last verse 32. God has allowed Jew and Gentile to go astray in sin so that He might manifest the glory of His mercy upon them all. This absolutely incredible thing that God has done with the nation of Israel in redemptive History, including the mystery of the Gospel in saving the Gentile Church, is an astounding epic saga of events that has taken thousands of years to unfold. During this time Israel has been scattered among the nations of the world, sorely pressed, harassed, persecuted and hated, which is exactly what He said would happen to them by the mouths of the prophets. And through it all, they were without a homeland, having been dispersed from the Land of Judea, and yet God has supernaturally preserved them as a nation of people for the grand finale, which is His glorious Millennial Kingdom He will bring about in Judea in the last days. There He will fulfill all His covenant promises to Israel as He brings the whole remnant of the nation under the salvation of Christ, through the Gospel and saving faith. This special election of Israel and His plan for them through the ages is an event of ineffable glory that brings the Apostle to doxology and praise for God’s unsearchable wisdom.

Romans 11:33-36 – 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. NASB

This we know that God finally does for the sake of His own glory and faithfulness, but nevertheless it results in a powerful salvation and restoration of Israel in the last days.

This idea that Israel would go through a time of blindness, hardening and judgment from God, was mentioned in the Old Testament, but not clearly understood until the fuller light and revelation of the New Testament, revealing of the mystery of the Gospel and the times of the Gentile’s salvation.

Hosea 3:4-5 – 4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days. NASB

In light of the history of Israel and Judaism in the last 2000 years, Hosea’s prophecy is clearly seen to be fulfilled during the times of the Gentiles. We clearly see that the Jews have remained “for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.” But the prophecy has a glorious end for the wandering Jews that have been scattered to every nation under Heaven, exiled from the land of promise. But let us see Paul’s promise that Israel will be saved in the last days confirmed in the mouth of the prophet Hosea in verse 5, “Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.” You see, Redemptive history is unfolding and God has grand plans for the future of Israel and their final salvation. We now know that God has a Messianic saving purpose for the Gentile church and that Israel is blinded and hardened as judgment from God as a result of the rejection of Christ. But God will clearly save and restore them when the “times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled. Then God will again move to regather, save, and restore the glory of Israel in the last days. This makes so many of the Old Testament passages that refer to Israel’s gory in the last days finally make sense, in light of their hardening and rejection of the Christ. They are seen in the prophets of being under the judgment of exile and dispersion (diaspora) by God, until in the last days God once again regathers them in the land of Judea to bring about a national Messianic salvation for them, for the sake of His own glory and covenant faithfulness, and in spite of their disobedience and rebellion against Him.

Zechariah 12:6-14 – 6 "In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. 7 "The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first in order that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah. 8 "In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. 9 "And it will come about in that day that I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. 11 "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 "And the land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves. NASB

There is much happening in this text in Zechariah that concerns the last days and Israel. But what I want you to see here is that Messianic salvation will come to the entire ethnic nation, just as Paul described in Romans and Hosea referred to. Notice verse 7, the “Lord will save the tents of Judah,” and also the “house of David.” Hardly words describing a few individual Jewish converts to Christianity. Zechariah goes on, verses 10-12 to describe this massive regeneration of the whole Jewish population in Jerusalem, as they see Christ and mourn over the fact that they killed their own Messiah. "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.” By God’s grace in bringing about regeneration for the whole nation they come to see Christ as Savior and in mourning and repentance they come trembling to God, who cleanses away their sins.

Zechariah 13:1 – 13 "In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. NASB

This will come about at the Second Coming of Christ when He has returned to destroy the kings of the earth who have gathered in Judea (Megiddo-Armegeddon) to make war against Him (Psa 2:1-5, Rev 16:13-16, 19:17-21).

Zechariah 14:1-5 – 14 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. 5 And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! NASB

Did God forget this prophecy? Is he really going to pour out a spirit of grace and supplication upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and then come to save them with all of His holy ones stepping on the Mount of Olives and splitting it into a great valley? Yes indeed He is, and then he will rule the nations with a rod of iron, and His saints with Him (Psa 2:6-9, Rev 2:27, 12:5, 19:15). Zechariah goes onto speak of Christ ruling “over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one.”

Zechariah 14:9-11 – 9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one. 10 All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 And people will live in it, and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security. NASB

We will treat these passages further below concerning the Millennial Rule of Christ. But consider first concerning Israel’s final salvation, that it is an all important part of the promise of the New Covenant in Christ.

Israel and the New Covenant

The New Covenant salvation that has come in the Lord Jesus Christ is not entirely or exclusively a Gentile salvation. It is actually, “first to the Jew, and then to the Gentile” (Rom 1:16). God’s New Covenant is a Covenant that He has first promised to the “house of Israel and Judah.” This is a reference to the entire nation of Israel before the Kingdoms where divided into two Kingdoms, Israel to the North and Judah to the South after the reign of David’s son Solomon. The Gentile’s have through the mystery of the Gospel become heirs together with Israel in the New Covenant blessings and brought into the household of God through faith in Christ (Eph 2:11-22). But they have been brought into the “covenants of promise” which have always and still do belong to ethnic Israel.

Ephesians 2:11-13 – 11 Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands — 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. NASB

I point this out simply to say that the New Covenant bears within it the final salvation of the whole nation of Israel, not just a believing remnant during the times of the Gentiles, as Paul clearly taught in Romans 11. There remains a day yet future when God will save the nation just like Paul, and Hosea, and Zechariah have confirmed.

It is important to take notice that Israel’s privilege and blessing is always tied together with their prosperity in the land that God promised to them in the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex 3:8, Deut 11:9). When Israel obeyed God they would live in prosperity in the land. And when they rebelled and disobeyed they would be exiled from the land. This Moses taught them again and again.

Deuteronomy 11:8-17 – 8 "You shall therefore keep every commandment which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land into which you are about to cross to possess it; 9 so that you may prolong your days on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land, into which you are entering to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you used to sow your seed and water it with your foot like a vegetable garden. 11 But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year. 13 "And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15 And He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware, lest your hearts be deceived and you turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 17 Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you. NASB

In fact, Moses (Deut 28) and the prophets prophesied that Israel would continue to rebel and disobey God until ultimately they would be exiled from the land and dispersed and scattered among all the nations of the world. This dispersion would last for many years until in the last days God would again regather them in the land, and because of His mercy and faithfulness, and His promises by Covenant to them, would bring about a great restoration in the land, with prosperity and blessing, which includes the amazing Messianic salvation of God through Christ, when God removes their iniquities, and remembers their sins no more. This will happen when God brings about saving faith through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit for the entire remnant of Israel. But this salvation of Israel also includes their dwelling in the land, which is finally fulfilled in the great Millennial Kingdom upon the earth where Christ the King of Israel will rule the nations of the world, and Israel will be exalted above all the nations of the earth, and a Jew will rule the world!

Jeremiah 31:23-40 – 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes, ‘The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill!’ 24 "And Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 25 "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes." 26 At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. 27 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 "And it will come about that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the Lord. 29 "In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 "But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. 31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, "declares the Lord. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 35 Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name: 36 "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the Lord, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever." 37 Thus says the Lord, "If the heavens above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done," declares the Lord. 38 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 "And the measuring line shall go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 "And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord; it shall not be plucked up, or overthrown anymore forever." NASB

You see that God will take the “house of Israel and Judah” and will make a New Covenant with them, verse 31, and He will "put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Here is a clear reference to the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, writing the law on the heart. But notice God emphasizes the faithfulness of this promises saying, “36 "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the Lord, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever." I will fulfill this promise to the “nation” of Israel as surely as the sun shines every day and the moon shines every night. This regenerating last days salvation that God promised also appears in the prophecy of Ezekiel. Here again notice that the national salvation of Israel is tied to them dwelling in the land. This national salvation is also spoken of by Ezekiel in great detail. After Israel’s rebellion against God and defiling of their land, they will be scattered by God among the nations, where they will also “profane His name among the nations.”

Ezekiel 36:16-21 – 16 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 17 "Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. 18 "Therefore, I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 "Also I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 "When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land.’ 21 "But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. NASB

But for the sake of God’s holy name, He will “vindicate the holiness of my great name” by taking Israel from “all the nations” where they have been scattered, and “gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.” Moreover He will regenerate their hearts and put His Spirit in them and cause them to obey Him and there “you will live in the land” where God will bring great prosperity upon them.

Ezekiel 36:22-36 – 22 "Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God," It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. 23 "And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord," declares the Lord God, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 "And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. 29 "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. 30 "And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, that you may not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 "I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord God, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!" 33 ‘Thus says the Lord God, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34 "And the desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passed by. 35 "And they will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36 "Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it." NASB

Here we have seen in Ezekiel 36 that there will come a day that the entire nation of Israel will be regenerated by God, after He regathers them into the land. This was Jeremiah’s promise of a New Covenant where He would "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Jer 31:33). That is an almost verbatim quote of Ezekiel 36:26-28 which clearly connects the New Covenant with the latter days regeneration of the ethnic nation of Israel, where they will be regathered and settled by God in the land to experience the blessing and prosperity. This God will do to vindicate His own name, when He restores His wayward people and plants them in the land “Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it.” Those who say this salvation of Israel is somehow fulfilled by a Jew simply believing the Gospel and being brought into the church (New Covenant) are dismissing important faithful promises that God has made to save His own covenant people whom He promised He would regather and plant in the land for the sake of His own glory and faithfulness. Did God forget this prophecy? Is He really going to do this? Consider that He has made the same prophecy to regather in the land and bless and prosper Israel by the mouth of no less than Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. Consider with this knowledge what is going through Paul’s mind when he wrote Romans 11, “all Israel will be saved.” He knows all too well the incredible promises that God has made to Israel and the God will for His own sake and faithfulness make these promises good!

Gather them in the land to dwell

These “covenants of promise” that Paul mentioned in Ephesians 2:12 center on the final and complete salvation of God’s elect people Israel whom He will not forget, but will indeed bring about a great last days salvation for them, in their land, under the blessing and prosperity that will last forever, from that day forward. You have to have blinders on not to see the huge importance of this last days salvation in the Old Testament, and you have to dismiss some very specific promises made with very specific circumstances. Or you can choose to believe that God means what He says and He will bring it to pass. This is seen most clearly in His promise to regather Israel into the land, regenerate them, and bless them and prosper them, which will include the Messiah reigning over them as King, in the land, and them being exalted above all the nations of the world.

Jeremiah 23:3-8 – 3 "Then I Myself shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and shall bring them back to their pasture; and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 "I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. 5 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. 6 "In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’ 7 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil." NASB

Jeremiah 30:3-4,10-11 – 3 ‘For, behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall possess it.’" 4 Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah, 10 ‘And fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord, ‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, And no one shall make him afraid. 11 ‘For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you; For I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you, Only I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly, And will by no means leave you unpunished.’ NASB

Here see that God has regathered “the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them, then they will live on their own soul.” How could this prophecy possibly be fulfilled in the NT church? First, it is for the descendants of the household of Israel and Judah, who are also called Jacob. Second, it is a promise of a regathering of God’s people whom He has driven them (something that hasn’t happened to the church). Third, it is a promise for them to possess “their own soil.” The church has no land promises from God, but the descendants of Israel who have been scattered by God indeed have promises of land which God will restore to be “their own soil.” This regathering in the land includes the New Covenant promise of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. This is what the famous “valley of dry bones” prophecy in Ezekiel is about!

Ezekiel 37:11-14 – 11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.‘ 12 "Therefore prophesy, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God," Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 "Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 "And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it," declares the Lord.’" NASB

But Ezekiel goes on to promise the reuniting of the two divided Kingdoms (Israel and Judah), in the land, on the mountains of Israel, with one King ruling them, and them being cleansed from their sins and reconciled to God, “they will be My people, and I will be their God.”

Ezekiel 37:21-23 – 21 "And say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God," Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 "And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. NASB

The regathering and regeneration is a theme in Ezekiel and does not just appear in chapters 36 and 37, but also in other places.

Ezekiel 11:14-21 – 14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 "Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; this land has been given us as a possession.’ 16 "Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God," Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone. "’ 17 "Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God," I shall gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I shall give you the land of Israel. "’ 18 "When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 "And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. 21 "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I shall bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord God. NASB

And Jeremiah and Ezekiel are not the only prophets to give these promises from God to Israel. Indeed no less than the great prophet Isaiah told of them same regathering after their great dispersion (diaspora) among the nations, at the time Messiah (the root of Jesse) is exalted among the nations.

Isaiah 11:10-12 – 10 Then it will come about in that day That the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious. 11 Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea. 12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations, And will assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. NASB

And also the prophet Amos writes of a time when Israel will be planted “on their own land” but also, “not again be rooted out from their which I have given them.”

Amos 9:14-15 – 14 "Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them, They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 "I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them, "Says the Lord your God. NASB

And Zephaniah tells of that great and awesome Day of the Lord’s wrath at which time He will regather Zion and exalt them among the nations and “restore your fortunes before your very eyes.”

Zephaniah 3:18-20 – 18 "I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts — They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them. 19 "Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth. 20 "At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes, "Says the Lord. NASB

Zechariah writes of God saving the house of Judah and Joseph, and Ephraim and gathering them together “into the land of Gilead and Lebanon” after they have been scattered.

Zechariah 10:6-10 – 6 "And I shall strengthen the house of Judah, And I shall save the house of Joseph, And I shall bring them back, Because I have had compassion on them; And they will be as though I had not rejected them, For I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them. 7 "And Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as if from wine; Indeed, their children will see it and be glad, Their heart will rejoice in the Lord. 8 "I will whistle for them to gather them together, For I have redeemed them; And they will be as numerous as they were before. 9 "When I scatter them among the peoples, They will remember Me in far countries, And they with their children will live and come back. 10 "I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria; And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no room can be found for them. NASB

All of these promises from all of these prophets to scatter and disperse them to all the nations, and to regather Israel into the land, regenerate them, and bless them and prosper them, are in fact the very thing that Moses said would happen to them when they got into the land and rebelled against God.

Deuteronomy 4:25-31 – 25 "When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you shall surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but shall be utterly destroyed. 27 And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where the Lord shall drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. NASB

And even Moses speaks of that latter days salvation and restoration upon Israel, not for their sake, but because “God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” See here the record of Israel’s final salvation in the Old Testament spoken 3400 years by the mouth of God’s prophet Moses before it ever comes to pass in history. This overwhelming set of promises that we have seen from all these prophets concerning Israel’s latter days salvation, regathering in the land, blessings and prosperity from then on and forever, and for the sake of God’s own name and faithfulness, is summed up in Jeremiah’s second mention of the New Covenant. There God promises “with all My heart and with all My soul” to not only save them and their children in perpetuity by regeneration, but also to plant them in the land and prosper them from then on and forever. Here also here defines their inheritance as the entire land of Judea in verse 32:44.

Jeremiah 32:37-44 – 37 "Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. 38 "And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them. 40 "And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 "And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. 42 "For thus says the Lord, ‘Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them. 43 ‘And fields shall be bought in this land of which you say, "It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans." 44 ‘Men shall buy fields for money, sign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the Negev; for I will restore their fortunes,‘ declares the Lord." NASB

One must see that is blasphemy to think or say that God will not carry out these promises to the descendants of those Israelites that He punished in His wrath, (the objects of this discourse v-37), especially because in verses 41-42 He emphatically makes the point that He will make good on His promises to them; "41 And I will rejoice over them to do them good, “and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. 42 "For thus says the Lord, ‘Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them.” This is not a promise to the New Testament Gentile Church, but a people that God has brought great disaster upon in His wrath whom He will specifically “restore their fortunes.” These amazing prophecies of God’s faithful promises to Israel should cause us to wonder and awe at the amazing miraculous spectacle that the latter days salvation and restoration of Israel will be. And added to these great promises of being regathered and restored and saved in regeneration (New Covenant), is the great promise of Jesus’ Messianic Rule over the nations, from Jerusalem, in the land of Palestine (Israel), when a Jew rules the world!

The Millennial Rule of Christ from Jerusalem

Not only will God regather Israel into the land of Palestine with blessing and prosperity, and also regenerate all of the living nation of ethnic Israel at the Second Coming, but the prophets have said that when He does this Christ the Messiah will also reign as King over the entire world from Jerusalem, with the whole house of Israel and Judah in the land, and even His New Testament Gentile saints (the Church) ruling with Him. There will come a day yet future when God will establish Christ’s throne and kingdom and He will rule all other nations. His kingdom will never end or be destroyed.

Isaiah 9:6-7 – 6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. NASB

Daniel 2:44 – 44"And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. NASB

Revelation 11:15 – 15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." NASB

He will Judge the nations with justice and they will obey and serve Him.

Psalm 67:4 – 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For Thou wilt judge the peoples with uprightness, And guide the nations on the earth. NASB

Psalm 96:13 – 13 Before the Lord, for He is coming; For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, And the peoples in His faithfulness. NASB

Acts 17:30-31 – 30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." NASB

Jesus will be the ruler of the nations of the earth, the kings and people of the earth will be in subjection to Him and will serve Him. The extent of this rule will be worldwide including people from every tribe and language.

Psalms 72:10-11 – 10Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. 11And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him. NASB

Daniel 7:13-14 – 13"I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14"And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. NASB

Psalm 72:8-11 – May he also rule from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Let the nomads of the desert bow before him; And his enemies lick the dust. 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. 11 And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him. NASB

Moreover, this rule is a forceful rule. This implies that the existence and presence of sin and rebellion among the nations that will still exist in a world where Christ is implementing the enforcement of His government. This will obviously be before the New Heavens and Earth, and yet after His Second Coming during an “intermediate Kingdom” (the Millennium), for Christ does not now use a forceful rule over the rebellious nations in the Church Age. Christ will yield exceeding great power over them and they shall live under His rule or be destroyed.

Zechariah 14:16-20 – 16Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 17And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. NASB

Psalm 110:5-6 – 5The Lord is at Thy right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. 6 He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. NASB

Psalm 2:8-12 – 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession. 9 ‘Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.‘" 10Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11Worship the Lord with reverence, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

When the man Christ Jesus reigns as King over all the earth, His throne will be located in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, in the midst of the ethnic nation of Israel. At this time God will restore His people Israel to Himself, and they will dwell in the land of Israel which He promised to them, under the rule of the One King Jesus.

Psalm 2:6 – 6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." NASB

Isaiah 24:23 – 23 Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders. NASB

Micah 4:7 – 7"I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcasts a strong nation, And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever. NASB

Ezekiel 37:21-22 – 21"And say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God," Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.

Joel 3:16-21 – 16 And the Lord roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel. 17 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more. 18 And it will come about in that day That the mountains will drip with sweet wine, And the hills will flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; And a spring will go out from the house of the Lord, To water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt will become a waste, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent blood. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever, And Jerusalem for all generations. 21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the Lord dwells in Zion. NASB

Luke 1:31-33 – 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." NASB

Israel will be exalted above all other nations in that day, and God will restore their fortunes.

Isaiah 49:22-23 – 22 Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, And set up My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. 23 "And kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am the Lord; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame. NASB

Zephaniah 3:20 – 20 "At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes," Says the Lord. NASB

Isaiah 60:9-14 – "Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the Lord your God, And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you. 10 "And foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you. 11 "And your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, With their kings led in procession. 12 "For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish, And the nations will be utterly ruined. 13 "The glory of Lebanon will come to you, The juniper, the box tree, and the cypress together, To beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I shall make the place of My feet glorious. 14 "And the sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. NASB

In this Kingship, all the nations of the earth will come and pay homage to Jesus the King. ALL the nations will come and worship the Lord Jesus and acknowledge His Deity and Lordship.

Psalm 86:9-10 – 9 All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; And they shall glorify Thy name. 10For Thou art great and doest wondrous deeds; Thou alone art God. NASB

Psalm 22:27-28 – 27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. NASB

Psalm 102:21-22 – 21 That men may tell of the name of the Lord in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem; 22 When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord. NASB

Isaiah 2:2-4 – 2 Now it will come about that In the last days, The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.

3 And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways, And that we may walk in His paths. "For the law will go forth from Zion, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Zechariah 14:16-20 – 16Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 17And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. NASB

Revelation 15:1 – 4 "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For all the nations will come and worship before Thee, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed." NASB

This will happen during the Millennium, after the Second Coming and salvation of Israel, when Christ is physically present. This is obviously not something that happens during the Church Age, because the nations are in rebellion and the people of God are under violent persecution. This has characterized the Church Age since it began. But Christ will come in power and glory and bring judgment upon all nations and establish His powerful Kingdom at which time both Israel and the Church will be exalted and privileged. The kings of the earth will fear the Lord after He has “appeared in His glory.”

Psalm 102:15-16 – 15 So the nations will fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Thy glory. 16 For the Lord has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory. NASB

Christ also promised His Church (when writing to the seven churches of Revelation) that they would rule the nations with a forceful reign with Him when He comes.

Revelation 2:26-27 – 26 ‘And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; NASB

Revelation 5:9-10 – 9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 "And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. NASB

The fulfilment of that promise for the saints to reign comes in Revelation 20 at the Second Coming of Christ during the Millennium (1000 years).

Revelation 20:4-6 – 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. NASB

It was a specific promise to His disciples (the Twelve) that they would eventually sit on thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel. This means they must be resurrected from the dead to reign over Israel, just like Revelation 20 says they will.

Matthew 19:28 – 28 And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. NASB

Luke 22:28-30 – 28 "And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. NASB

This reign of the saints and authority over the nations to judge is familiar in the New Testament.

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 – 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life? NASB

2 Timothy 2:12 – 12 If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; NASB

This reign of the saints is clearly predicted in the Old Testament prophecy of Daniel. He spoke of the time when the Messiah would finally receive the Kingdoms of all the nations in chapter 7. Just before this happens, the Antichrist (the little horn) will come and wage war on God’s Saints, for 3.5 years (v-25 the time of the great tribulation), until the time comes for them to possess the Kingdom v-21-22. Then Antichrist is destroyed v-26, and the Saints receive the Kingdom with the Messianic King Jesus and authority over the nations. The reign of the saints over all the kingdoms of the world is spoken of with specific precision in v-27 as “Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One.” See here in Daniel’s prophecy the reign of the saints after the Second Coming, which is also clearly portrayed in the narrative of the Second Coming in Revelation 19 where the Antichrist is destroyed v-19:20 and in Revelation 20:4-6 wherein the “come to life and reign with Him for 1000 years.” It is at this time that the saints will judge the world as Paul said (1 Cor 6:2) and will “rule the nations with a rod of iron” just as Jesus promised them (Rev 2:26-27).

Daniel 7:21-28 – 21 "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. 23 "Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 24 ‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. 25 ‘And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 26 ‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. 27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ NASB

See in all these prophetic texts several clear realities which have yet to happen in history. In the last days Israel will be saved and restored by God, and Jesus will rule them and the nations in the land.

Heavens Light 8-23-16 In His Image – Living in the Glory of the Cross

Sanctification

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASB

The Gospel – Living in the glory of the Cross and our ongoing failures

In summary we have learned that the chief purpose of God in our salvation is to conform us into the image of Christ and cause us to bear the image in greater degree through the course of our Christian life (Sanctification). This is because God’s delights in His own excellency and nature above all other things, and it is therefore the greatest gift that God can give us to make us like Christ and conform us into His image. As we have seen, sanctification is that work of God conforming us into the image of Christ progressively over time.We have noted that it is a cooperative process where we are also called to exert effort and diligence to see it come to fruition. God works in sanctification and we work. It is an ongoing cooperative process. God’s work is primary and our effort is secondary. Therefore we are called to God-dependent effort throughout the New Testament.

As we look to God in faith in seeking these virtues, and seek the filling of the Holy Spirit, we receive power from God both to put off the old nature and to put on the new. This calling to exert effort is what we call imperatives. They are commandments, exhortations and admonitions to obedience. This dependence of looking to God for His power is an exercise of our faith in God’s promises to lead us, guide, us and fulfill His good work in us and through us. And this faith is belief in God’s Word and based upon the grace that God has shown us in Christ, through His good work in the Gospel, and the sufficient grace for us to persevere in faith to the end of our life that is our possession because of Christ. Not only has God promised that we are now justified by grace, through faith in Christ alone, but He has promised to fulfill His good work of sanctification in us causing us to bear His image in greater degree over time until the Day of Christ when we are finally glorified.

Help I am not holy yet!

But how do we deal with our constant failures and shortcomings? There are so many imperative calls to virtue and actions in the Bible that I cannot possible fulfill them. There are so many prohibitions I regularly seem to break God’s good rules for life and sin against Him and others that I love. Since the standard that we strive to achieve in Sanctification is the image and likeness of Christ, we will never actually attain that in our practice in this life. Therefore we will frequently find ourselves falling short of the mark and continuing to struggle against personal sins, either sins of commission (doing things we shouldn’t), or sins of omission (failing to do things we should). At times it can be downright despairing to see our own weakness and inept ability to be like Christ in our daily Christian practice. It is not that the divine resources aren’t there to help us to be like Jesus, we just seem to fail in our ability to appropriate those resources or we forget they are there or become distracted by the busy world around us.

But we cannot forget the awesome and glorious free grace of the Gospel and the positional holiness that is already ours in Christ. God has forgiven all of our sins through faith in Christ and removed them as far as the east is from the west, put them behind His back, drowned them in the deepest part of the sea, and blotted them from our record. In fact he has so completely dealt with and removed our sins that He can say that we are holy and blameless and free from accusation!

Psalm 103:12 – 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. NASB

Isaiah 38:17 – 17 "Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is Thou who hast kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back. NASB

Micah 7:19 – 19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. NASB

Isaiah 43:25 – 25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. NASB

Colossians 1:21-22 – 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach NASB

Ephesians 1:4-7 – 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace NASB

And all of this forgiveness and grace come to us, “freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” We did not earn it in any way, rather we were guilty of hundreds of crimes against God. But He has freely forgiven us by grace through faith in Christ alone, it is NOT a result of works. By Christ perfect life and death on the cross, He has paid the penalty for our sins in full and merited for us a life of perfect obedience to God’s Law on our behalf.

Romans 3:23-24 – 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; NASB

Ephesians 2:8-9 – 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. NASB

Hebrews 10:10, 14 – 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all….. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. NASB

God has also promised to see us through the end of life and perfect that good work in us that He started, and ultimately raise us up after death with Christ in glory (Glorification), never to die again, but to live in His good presence to bless us forever.

Philippians 1:6 – 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. NASB

John 6:39 – 39 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. NASB

John 10:27-28 – "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. NASB

John 11:25-26 – 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" NASB

1 Corinthians 6:14 – 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. NASB

1 Peter 1:3-5 – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. NASB

Now all of these and many more good promises in the Word are ours because of Christ (2 Cor 1:20). All of this good grace of God is already ours because of Christ and it can never be taken away. Therefore regardless of how we perform throughout the Christian life, God’s good favor toward us never comes into question, but because we have been adopted as His children, He only has good designs for us and promises that everything shall work for our ultimate good (Rom 8:28) and His glory! We shall never come into eternal judgment or experience God’s wrath because we stand in God’s good grace to us through faith in Christ!

John 5:24 – 24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. NASB

Romans 8:1-2 – 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. NASB

This does not mean nothing bad will ever happen to us. Indeed in this life we shall face many trials and sufferings and will at times even receive these as corrective discipline from God. But these things will always prove our faith more sure, develop Christ’s character in our lives, and bear the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb 12:11).

All of these wonderful promises are the indicatives on which the Christian life of sanctification is built. They are already our possession because of Christ and can never be taken away. But how do we deal with our continuing sins and failures? And why do we feel as if our fellowship with God is broken when we sin? And why do we so often seem to lack the ability to appropriate God’s resources and become like Christ?

Well the answer is really clear in the Bible. The way we deal with these things in Sanctification, is the same way we deal with them in Justification, through repentance and faith. How do we deal with our continuing sins and failures?

1 John 1:6-7 – 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. NASB

See here John instructing us about the Christian life and the ongoing presence of sin in our lives. These he says, we cannot deny in verse 6, or we “lie and do not practice the truth.” But in it he gives the remedy for our ongoing sin in verse 7. “But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Now when John says, “walk in the light” he means to say that we live in the light of the Gospel in our everyday practice. This includes a recognition that sin is an offense to God and that we have repented of sin and are striving to live free from it, because we love Christ who has forgiven us of all our sins. By walking or living “in the light,” we acknowledge our sinfulness and our ongoing need for forgiveness and divine grace, and our desire to live righteous and holy. He further makes clear how important it is for us to acknowledge our sins before God and ourselves in verses 8 through 10 .

1 John 1:8-9 – 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. NASB

Here in verse 8, he plainly points out that we have an ongoing presence of sin in our lives. This he says that we are to “confess.” We “confess our sins.” And the result of course is divine pardon because of Christ, that God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This ongoing recognition of sin promotes regular repentance and an honest appraisal of or practical spiritual state, giving us a clear view of the process of sanctification and its progress in our lives. It also gives us an assurance of pardon so that we do not get overcome with despair thinking that God has abandoned us because we know that He forgives us. Confession includes a recognition of divine pardon and we are reminded of our perfect position before God because of Christ! This process of confession, faith and repentance is the ongoing process of dealing with sin in the Christian life. We never grow old of hearing that good Word from God that our sins are forgiven. That Gospel assurance of pardon is our constant reminder of God’s cleansing through Christ’s death and our hope of good things in the future. This of course is one of the main purposes of taking the Lord’s Table in Communion. It is to acknowledge and remember that Christ has died for our sins and we are forgiven because of God’s great love for us in Him! This is why this ordinance of Communion is a regular ongoing ordinance. We have a need of regular acknowledgment of our ongoing sin, and an assurance of divine pardon for it because of Christ.

So why do we feel as if our fellowship with God is broken when we sin? This is because our natural human tendency when we sin is to see our guilt and then feel shame as a result. But for the Christian, Christ has borne our guilt and shame and cleansed us from it completely (Rom 3:21-24, 5:19-21, 2 Cor 5:21, 1 Pet 3:18). So we simply have a need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge it before God, and be reminded of His divine pardon because Christ, and respond to His grace in repentance. This act of faith, looking to Christ for forgiveness in confession, motivates us through love to God to be renewed again to striving for His holiness because we long to please Him in every way, NOT as a means to forgiveness, but as a result of having already been forgiven.

And why do we so often seem to lack the ability to appropriate God’s resources and become like Christ? This is because it is our natural tendency is to be self-reliant and fix everything ourselves. But sin is an enemy that only Christ can conquer, indeed He already has conquered sin and overcome it completely, rendering it powerless to ultimately destroy us and incur God’s wrath. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13), that is, death. But we can only appropriate this power through faith in Him. And Christlikeness is something that the Holy Spirit is creating in us by faith, through the Word. A key part of the Sanctification process is training our minds to think according to the Gospel and have our minds renewed again and again that God has accepted us in the Beloved One, and completely removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. Although there is much effort to be exerted in Sanctification, the primary effort, and most difficult to maintain, is renewing our minds continually with the truth of the Gospel maintaining that war against the world, the flesh and the devil by faith.

Ephesians 4:20-24 – 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. NASB

Colossians 3:5-11 – 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him 11 — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. NASB

This is why Paul tells us that the chief work of faith is in believing the Gospel and renewing and focusing our thoughts on the heavenly truth of Christ’s person and work and how it relates to our everyday life.

Colossians 3:1-4 – 1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Having seen all of these struggles of Christian life, and in light of all of the divine resources to make us like Christ, we simply have to realize our human frailty and weakness and humble ourselves before our loving God and Father and look to Him for strength and help to be who He has called us to be, and live in a manner worthy of Lord. Let us not forget how eager He is to help us and make us like Christ and see us live a life fully pleasing to Him.

1 Peter 5:6-7 – 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. NASB

Hebrews 4:15-16 – 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. NASB

Let us remember that He is compassionate toward us, knowing our weaknesses fully, and always ready to heal and to help us. In the Gospel, God has ceased from His anger toward us and adopted us as His beloved children. Now He works everything for our good and does the unspeakably glorious work of making us like Christ and causing us to bear His image.

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 5-23-16 In His Image – Faith and Sanctification

Sanctification

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASB

The Gospel – Faith, Promises & Motives

Let us consider the relation of faith to sanctification. As we have seen, sanctification is that work of God conforming us into the image of Christ progressively over time.We have noted that it is a cooperative process where we are also called to exert effort and diligence to see it come to fruition. God works in sanctification and we work. It is an ongoing cooperative process. God’s work is primary and our effort is secondary. Therefore we are called to God-dependent effort throughout the New Testament. Now what we mean by God dependent effort is that we are dependent on God’s power to give us the necessary energy and divine enablement to both forsake the old nature of sin and also to exercise the virtues of the new nature within us by the Holy Spirit. As we look to God in faith in seeking these virtues, and seek the filling of the Holy Spirit, we receive power from God both to put off the old nature and to put on the new. This calling to exert effort is what we call imperatives. They are commandments, exhortations and admonitions to obedience.

This dependence of looking to God for His power is an exercise of our faith in God’s promises to lead us, guide, us and fulfill His good work in us and through us. And this faith is belief in God’s Word and based upon the grace that God has shown us in Christ, through His good work in the Gospel, and the sufficient grace for us to persevere in faith to the end of our life that is our possession because of Christ. Not only has God promised that we are now justified by grace, through faith in Christ alone, but He has promised to fulfill His good work of sanctification in us causing us to bear His image in greater degree over time until the Day of Christ when we are finally glorified.

Philippians 1:6 – 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. NASB

1 Peter 1:3-5 – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. NASB

These promises to us are what we call indicatives. They indicate to us all of God’s promises that are ours because of Christ and are also sometimes expressed as warnings and warnings with consequences. So we believe the powerful Word of God with all of its promises and warnings to us (indicatives), and we seek to obey its exhortations and admonitions to us (imperatives).

Imperatives always grounded in Indicatives

In believing the Gospel, we have been justified by grace, through faith in Christ alone. This justification we could not have achieved by legal obedience to the Law because all have sinned. He has merited God’s favor for us, we have laid hold of it by faith, and Christ’s life, death and resurrection have sufficiently covered all of our sins and provided perfect righteousness for us, reconciling us to God so that he has adopted us into His family as His own children, having caused us to be born again by the Holy Spirit resulting in eternal life (Rom 3:21-28, 5:8-10, 5:19-21, 6:23, 1 Cor 1:30, Eph 2:5-9, Col 1:21-22, 2:13-14, 1 Pet 1:3-5). These are the indicatives which indicate the fullness of the grace that we now stand in. Nevertheless, in the Gospel we have imperatives from Christ to repent of our sins, to trust in Him and believe Him fully for righteousness, and to go and sin no more, pursuing a life pleasing to God which expresses both love toward God and love toward our neighbor. These are the imperatives that are non-negotiable exhortations and admonitions to become in practically who we already are in position. We have been set free from legal obedience for justification and righteousness, and yet we have been commanded to live a life of love toward God and neighbor.

Moreover, the Gospel of free grace also undergirds us in the midst of our own personal failures and the great trials and difficulties that we face in our daily lives. The hope and assurance (the confident assertions of faith) that God is in control of our circumstances and that He is working everything for our ultimate good in order to conform us into the image of Christ, is a bulwark against despair and discouragement. The fact that our forgiveness and redemption is an accomplished reality that can never be changed gives us much faith in the midst of the doubt that personal sinfulness and failure can cause. The indicative promises of God’s favor toward us in Christ and His ultimate triumph in sanctifying us reminds us that God loves us in spite of our struggle with sin and that He forgives us and is using even our failures to conform us into Christ’s image.

1 John 1:6-10 – 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. NASB

Romans 8:1-4 – 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. NASB

Romans 8:28-36 – 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ….. 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB

1 John 5:4-5 – 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 5 And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? NASB

See in these indicative promises the great triumph and victory that is ours no matter what we face or how we fail if we believe in Christ holding fast our hope in Him and His righteousness alone.

However, the imperatives are the fruit of having benefitted from the indicatives. They are the proper expression of the powerful grace of God that changes us into the ever increasing likeness of Christ. This is clearly taught in the New Testament.

Titus 2:11-14 – 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASB

Grace has appeared and brings us salvation, this is indicative. But notice that this grace “instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires” and to “live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age.” This is an imperative.

2 Corinthians 6:18-7:1 – 18 "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

God will be a father to us, and we will receive all the benefits of having the Almighty as our Father. This is indicative. But Paul reasons, “having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This is an imperative. This idea appears many places in the New Testament. Since we have been given such great and precious promises, then our proper response is one of conformity to God’s will, and here that is cleansing “ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Our work of cleansing ourselves is rooted and grounded in the fact that God is a father to us to shepherd us, and provided for us and to protect and care for us as His very own children. The imperatives are grounded in the indicatives so that we won’t lose heart and that our faith and hope are in God as the primary worker, working His good purpose in us, causing us the bear the image in greater degree and so partake in the divine nature and both glorify and enjoy Him in a rich and full way.

It is important then to understand that a right balance must be navigated continually between indicative and imperative. It is important to emphasize indicatives. The indicatives are the fuel and motivation for the imperatives. Kevin DeYoung comments on this; “We ought to positively glory in the indicatives of the gospel. The indicatives ought to fuel our following of the imperatives. Our obedience must be grounded in the gospel. Sanctification is empowered by faith in the promises of God. We need to be reminded of our justification often and throughout our Christian lives. Our pursuit of personal righteousness will not go anywhere without a conviction that we are already reckoned positionally righteous in Christ. So let’s be passionately and repetitively gripped by the gospel of free grace.”

But equally important is to insist on the imperatives that flow out of the indicatives. The “grace of God instructs us to deny ungodliness.” They go together and work for our sanctification. DeYoung comments further; “Imperatives must be rooted in indicatives. The question, however, is whether we betray the indicatives by insisting directly and explicitly for Christians to work hard at obeying the imperatives. No one denies that obedience to the imperatives is crucial. But can we demand obedience to those imperatives? Or is that falling back on law? The central question in this discussion is not just a matter of emphasis between the indicatives and imperatives, but whether emphasizing the indicatives accomplishes the goal of the imperatives without ever insisting upon them. Or to put it another way, is sanctification by faith alone in our justification by faith alone? I think not. The last thing I want is to be the guy who says “stop making the gospel so important.” I never want to encourage people to emphasize the gospel less. But it is possible to emphasize the gospel in a wrong way. The Reformed confessions understand that obedience to God’s commands–which we all want–is not accomplished merely by insisting on indicatives, but also by insisting directly and explicitly on the imperatives that flow from them.” End quote.See then why the New Testament is loaded full of imperatives calling us to the work of faith and the heavenward call of both mortifying the “defilements of flesh and spirit” and living in or putting on the virtues in very practical ways.

Let us see then that a healthy understanding of the grace of God in all of its promise and fullness is important and should be constantly emphasized in our Christian life. These indicatives fuel and motivate our faith. But equally important is the desire for God’s people to be holy and conform practically to God’s will and desire for our lives. These imperatives express our faith and put the glory of God on display in our lives so that we bear the image. This also then addresses the issue of the role of the Law for us. The Law is holy and good and rightly used when it is given to inform us of God’s will and also of His character. It helps us to understand who He is and what His purposes are for us in the world. DeYoung comments on this as well; Let’s not be afraid to land on law—never as the means of meriting justification, but as the proper expression of having received it….The Lutheran Formula of Concord is absolutely right in when it says, “We believe, teach, and confess that the preaching of the Law is to be urged with diligence, not only upon the unbelieving and impenitent, but also upon true believers, who are truly converted, regenerate, and justified by faith” (Epitome 6.2). Preachers must preach the law without embarrassment. Parents must insist on obedience without shame. The law can, and should, be urged upon true believers—not to condemn, but to correct and promote Christlikeness. Both the indicatives of Scripture and the imperatives are from God, for our good, and given in grace.”

It is NOT legalism for the church to preach obedience to explicit commandments from Scripture, when rightly applied. Rather it is the duty of pastors and teachers to bring imperatives consistent with the Word to bear upon our lives and our consciences. However it is extremely important that these imperatives not be confused with the indicatives of the Gospel. Imperatives are now the proper expression of worship and godliness as a RESULT of our justification, and never a MEANS to it. We are not saved by the works of the Law, or even obedience to New Testament commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ alone. He is Himself our righteousness before God (Rom 3:28, Gal 2:15-16, 1 Cor 1:30). Therefore, the indicatives are where we rest by faith in the sovereign work of God through Christ and the Spirit for our righteousness and assurance of salvation. And the imperatives are the obedience which God fully expects of those of us He has called, saved and justified as an expression of the fact that we have indeed been saved and justified, and are now longing to bear His image and become like Him, pleasing Him in all our ways and in the thoughts and meditations of our hearts.

Colossians 3:12 – 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; NASB

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 4-9-16 In His Image – Enjoying Christ and Sanctification

Sanctification

2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves

from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

Enjoying Christ and the goal of sanctification

Let us consider that as we exert God-dependent effort to press on toward Christlikeness, we will in fact by the Spirit’s transforming power attain ever increasing degrees of holiness and experience His virtue in our character. In this striving after Christlikeness we glorify God and have a sure goal that is always before us calling us heavenward to progress in bearing His image. We must actively fix our eyes on Jesus and seek to imitate His likeness.

Ephesians 5:1-2 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. NASB

We are called to pursue this character actively in our Christian life, for it is God’s purpose to conform into Christ’s image. The New Testament puts this forward as an imperative again and again. Putting on Christ’s virtue is not optional but mandated by Jesus and the Apostles.

John 15:10-12 – 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. 11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. NASB

Colossians 3:12-15 – 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. NASB

As we look to God in faith in seeking these virtues, and seek the filling of the Holy Spirit, we receive power from God both to put off the old nature and to put on the new. God’s Word calls us to careful and calculated God dependent effort to accomplish this.

Ephesians 5:15-19 – 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; NASB

As we experience the daily renewal of the filling of the Holy Spirit, these virtues increase in our character and we come to enjoy the very goodness of God in our own selves and relations, and become nourished by the good fruit of His Spirit in our daily lives. In this transforming process we experience the beauty of Christlikeness in a rich and powerful way as it seasons our life with the very character of Christ and we fulfill our chief end of glorifying and enjoying God.

Galatians 5:22-25 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. NASB

This fruit of the Holy Spirit becomes the very experience of our days, filling our life with the beauty of God’s nature. Bruce Demarest points out that these 9 rich and powerful virtues (which are the single fruit of the Spirit) are given to us in three triads, each expressing a different relation to our lives. These are to be actively cultivated in us by God dependent effort.

· Love, Joy Peace – These virtues affect our basic disposition or if you will the foundation of our attitude, demeanor and mindset in daily life. Love here is the agape love of God which is self-giving, sacrificial and supernatural (John 15:13,1 Cor 13:4-8,1 John 3:16-18,4:7-11). Joy is that inner delight and felicity in the heart that, being focused in faith on God’s goodness to us in Christ, is immovable and constant regardless of negative circumstances (Psa 31:7,Neh 8:10,Acts 13:52,1 Pet 1:6-9). Peace is that abiding calmness, serenity and rest in the heart and mind which results from reconciliation with God in Christ, and provides us with freedom from anxiety and distress in daily circumstances (John 14:27, Rom 5:1,15:13, Phil 4:7,Col 3:15,2 Thess 3:16,).

· Patience, kindness, goodness – These graces concern our relationship to others. Patience is that forbearing temperance of attitude that suffers long or endures with difficult circumstances or troublesome people (Rom 15:1, Eph 4:2,Col 3:13,1 Thes 5:14). Kindness is a charitable and generous disposition toward others that manifests in gracious acts of free benevolence to others (Luke 6:35,Eph 4:32,Col 3:12-13). Goodness is not sinlessness but an integrity and uprightness of heart and mind that reflects God’s goodness (His righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy, and love) in our relationships with others (Luke 6:35,Gal 6:10,1 Thes 5:15,Heb 13:16,3 John 11).

· Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – These qualities regard our individual selves. Faithfulness is a steadfast and reliable integrity and loyalty to others in our word, priorities and commitments (Luke 21:16-19,1 Cor 4:2,2 Tim 4:7-8). Gentleness is a humble consideration toward others which gives preference in honor (Rom 12:16,1 Thes 2:7,Tit 3:2). Self-control is that self-discipline or self-restraint which is temperate under temptation and emotional duress or excitement (Acts 24:25,1 Cor 7:5,9:25-27,2 Pet 1:6).

Let us then actively cultivate these virtues and to the degree that we do, we will enjoy Christ!

2 Corinthians 13:11 – 11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. NASB

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 3-23-16 In His Image – Sanctification Part 3

Sanctification

2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves

from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

Sanctification Continues throughout life

Some have maintained that the idea of attaining sinless perfection in the Christian life is a real possibility. But the Bible nowhere teaches this, in fact it clearly teaches that sanctification continues throughout life until death and only at the resurrection will we be finally free from the constraints of mortality and bodies subject to temptation and sin. This erroneous teaching of “perfectionism” is founded on certain scriptures where we are given the goal of sanctification, which is to mortify and vivify (put off-put on) calling us to seek after the perfection of God’s holiness in our lives such as;

Matthew 5:48 – 48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NASB

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

1 John 3:4-6 – 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. NASB

In the case of Matthew 5:48 when Jesus calls us to God’s perfection, we see the clear and obvious goal of all Christian character and conduct, which is the very nature of God Himself. Shall the God who is holy and seeks to conform us to His character call us to less than is own perfection? We are called to strive for perfection, that is clear. But nowhere does the Scripture say or even imply that such a goal can be obtained, but on the contrary it clearly teaches that we are not capable of attaining such a goal (Rom 6-7, Gal 5:16-24, Phil 3:10-14), but are in many places urged to strive for it (Eph 4-6, Col 3, Rom 12:9-21, 1 Pet 1:13-5:9).

James 3:2 – 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. NASB

1 Peter 2:11 – 11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. NASB

Both James and Peter acknowledge (as does John 1 Jon 3:7-10) that we sin in various ways because we are at war with “lusts” in our soul and we therefore “stumble in many ways.” And Paul gives this warfare an extensive treatment in Romans 7, but elsewhere is continually urging us to strive against sin and press on to the goal of heavenward perfection.

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

But the context of 1 John 3 clearly debunks the idea of sinless perfection. For if verses 4-6 were teaching sinless perfection, then verses 7-10 would disqualify every single Christian from salvation because we all continue to sin in the course of daily life.

1 John 3:3-11 – 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. NASB

When John discusses the idea of “practicing sin” he refers to the idea of ongoing serious unrepentant sin and not the daily struggle against sin that every Christian faces. The present tense of the Greek verbs here speak of continual or habitual activity. This is seen clearly in the severity of the language of the context. When he says that “no one who is born of God practices sin” and “cannot sin,” the statement could not possibly be true, since all of us who are born of God do in fact continue to sin throughout life. Consider the idea, do you ever sin? What John refers to is the person who lives in licentiousness wherein they have no will to struggle against sin but continue in the practice of serious sin unabated by a desire to surrender to the law and Spirit of God. The subject of John’s reference is a person ruled and dominated by sin, but Christians have been freed from the ruling or dominating power of sin (Rom 6:5-10, 22). It is the antinomian attitude which Paul denounces in Romans 6:1-2, “shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?…. may it never be” is his answer.

Romans 6:1-2 – 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 NASB

Paul later describes the great warfare in the Christian life against sin which seeks to dominate us, but inwardly we “delight in the law of God” struggling against sin both without (word and deed) and inwardly (thought).

Romans 7:19-25 – 19 For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. NASB

It is very apparent that Paul generally characterizes the Christian life as having a struggle between the flesh and Spirit as a normative and ongoing reality, to which he gives the directive for Spirit dependent self-denial, “so that you may not do the things you please.” These “things you please” he describes as “against the Spirit” as he describes the ongoing “desire of the flesh” or sinful nature.

Galatians 5:16-18 – 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. NASB

He further describes the ongoing mortification of the flesh in Spirit led effort as our obligation to God as His sons.

Romans 8:12-14 – 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NASB

Of course the struggle against sin has always been a struggle for the people of God, a fact to which the Old Testament is a glaring witness. The righteous man Noah was not free from sin as his drunkenness testified (Gen 9:21). Abraham the friend of God also did not fully believe God’s promise to give Him offspring through Sarah, and sinfully sought it another way with Sarah’s handmaid Hagar (Gen 16:1-4). Isaac, the man of faith (Heb 11:20) lied to Abimelech that Rebekah was his sister (Gen 26:7). Jacob deceived his father Isaac (Gen 27:18-29). Moses displayed his sinful anger against the people (Num 20:10) and his lack of trust in God’s Word (Num 20:12) and struck the rock twice rebelling against God (Num 20:24). Job was the “righteous” man who was “blameless and upright” by God’s own testimony who said of him “there is no one on earth like him… a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 2:3). Yet Job himself acknowledged his own personal sins (Job 9:20, 14:16-17), admitted that he was not innocent but guilty (Job 9:28-29) and that he needed God’s mercy and forgiveness (Job 7:20-21, 9:15). King David of whom the Bible says he was “righteous and upright in heart,” was man who fell into the serious transgression of adultery, deceit and murder, and in the Psalms regularly admitted to many more trivial sins (Ps 19:12). Isaiah the prophet upon the sight of God is His throne room said, “Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa 6:5). Even the righteous prophet Daniel confessed his sins and wickedness (Dan 9:4-16). There are several statements in the Old Testament that flatly deny the idea of perfectionism.

1 Kings 8:46 – 46 "When they sin against Thee (for there is no man who does not sin) and Thou art angry with them and dost deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; NASB

Proverbs 20:9 – 9 Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin"? NASB

Jeremiah 17:9 – 9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? NASB

The New Testament also adds clarity to this issue in many places. Jesus urged the disciples to prayer and watchfulness so they wouldn’t yield to temptation and then added, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41). The Lord’s prayer of Matthew 6:12 declares, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” This implies that the daily life of disciples is characterized by an ongoing need for divine forgiveness. Paul also speaks of his own ability in the pursuit of perfection as “not having yet attained” to it.

Philippians 3:10-14 – 10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. NASB

In fact Paul says, “I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet” clearly stating the he presses on to the “upward call in Christ.” See in these that we are to exert God-dependent effort to press on toward Christlikeness, and this is the aim for which we strive but will never quite attain in this life. In this striving after Christlikeness we glorify God and have a sure goal that is always before us calling us heavenward to progress in bearing His image.

We have been set free from the reigning power of sin to dominate our lives, but it has not been completely eradicated from us yet.

Romans 6:5-11 – 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. NASB

Romans 6:17-22 – 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. NASB

Only in the promises of the resurrection do we see the ultimate liberty from this warfare and struggle against sin, when death shall be destroyed and we shall be transformed into immortality by God’s power at Glorification.

Philippians 3:20-21 – 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. NASB

1 John 3:2 – 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. NASB

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 – 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" NASB

Revelation 22:3 – 3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; NASB

See in these proofs from Scripture that perfectionism or sinless perfection is a grave error indeed. It denies the essence of the Christian struggle against sin during the process of Sanctification. Since this is the nature of our daily struggle to bear the image as Christians, we must avoid this serious error and remain steadfast in our struggle both to identify and mortify sin in our lives. For further study on Sinless perfection or Perfectionism read Grudem pgs 750-753 and Demarest The Cross and Salvation pgs 416-420.

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 2-23-16 In His Image – Sanctification Part 2

Sanctification

1 Peter 1:15-16

but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

Our Role – Active and Passive

However, as we have seen, God works in sanctification and we work. It is an ongoing cooperative process. God’s work is primary and our effort is secondary. Therefore we are called to God-dependent effort throughout the New Testament.This can be seen in several places. Consider that we are “led by the Spirit” indicating that our very lives are directed by the Holy Spirit as we progress toward Christlikeness.

Romans 8:12-14 – 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NASB

Galatians 5:16-18 – 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. NASB

Moreover, we are commanded by God to “work out” our “salvation” and in a very ardent and reverent way he says, “with fear and trembling”(Phil 2:12).

Philippians 2:12-13 – 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. NASB

And when Paul says “work out your salvation” he uses the term salvation here NOT as the initial justification that occurred when we believed, but as the ongoing process of further realizing the blessings and benefits of salvation (or sanctification) in our daily lives. We are to exert God-dependent effort to press on toward Christlikeness, thus bearing His image in greater degree, and experiencing the enjoyment of Christ’s virtue more and more as a result.

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

Philippians 3:10-14 – 10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. NASB

Hebrews 12:14Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. NASB

Notice here in these Scriptures that we are to “cleanse ourselves” and to “press on toward the goal” and to “pursue…sanctification,” clearly showing that we are called to exert effort by the Spirit to “perfect holiness” in this life. Many passages in the Bible describe different aspects of our role and explain it as an active role on our part.

Romans 8:12-13 – 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. NASB

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 – 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 Consequently, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. NASB

1 John 3:2-3 – 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. NASB

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 – 18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. NASB

Further, this active role that we play is also seen with hearty images in the New Testament which show the Christian maturing process as one of great difficulty. These images are but not limited to:

· Struggle/Race –

1 Timothy 4:10-11 – 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. NASB

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. NASB

Hebrews 12:1-2 – Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NASB

· Conflict/Tension –

Romans 7:15-23 – 15 For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. NASB

Galatians 5:17 – 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. NASB

· Battle/Warfare –

Ephesians 6:10-13 – 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. NASB

1 Timothy 6:12 – 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. NASB

2 Timothy 2:3-4 – 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. NASB

· Chastening/Suffering –

Philippians 1:29-30 – 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. NASB

Hebrews 12:10-11 – For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. NASB

1 Peter 4:15-19 – 15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. NASB

And so we are called to strive and exert God dependent effort to see the battle or race won and the process of becoming like Christ completed to greater and greater degree.

2 Peter 1:5-8 – 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. NASB

Hebrews 6:9-12 – 9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. NASB

Our role is very much activeand this active role is the major goal of Christian life. This of course is because God’s chief purpose in our salvation is to manifest His own glory and excellence as God, and He does this in us through sanctification, causing us to bear His image in greater degree throughout the Christian life. This is emphasized again and again in large sections of the New Testament such as Romans 12-14, Ephesians 4:17-6:20, Phil 4:4-9, Col 3:1-4:6. 1 Pet 2:11-5:11, 2 Pet 1:5-8, 1 John 2-3). Since this is the major goal of Christian life, see then how important it is that we continue to actively pursue holiness in our lives until we achieve the goal, Christlikeness.

Now there is also a passive role in sanctification that we play and it is a very important part of the process. This passive role is seen in texts that encourage us to yield ourselves in faith or trust in God, and looking to Him in prayer for strength and in dependence upon Him for the grace and help that we need to become like Him and obey Him. In fact, most everything we do in Christian life, if it is to be done to the glory of God is an act of faith and trust in God’s strength to accomplish. This is surely true about the process of mortifying sin and behaving in a godly righteous way.

Romans 6:11-14 – 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. NASB

Colossians 3:5 – 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. NASB

We are dependent on the Holy Spirit’s work to grow in sanctification, and this can be clearly seen in texts like Phil 2:13-13 and Romans 8:12-13.

Romans 8:12-13 – 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. NASB

Grudem comments on this passive role in sanctification; “Unfortunately today, this "passive" role in sanctification, this idea of yielding to God and trusting him to work in us "to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:13), is sometimes so strongly emphasized that it is the only thing people are told about the path of sanctification. Sometimes the popular phrase "let go and let God" is given as a summary of how to live the Christian life. But this is a tragic distortion of the doctrine of sanctification, for it only speaks of one half of the part we must play, and, by itself, will lead Christians to become lazy and to neglect the active role that Scripture commands them to play in their own sanctification.” (from Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem)

Nevertheless we not only yield and submit ourselves to His divine will, but we are called to exert God-dependent effort to press on toward Christlikeness, as He molds and fashions us, thus bearing His image in greater degree. Below we will talk further about the role of the Gospel and of faith in Sanctification.

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 10-28-15 In His Image – Sanctification Part 1

Sanctification

1 Peter 1:15-16

but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

In the “ordo salutis” or order of salvation, sanctification is that part of salvation that begins at regeneration and continues until the resurrection, being terminated by glorification. It follows conversion (faith and repentance), justification, and adoption, all of which are birthed by regeneration and happened apparently simultaneously. Sanctification then issues forth until death. Sanctification is that work of God conforming us into the image of Christ progressively over time. In this process God by the Word and the Spirit, molds us more and more in our whole person so that we take on His very character in greater degree over time. We are said to “become partakers of the divine nature” by “His magnificent and precious promises.” Through this divinely ordered process, God “multiplies His grace and peace” to us “through the true knowledge of God.” God increases His virtue in us as we come to truly know Him.

2 Peter 1:2-4 – 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. NASB

Not only this, but as a result of God working by the Word and the Spirit in us, He calls us to “work out our salvation,” making every effort by faith, or “applying all diligence in your faith,” cooperating with God because God is at work in you to do His will and pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 – 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. NASB

2 Peter 1:5-8 – 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. NASB

And this sanctification affects the whole person throughout our life, until when we die, when we are ultimately glorified in His presence (see page 12). John Murray comments; “When we speak of sanctification we generally think of it as that process by which the believer is gradually transformed in heart, mind, will, and conduct and conformed more and more to the will of God and to the image of Christ until at death the disembodied spirit is made perfect in holiness and at the resurrection his body likewise will be conformed to the likeness of the body of Christ’s glory. It is biblical to apply the term “sanctification” to this process of transformation and conformation.” John Murray – Definitive Sanctification

http://reformedaudio.org/audio/murray/Murray%20-%20Definitive%20Sanctification.pdf

Sanctification has at its core the idea of purity or holiness. The root idea of the words for holiness and holy is, to be set apart for God’s own special use. God’s people are therefore called holy. The biblical term [GK. haggios]“saint” by which Christians are called in Scripture, means “holy ones.” Christians are God’s holy people set apart for His own special use.

I repeat Kevin DeYoung’s statement here; “There is no question that holiness is one of the central themes in the Bible. The word “holy” occurs more than 600 times in the Bible, more than 700 when you include derivative words like holiness, sanctify and sanctification. You can’t make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with Him forever in a holy heaven. The whole system of Israel’s worship revolves around holiness. That’s why you have a holy people (the priests), with holy clothes, in a holy land (Canaan), at a holy place (tabernacle/temple), using holy utensils and holy objects, celebrating holy days, living by a holy law, so that they might be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” end quote … In the Old Testament the language of holiness is typically reserved for religious and ceremonial practice, although it is used in a moral sense as well. But in the New Testament, it is strictly moral and ethical. Bruce Demarest comments; “Holiness…In everyday living, inner freedom from evil thoughts and attitudes (Eph 5:27, Heb 3:1), abstinence from immoral acts (1 Thes 4:3-4, 1 Pet 1:15), and a positive commitment to good and neighbor (Col 3:12-14, Tit 1:8). Following Pentecost, holiness manifests itself in the fruit of the Spirit in redeemed lives. Holiness, in a word, is Christlikeness daily manifested in the midst of a godless world.” The Cross and Salvation by Bruce Demarest – Crossway

Holiness in the New Testament concerns our position before God based on the finished work of Christ (Positional Sanctification), AND how we behave in the practice of the Christian life (Practical Sanctification). When we speak about holiness we speak about sanctification.

Positional and Practical Sanctification

“Sanctification,” writes Wayne Grudem, “is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.” This of course is a biblically accurate definition of the part of salvation we call sanctification. Much of the language of the New Testament speaks of sanctification as this progressive process. However, it also speaks of sanctification, in certain texts, as a completed work which has already taken place. This is what we call the “Positional” aspect of sanctification, or Positional Sanctification. This is because God’s people have been cleansed in the sight of God or before Him, having been made holy or sanctified by the work of Christ. In other words, we hold a position before God, which is “in Christ” and therefore we have been cleansed, washed, made holy, and purified by the work of Christ alone, and this has been appropriated to us by faith in Him. The New Testament makes reference to this Positional Sanctification in several places.

Hebrews 10:10, 14 – 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all….. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. NASB

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 – 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." NASB

Colossians 1:21-22 – 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation NASB

1 Corinthians 6:11 – 11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. NASB

See in these Scriptures that there is an aspect of sanctification which is already accomplished. In fact, what Christ accomplished for us was a perfect righteousness before God by His perfect life and death, which is applied to us by faith when we believe. We were in fact completely purified and cleansed from our sins, past, present and future by what Christ accomplished.

This Positional Sanctification is very much like Justification and differs from Practical or Progressive Sanctification in its nature. The following chart is depicting Grudem’s view of the differences between Justification and Progressive Sanctification.

In summary, because Positional Sanctification has already been completed by Christ, it is therefore perfect and complete.

However, the Bible also speaks about Sanctification as an ongoing process. This is the common use of the word sanctification (and doctrine) which speaks of the Practical or Progressive and ongoing process which continues in our life until the resurrection. As we said earlier, Sanctification is that work of God conforming us into the image of Christ progressively over time. But as we have said, it is a cooperative process where we are also called to exert effort and diligence to see it come to fruition.Concerning the fact that sanctification is a “cooperative” and/or “synergistic” process, consider this quote by JI Packer; In sanctification, the Holy Spirit "works in you to will and to act" according to God’s purpose; what he does is prompt you to “work out your salvation” (i.e., express it in action) by fulfilling these new desires (Phil. 2:12-13). Sanctification, however, is in one sense synergistic – it is an ongoing cooperative process in which regenerate persons, alive to God and freed from sin’s dominion (Rom. 6:11, 14-18), are required to exert themselves in sustained obedience. God’s method of sanctification is neither activism (self-reliant activity) nor apathy (God-reliant passivity), but God-dependent effort (2 Cor. 7:1; Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 12:14). Sanctification Consider how Packer explains how the synergism works. He says that God prompts us by the Spirit, having already freed us from the dominion of sin and made alive to God in regeneration, we put forth God-dependent effort. See then that God is the primary agent and our effort is secondary. John Murray comments about this cooperation with God. “While we are constantly dependent upon the supernatural agency of the Holy Spirit, we must also take account of the fact that sanctification is a process that draws within its scope the conscious life of the believer…. Neither is the relation strictly one of co-operation as if God did his part and we did ours so that the conjunction or co-ordination of both produced the required result. God works in us and we also work. But the relation is that because God works we work.” Redemption Accomplished and Applied page 148…Now see how both Packer and Murray are very careful to describe God as the primary worker in this cooperative process. The truth is without God first giving us the Spirit and regenerating us, freeing us from sin’s dominion, and Christ having brought about reconciliation through His active and passive obedience, we would be hopelessly lost, remaining dead in our transgression and sin. Let us acknowledge then that God is indeed primary, even in sanctification, and because of this fact, He gets the glory for it. In fact all three members of the Godhead play a role in sanctification (1 Thes 5:23-24, Heb 12:5-11, Heb 13:20-12, 1 Cor 1:30, 1 Pet 2:21) although the Holy Spirit has the specific ministry of applying redemption to us in sanctification. This is why we say that sanctification is wholly the work of God, because He is the primary cause of it and the one who determines to what degree we will be practically sanctified in this life (Rom 12:3-6). The Bible explicitly states that God is so sovereignly in control in sanctification that He “is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Philippians 2:12-13 – 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. NASB

In fact God’s role in Sanctification is emphasized in several places in the New Testament. Peter and Paul both tell us that our being “chosen for salvation” is wrought by the Holy Spirit in sanctification, that is, that our election is applied by the sanctification of the Spirit in the course of life.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 – 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. NASB

1 Peter 1:1-2 – 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. NASB

And God’s role in sanctification is seen in large degree in the book of Hebrews. In chapter 12 God is seen as a disciplining Father working His righteousness in us through the trials and hardships of life, “that we might share in His holiness.”

Hebrews 12:5-12 – 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives." 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. NASB

And in chapter 13 we are told that God both “equips” us to do His will and is “working in us.”

Hebrews 13:20-21 – 20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. NASB

Of course we have statements that explicitly tell us that sanctification is wholly of God and entirely brought about by Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 – 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. NASB

See then that God is the primary cause and agent in Sanctification, He makes us holy.

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 10-5-15 In His Image – Virtue, Vice and the Nature of God

Virtue, Vice and the nature of God

2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from

all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

Having considered that the purpose of God in salvation and the process of practical sanctification is for God to conform us into His image by the work of the Holy Spirit, it is important to understand how the image of God and His character is related to how we live our Christian lives in practice, and how that relates to both God’s character and ours. In becoming like God, we are taking on His character and “participating in the divine nature” and growing evermore in His likeness by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Let us now consider the important truth that God is Holy. That is, He is set apart from all other created beings in moral purity, perfection and self-existence as the Holy Creator God. The holiness of God is one of God’s attributes, and one in fact that characterizes all of God’s other attributes. Therefore God’s love and mercy are holy, as is His wisdom and justice are holy, that is, they possess a divine quality that is infinite, perfect and complete in such a way as to be set apart from other kinds of love and mercy, wisdom and justice in the creation. God’s majesty and beauty are holy majesty and holy beauty being infinitely and perfectly majestic and beautiful beyond all other things that exist. Moreover, all of God’s attributes are set apart from evil in every way because of the moral purity of God’s holiness. All of God’s attributes are completely pure and untainted by any kind of impurity of evil. In fact God’s own holiness is the antithesis of evil and the very standard by which evil is seen and understood. Therefore God hates what is evil and loves what is good, and this is a major theme in the Bible and it is major theme in God’s relations with people and His purposes throughout redemptive history. Kevin DeYoung comments… “There is no question that holiness is one of the central themes in the Bible. The word “holy” occurs more than 600 times in the Bible, more than 700 when you include derivative words like holiness, sanctify and sanctification. You can’t make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with Him forever in a holy heaven. The whole system of Israel’s worship revolves around holiness. That’s why you have a holy people (the priests), with holy clothes, in a holy land (Canaan), at a holy place (tabernacle/temple), using holy utensils and holy objects, celebrating holy days, living by a holy law, so that they might be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Make no mistake about it God is holy and He expects His people to be holy as well. This He accomplishes through the holy work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit within us!

Now this holiness of God has everything to do with our image bearing and our Christian practice as God seeks to sanctify us (make us holy) in our character and in our practice, just like He is and just like He does. Therefore He commands us to be holy, just like Him. He calls us to live a holy life and emulate His holy character. This then becomes a major theme in the New Testament as it was given to us by our Lord Jesus and the Apostles.

Matt 5:48 – 48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NASB

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

Titus 2:11-14 – 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASB

1 Peter 1:14-16 – 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

Now because God is holy, perfectly pure and undefiled in every part of His character, He expects holiness from us, His holy people who He has set apart to reflect His character and bear His image. Jerry Bridges comments; “God rightfully demands perfect holiness in all of His moral creatures. It cannot be otherwise. He cannot possibly ignore or approve of any evil committed. He cannot for one minute relax His standard of holiness. Rather He must say as He does say, “So be holy in all you do”…1 Pet 1:15…”

It is important to remember the glory of the Gospel when we start to focus on God’s expectation of our personal holiness. We have a positional righteousness or positional sanctification before God on the basis of Christ’s life and death (discussed in detail below). We cannot forget that we have been cleansed once for all by the death of our Lord Jesus on the cross, and His perfect life of righteousness has been imputed to us by faith. We stand in the spotless righteousness of Christ, God’s wrath toward our sin has been appeased (propitiation), our guilt has been removed (expiation), Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us by faith (imputation), and all of this has brought about reconciliation with God. God has now declared us righteous in His sight on the basis of Christ’s perfect life and death. This is called Justification by Faith. We are now in a state of grace having all our sins forgiven and possessing the hope of eternal life. If you have been born again by the Holy Spirit and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ as a result, all of these wonderful blessings from God are surely yours! But now that we have been saved by the grace of God through faith in our Lord Jesus alone, God expects us to live in holiness and prove the reality of our faith and love toward Him in obedience to His holy Word! At the same time that our sins are forgiven, God is commanding us to forsake our sins and behave in a holy way.

Titus 2:11-14 – 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASB

1 Peter 1:14-16 – 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

But what does holiness look like in our lives? In short, it is conformity to God’s holy character and also His practice. We are to be holy in our hearts and that in turn produces holiness in our practice, our daily lives. Therefore God’s Word is very specific about what holiness actually looks like both in our heart and in our life. The Word is filled with instruction and exhortations toward this end. The New Testament therefore calls us to “put off” the evil deeds of the flesh, the old nature of sin which still lives in us, and to “put on” Christ, or the new nature which has been re-created in us at regeneration.

Romans 13:12-14 – 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. NASB

Colossians 3:8-11 – 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him NASB

These deeds of the flesh, or acts of the sinful nature are called vices. They are thoughts, words and deeds that the Bible identifies as evil. One thing is sure, God’s Word calls out sin by name and explains that it is deadly, destructive and contrary to God’s commanded will and very displeasing to Him. Vice is sin and evil and God hates it and God judges and reproves those who commit it. Therefore God’s Word is crystal clear about what sin is, giving whole lists of vices and telling us to forsake them. The vices are contrary to the character and nature of God. In contrast to these vices are the virtues of God, which give to us a very specific definition of what holiness looks like. Virtue manifests itself in thoughts, words and deeds just like vices. Virtues are extolled as pleasing to God, beneficial to ourselves and our neighbor, and opposite of vices. Therefore God’s Word is crystal clear about what virtue is, giving whole lists of virtues and telling us to perform them and allow them to define our character. Virtue is consistent with the character and nature of God. And so we see both virtue and vice described in detail in the New Testament giving us instruction as to how to live and please God, what TO do and what NOT to do in order to live a holy life. Holiness looks like a life lived in virtue instead of vice. Growing in personal holiness and practical sanctification are effectively the same thing. We grow in holiness as we are conformed to the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Holiness and wickedness are held in stark contrast in the Christian life, as the below virtue and vice lists put on display.

Vice lists – Here is a list of Scriptures that define vices for us and show us what the character of the evil and wicked people are. These vices do not please God and are the kind of behavior that characterize the wicked and unbelieving people of the world, who do not know God, obey Jesus Christ, and will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Mark 7:21-23 – 1 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." NASB

Romans 1:26-32 – 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. NASB

Romans 13:13-14 – 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. NASB

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. NASB

Galatians 5:19-22 – 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. NASB

Ephesians 4:31 – 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. NASB

Colossians 3:5-9 – 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, NASB

1 Timothy 1:8-10 – 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, NASB

Revelation 21:8 – 8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." NASB

These vices are in fact the wicked deeds that characterized our former life as unregenerate sinners and as Christians we are called to forsake these sins, to make war against them and “put off” these acts of the sinful nature, through faith in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Virtue lists – Here is a list of Scriptures that define virtues for us and what the character of godly believing born again Christians should be like. These virtues are very pleasing to God and are the kind of behavior that should characterize the lives of Christians, who are image bearers being conformed to God’s image by the power of the Holy Spirit within them.

Romans 12:9-19 – Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. NAS

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – 4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. NASB

Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. NASB

Ephesians 4:32 – 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. NASB

Colossians 3:12-15 – 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. NASB

2 Peter 1:5-7 – 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. NASB

These virtues are in fact the character and nature of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and the end goal of our growth in holiness for our daily lives. These virtues should now begin to characterize our life as Christians with ever increasing intensity as we take on the image of God more and more by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. In our struggle against the sinful nature we are to renew our minds with the beautiful and wonderful thoughts of the virtues of God, longing for and pursuing His righteousness in our daily life as children of God, born from above.

In his book, “The Hole in our Holiness,” Kevin DeYoung gives these virtue and vice lists and goes on to describe a few other important things that define personal holiness. He adds;

· Clean Conscience

· Obedience to God’s Commands

· Christlikeness

Surely our conscience guides us by the prompting of the Holy Spirit to obey God’s commandments and be virtuous. And as we have discussed, becoming like Christ in our character and practice is what bearing the image of God means. DeYoung makes the contrast of virtue and vice in the Christian life really clear. He writes, “You can think of holiness, to employ a metaphor, as the sanctification of your body. The mind is filled with the knowledge of God and fixed on what is good. The eyes turn away from sensuality and shudder at the sight of evil. The mouth tells the truth and refuses to gossip, slander, or speak what is coarse or obscene. The spirit is earnest, steadfast, and gentle. The heart is full of joy instead of hopelessness, patience instead of irritability, kindness instead of anger, humility instead of pride, and thankfulness instead of envy. The sexual organs are pure, being reserved for the privacy of marriage between one man and one woman. The feet move toward the lowly and away from senseless conflict, divisions, and wild parties. The hands are quick to help those in need and ready to fold in prayer. This is the anatomy of holiness,” end quote. This is why the Bible is so specific about what virtue and vice really are. This is so we can discern vice in our live and mortify it or put it to death, or put it off. It is also so we can clearly see what virtue is and vivify or express the life of God which is in us by putting on these virtues.

Colossians 3:5-9 – 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, NASB

Colossians 3:12-15 – 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. NASB

Notice the pattern in these letters to New Covenant Christians concerning the practice of Christian life. Put off the old nature of vice and sin and put on the new nature of virtue and righteousness.

Ephesians 4:20-24 – 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. NASB

Ephesians 4:25-32 – 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. NASB

Further, these are moral issues. A common word used to describe virtue in our culture is morality. Virtue is by nature moral and vice by nature immoral. So when we speak of morality we speak of that which is consistent with God, His nature and His holy standard in the Bible. The Bible gives the only objective truth concerning morality. The culture may seek to define its own standard of morality, either by emotions, feelings or just what is popular. But the only true and proper standard for morality is of course God and His nature, which defines what virtue and vice, sin and righteousness, right and wrong are. Good and evil are defined by the holy character and nature of God who made the world and governs it by His Providence! People in the culture may think what they will, but ultimately they will give an account of their morality in life to God, who judges all people impartially, according to His own holy moral standard. Therefore God desires our lives to be holy, reflecting His holiness as His own holy people. This is why the sanctification process and the Christian life in general is essentially about personal holiness, as we seek to both glorify and enjoy God. We glorify Him when we put off sin and put on virtue by the prompting of the Spirit and the Word, and we also enjoy Him as we take on His nature and begin to bear His image in greater likeness. Living a life of true virtue is in fact glorifying and enjoying God to the fullest.

1 Peter 1:14-16 – 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

Consider then that God has made our ability to discern good from evil, virtue from vice very easy throughout the Bible. The below chart summarizes much of this discussion and clarifies the dichotomy between good and evil and some elements of how it relates to God and to the Christian life.

As we have learned, God’s great purpose in salvation is to fashion us in His image. This He does because He ultimately delights in His own character and nature above all other things and is zealous to see His glory expressed in and through His creation, of whom mankind is the pinnacle. The salvation of mankind from the fall into sin is God’s chief way in which He makes His glory known in the course of History, including the eternal state in the New Heavens and Earth. Therefore we are said to be His “New Creations” in Christ and “predestined to be conformed into His image” and likeness. As God will ultimately accomplish this at Glorification finally for us, He has told us to pursue it with our whole heart as we love Him and serve Him because of Christ. This sanctification pursuit is the main goal of the Christian life.

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

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Pastor Shaan Sloan

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The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 8-26-15 In His Image – Virtue, Vice and the Nature of God

In His Image

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASB

Virtue, Vice and the nature of God

Having considered that the purpose of God in salvation and the process of practical sanctification is for God to conform us into His image by the work of the Holy Spirit, it is important to understand how the image of God and His character is related to how we live our Christian lives in practice, and how that relates to both God’s character and ours. In becoming like God, we are taking on His character and “participating in the divine nature” and growing evermore in His likeness by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Let us now consider the important truth that God is Holy. That is, He is set apart from all other created beings in moral purity, perfection and self-existence as the Holy Creator God. The holiness of God is one of God’s attributes, and one in fact that characterizes all of God’s other attributes. Therefore God’s love and mercy are holy, as is His wisdom and justice are holy, that is, they possess a divine quality that is infinite, perfect and complete in such a way as to be set apart from other kinds of love and mercy, wisdom and justice in the creation. God’s majesty and beauty are holy majesty and holy beauty being infinitely and perfectly majestic and beautiful beyond all other things that exist. Moreover, all of God’s attributes are set apart from evil in every way because of the moral purity of God’s holiness. All of God’s attributes are completely pure and untainted by any kind of impurity of evil. In fact God’s own holiness is the antithesis of evil and the very standard by which evil is seen and understood. Therefore God hates what is evil and loves what is good, and this is a major theme in the Bible and it is major theme in God’s relations with people and His purposes throughout redemptive history. Kevin DeYoung comments… “There is no question that holiness is one of the central themes in the Bible. The word “holy” occurs more than 600 times in the Bible, more than 700 when you include derivative words like holiness, sanctify and sanctification. You can’t make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with Him forever in a holy heaven. The whole system of Israel’s worship revolves around holiness. That’s why you have a holy people (the priests), with holy clothes, in a holy land (Canaan), at a holy place (tabernacle/temple), using holy utensils and holy objects, celebrating holy days, living by a holy law, so that they might be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Make no mistake about it God is holy and He expects His people to be holy as well. This He accomplishes through the holy work of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit within us!

Now this holiness of God has everything to do with our image bearing and our Christian practice as God seeks to sanctify us (make us holy) in our character and in our practice, just like He is and just like He does. Therefore He commands us to be holy, just like Him. He calls us to live a holy life and emulate His holy character. This then becomes a major theme in the New Testament as it was given to us by our Lord Jesus and the Apostles.

Matt 5:48 – 48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NASB

2 Corinthians 7:1 – Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. NASB

Titus 2:11-14 – 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASB

1 Peter 1:14-16 – 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

Now because God is holy, perfectly pure and undefiled in every part of His character, He expects holiness from us, His holy people who He has set apart to reflect His character and bear His image. Jerry Bridges comments; “God rightfully demands perfect holiness in all of His moral creatures. It cannot be otherwise. He cannot possibly ignore or approve of any evil committed. He cannot for one minute relax His standard of holiness. Rather He must say as He does say, “So be holy in all you do”…1 Pet 1:15…”

It is important to remember the glory of the Gospel when we start to focus on God’s expectation of our personal holiness. We have a positional righteousness or positional sanctification before God on the basis of Christ’s life and death (discussed in detail below). We cannot forget that we have been cleansed once for all by the death of our Lord Jesus on the cross, and His perfect life of righteousness has been imputed to us by faith. We stand in the spotless righteousness of Christ, God’s wrath toward our sin has been appeased (propitiation), our guilt has been removed (expiation), Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us by faith (imputation), and all of this has brought about reconciliation with God. God has now declared us righteous in His sight on the basis of Christ’s perfect life and death. This is called Justification by Faith. We are now in a state of grace having all our sins forgiven and possessing the hope of eternal life. If you have been born again by the Holy Spirit and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ as a result, all of these wonderful blessings from God are surely yours! But now that we have been saved by the grace of God through faith in our Lord Jesus alone, God expects us to live in holiness and prove the reality of our faith and love toward Him in obedience to His holy Word! At the same time that our sins are forgiven, God is commanding us to forsake our sins and behave in a holy way.

Titus 2:11-14 – 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASB

1 Peter 1:14-16 – 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." NASB

But what does holiness look like in our lives? In short, it is conformity to God’s holy character and also His practice. We are to be holy in our hearts and that in turn produces holiness in our practice, our daily lives. Therefore God’s Word is very specific about what holiness actually looks like both in our heart and in our life. The Word is filled with instruction and exhortations toward this end. The New Testament therefore calls us to “put off” the evil deeds of the flesh, the old nature of sin which still lives in us, and to “put on” Christ, or the new nature which has been re-created in us at regeneration.

Romans 13:12-14 – 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. NASB

Colossians 3:8-11 – 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him NASB

These deeds of the flesh, or acts of the sinful nature are called vices. They are thoughts, words and deeds that the Bible identifies as evil. One thing is sure, God’s Word calls out sin by name and explains that it is deadly, destructive and contrary to God’s commanded will and very displeasing to Him. Vice is sin and evil and God hates it and God judges and reproves those who commit it. Therefore God’s Word is crystal clear about what sin is, giving whole lists of vices and telling us to forsake them. The vices are contrary to the character and nature of God. In contrast to these vices are the virtues of God, which give to us a very specific definition of what holiness looks like. Virtue manifests itself in thoughts, words and deeds just like vices. Virtues are extolled as pleasing to God, beneficial to ourselves and our neighbor, and opposite of vices. Therefore God’s Word is crystal clear about what virtue is, giving whole lists of virtues and telling us to perform them and allow them to define our character. Virtue is consistent with the character and nature of God. And so we see both virtue and vice described in detail in the New Testament giving us instruction as to how to live and please God, what TO do and what NOT to do in order to live a holy life. Holiness looks like a life lived in virtue instead of vice. Growing in personal holiness and practical sanctification are effectively the same thing. We grow in holiness as we are conformed to the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Holiness and wickedness are held in stark contrast in the Christian life, as the below virtue and vice lists put on display.

Vice lists – Here is a list of Scriptures that define vices for us and show us what the character of the evil and wicked people are. These vices do not please God and are the kind of behavior that characterize the wicked and unbelieving people of the world, who do not know God, obey Jesus Christ, and will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Mark 7:21-23 – 1 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." NASB

Romans 1:26-32 – 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. NASB

Romans 13:13-14 – 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. NASB

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. NASB

Galatians 5:19-22 – 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. NASB

Ephesians 4:31 – 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. NASB

Colossians 3:5-9 – 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, NASB

1 Timothy 1:8-10 – 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, NASB

Revelation 21:8 – 8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." NASB

These vices are in fact the wicked deeds that characterized our former life as unregenerate sinners and as Christians we are called to forsake these sins, to make war against them and “put off” these acts of the sinful nature, through faith in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Virtue lists – Here is a list of Scriptures that define virtues for us and what the character of godly believing born again Christians should be like. These virtues are very pleasing to God and are the kind of behavior that should characterize the lives of Christians, who are image bearers being conformed to God’s image by the power of the Holy Spirit within them.

Romans 12:9-19 – Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. NAS

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – 4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. NASB

Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. NASB

Ephesians 4:32 – 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. NASB

Colossians 3:12-15 – 12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. NASB

2 Peter 1:5-7 – 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. NASB

These virtues are in fact the character and nature of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and the end goal of our growth in holiness for our daily lives. These virtues should now begin to characterize our life as Christians with ever increasing intensity as we take on the image of God more and more by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. In our struggle against the sinful nature we are to renew our minds with the beautiful and wonderful thoughts of the virtues of God, longing for and pursuing His righteousness in our daily life as children of God, born from above.

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life

Heavens Light 8-15-15 In His Image – The Holy Spirit in Sanctification and Glorification

In His Image

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature;

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASB

The Work of the Holy Spirit

One last point to grasp in this whole idea of being image bearers as God’s purpose in our salvation is that this is the work of the Holy Spirit in us through regeneration and our ongoing practical sanctification.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASB

Not only were we created generally like God in our human nature in the first creation with Adam, but when we were powerfully born again by the Holy Spirit in regeneration, we were created more specifically like Him as a new creation in Christ. And now being in Christ, or having union with Christ, we have been fashioned like Him in such a way that His divine life and nature have been re-created in us (re-genesis…regeneration), delivering us from the power of sin and death under which we became slaves in the fall. In this new liberty from sin and death, God is powerfully working in us by the Holy Spirit to fashion us in His likeness so that we become image bearers in much greater degree and intensity. This process in us is what we call practical or progressive sanctification. This powerful sanctification by the Spirit is an essential part of salvation and the outworking of our election and regeneration in our everyday life.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 – 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. NASB

1 Peter 1:1-2 – 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. NASB

Titus 3:5-7 – 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. NASB

Consider how the New Testament describes this image bearing as God’s very purpose in saving us. It speaks of us being “conformed to the image of His Son” as the chief reason for our predestination, election and calling in salvation, that we would be a people to the “praise of the glory of His grace!”

Romans 8:28-30 – 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. NASB

Ephesians 1:3-7 – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. NASB

Ephesians 1:11-12 – 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. NASB

Here, the salvation of the saints is seen to be “predestined according to God’s purpose,” but notice that this is not God’s highest purpose. Oh no, here it says that the predestination of salvation is “to the end that we……should be to the praise of His glory!” And this purpose of God is being powerfully worked and fulfilled in us through our union with Christ by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament explicitly connects this purpose in salvation as the work of the Holy Spirit in causing us to bear God’s image, having already, past tense, been “created like God” in regeneration. As new creations in Christ, He has created us in His image and likeness, and we are now becoming in practice what we already are in reality, children of God fashioned after the image of our Father and His Son Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 – 45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. NASB

Ephesians 4:22-24 – 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. NASB

Colossians 3:10-11 – 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him 11 — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. NASB

Consider how the Scripture speaks of our “being transformed” progressively into God’s image from “glory to glory” because we have been created like Him already.

2 Corinthians 3:18 – 8 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB

See in these Scriptures how the very work of the Holy Spirit in salvation is to not only powerfully re-create us in regeneration, but also to powerfully transform us in progressive sanctification, causing us to be conformed to the image of Christ practically throughout our life.

Glorification

When He is finished with the work of progressive Sanctification, the process of conforming us to His image practically, we shall ultimately take on His image in much fullness and be “like Him” at the resurrection, on the day of Glory! We call this glorification.

1 John 3:2-3 – 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. NASB

Philippians 3:20-21 – 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. NASB

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 – 50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. NASB

This is the eternal state, to experience the fullness of the glory of God (as receptors) and to sing forth the praises of His glory as an overflow of the enjoyment of His Goodness (as reflectors).

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life….. have a look at these links below that explain the Gospel…..

What is the Gospel? by JI Packer

An excellent overview of the Christian Gospel.

Defining the Gospel

A brief and concise overview of Gospel Basics.

shaansloan

If you would like to be added or add someone to this email list, just reply with "sign me up" and the address you want it sent to. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Pastor Shaan Sloan

Christ’s Servant at

Heritage Christian Fellowship

11104 Menaul Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

www.heritageabq.org

The Lord is the Strength of My Life