Chapter 1
Salvation
There are many things that we, as
Christians, have as ingredients of our destiny. The following thoughts are with
reference to our destiny in association with salvation. What does it mean to be
saved? Saved from what? Are we in
trouble and need to be rescued? Or perhaps it would be better to ask, saved to
what? God told Israel
that He brought them out to bring them in. God didn’t just save us from
something awful that was to be our future. He brought us out of the evil
destiny of eternal slavery for those going the way of the world (our Egypt) and into
the Promised Land of walking in His Spirit. Just like there were giants in Israel’s
Promised Land, there are giants in ours. Ours, however, are not always visible
to the naked eye. Are we condemned to failure, or predestined to success? Just
like Israel,
the choice is up to us.
We are Called/Chosen:
As the Lord called, so walk:
1 Corinthians 7:17
17 Only, as the Lord hath distributed to each man,
as God hath called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all the churches.
Romans 8:29-30
29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained
to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: 30 and
whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Notice that in Romans, God
foreordained us to be conformed to the image of Jesus. We’re not going to get
into what the Bible means by predestination. There are diverse opinions on
that. We can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. God has a goal in mind
for us … to become exactly like Jesus in the spirit realm. What God wants, we
should allow Him to have. Don’t struggle against it. He wants people to see
Jesus when they look at us and see our behavior. All of these areas in the
verse end in “ed”. In God’s mind, they are already history … not going to
happen someday. We can see that’s true for called and justified but not
conformed and glorified. That’s kind of hard to swallow. Me, glorified? I
certainly don’t look it or act it. Conformed to the image of Jesus? I don’t
think so. Well, get with the program. As we abide persistently in Him and in
His Word, we will become more and more like Jesus.
If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would
say:
"I
have not called you to be like the world. I have called you to be like Me. I
want My children to be like I am. When people see you, I want them to see how
you look like Me. I would not have you be disobedient children. I would have
you to follow in the footsteps of My Son. So walk in My obedience, and you will
see many miracles happen in your life.”
2. The Lord has called
me into a glorious salvation. Therefore, I will walk worthy of this calling.
