In the last meditation we saw that the Holy Spirit not only causes our rebirth, but also directs our transformation process into Christ-, or God-likeness during our walk on earth. We also discovered that this transformation process finds its completion when we will be with Christ forever.
Today we want to ask ourselves: does God’s transformation process only deal with his reborn children individually, or does God also aim at transforming his entire church into the likeness of Christ?
In meditation 29 we read that with our rebirth by the Spirit of God, he incorporates us into the messianic community, the Body of Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds the reborn children of God in Corinth of the start of their Christian life and of their incorporation into the messianic community: “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's Body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)
In his letter to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey), Paul explains that Christ-likeness is the distinctive character of the messianic community: “God placed all things under his [Jesus’] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his Body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1: 22-23)
From the book of Acts we know that the Body of Christ was born of the (Christlike) Spirit of God. Luke writes about that sensational beginning of the messianic community in Acts 2.
Yet, God’s major project did not stop with the birth of the Body of Christ on that day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago. That was only the minute start of a miraculous and universal ‘divine enterprise’.
However crucial it is, this divine, multi-century project is not only about increasing the numbers of people saved by Christ’s sacrifice; God equally aims at growing the Body of Christ into his likeness!
In the last book of the Bible, the apostle John paints in colourful pictures what God’s final objective is for the universal church, the Body of the Messiah. He describes her as ‘a holy city’, as ‘the new Jerusalem’, as ‘a beautiful bride’ and as ‘God's people’:
“I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” (Revelation 21:2-3)
John continues to portray the church as ‘the wife of the Lamb’ [Jesus the Messiah], filled with the glory of God:
"Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, 'Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.'
So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper." (Revelation 21:9-11)
In his second letter to the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul uses the expressions ‘the glory of Christ’, ‘the glory of God’ and ‘the likeness of Christ’ as synonyms:
"Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. ... For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:4.6)
Furthermore, the apostle John adds image to image when he speaks about the God- or Christ-likeness of the finished Body of Christ at the end of the ages:
“No temple could be seen in the city [the new Jerusalem], for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light...
Nothing evil will be allowed to enter-- no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty-- but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.” (Revelation 21: 22.23.27)
In Revelation 19:7-8 John speaks about the process of Christ-like transformation when he points out that the universal Body of Christ has prepared itself over the centuries as a bride for the messianic wedding feast. Then she will be with Jesus Messiah for ever:
"Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him [God]. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest white linen. (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)" (Revelation 19:7-8)
In his letter to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey) the apostle Paul compares the consummation of love between bride groom and bride with Jesus Messiah and his people, the Body of Christ:
"After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24). This is a profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:29-32)
In a final picture the apostle John depicts the bride of God’s Son as ‘priests’, ransomed by his blood from their rebellious and God-less way of life:
“... you [Jesus] were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
(Revelation 5: 9-10)
In this meditation we saw that God aims at preparing the universal Body of Christ for being with Jesus forever. That will be the eagerly anticipated ‘celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb’ at the end of the ages!
Yet, how does the church’s preparation for that glorious, divine wedding celebration take place in everyday life?
That will be the theme of the next meditation.
The Bible verses Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 5:29-32 and Revelation 5:9-10 are quotes of the New International Version. The other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
45. GOD’S MAJOR PROJECT: TRANSFORMING ME AND MY CHURCH INTO THE LIKENESS OF CHRIST ( a )
In the last meditation, we saw that we become children of God through ‘rebirth’ by God’s Spirit.
Today we want to pause to consider what are God’s further purposes for us after we have received his Spirit?
Actually, it is God’s plan to transform his reborn children into the likeness of Christ. We saw before, that Paul stresses this point in various letters:
To the Christians in Rome he writes: “God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29)
To the followers of Jesus in Corinth (Greece) he assures: “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his [Jesus Christ’] likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18)
He reminds God’s reborn children in Ephesus (modern Turkey) that “we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Naturally, the apostle Paul interchanges the notion ‘Christlikeness’ and ‘God-likeness’ as Jesus Christ is the exact likeness of God: “They [those who don’t believe] don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Therefore, we read in his letter to the Ephesian Christians:
“You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness-- righteous, holy, and true.”
(Ephesians 4:24)
To the followers of Jesus in Colosse (modern Turkey), Paul writes: “...(you) have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:10)
Actually, as God’s Spirit transforms me into the likeness of Christ, he restores my rebellious heart into the (Christlike) image of God. Did not Genesis 1:26-27 tell us that God made man originally in his likeness?
“Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
(Genesis 1:26-27)
The apostle Paul explains to the Christians in Corinth that God will fully restore ‘his image’ in us which was broken by the rebellion of Adam, the first man (see Genesis 3).
In his first letter to the followers of Jesus in Corinth, Paul points out that God will achieve that restoration by transforming us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ:
“...The first man [Adam] was of the dust of the earth, the second man [Jesus] from heaven.
As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth [mankind]; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven [God’s reborn children].
And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”
(1 Corinthians 15:47-49)
As we have seen, that process of restoration into God’s or Christ’s likeness starts with our rebirth as God’s children on the day we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord (see meditations 26, 27, 30, 34-37 and 44).
Yet, when will that transformation into Christ-, or God-likeness, be completed?
The apostle John answers that question as he writes to the followers of Jesus: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he [Jesus Christ] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
The apostle Paul says the same thing when he urges on God’s reborn children in Colosse: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
By now we realise that the Holy Spirit causes not only our rebirth, but also directs the transformation process into Christ-, or God-likeness during our walk on earth.
And as we just saw, the apostles John and Paul want us to know that this transformation process finds its completion when we will be with Christ forever.
Many questions remain to ponder in the coming meditations:
--- How does this transformation process take place?
--- Don’t all God’s reborn children have the option to sin as long as they live on this earth?
--- By sinning, don’t they obstruct the process of transformation into Christlikeness?
--- Does God’s transformation process only deal with his reborn children individually or does God also aim at transforming the entire local church [i.e. the local messianic community or the local Body of Christ] into the likeness of Christ?
We will reflect upon that last question next time.
The Bible verses 2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:10, Genesis 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, 1 John 3:2, Colossians 3:1-4 are quotes of the New International Version. The other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
For further study on Christ-, or God-likeness see meditations 13, 18, 29, 30, 34 and 37.
Today we want to pause to consider what are God’s further purposes for us after we have received his Spirit?
Actually, it is God’s plan to transform his reborn children into the likeness of Christ. We saw before, that Paul stresses this point in various letters:
To the Christians in Rome he writes: “God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29)
To the followers of Jesus in Corinth (Greece) he assures: “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his [Jesus Christ’] likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
(2 Corinthians 3:18)
He reminds God’s reborn children in Ephesus (modern Turkey) that “we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Naturally, the apostle Paul interchanges the notion ‘Christlikeness’ and ‘God-likeness’ as Jesus Christ is the exact likeness of God: “They [those who don’t believe] don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Therefore, we read in his letter to the Ephesian Christians:
“You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness-- righteous, holy, and true.”
(Ephesians 4:24)
To the followers of Jesus in Colosse (modern Turkey), Paul writes: “...(you) have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:10)
Actually, as God’s Spirit transforms me into the likeness of Christ, he restores my rebellious heart into the (Christlike) image of God. Did not Genesis 1:26-27 tell us that God made man originally in his likeness?
“Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
(Genesis 1:26-27)
The apostle Paul explains to the Christians in Corinth that God will fully restore ‘his image’ in us which was broken by the rebellion of Adam, the first man (see Genesis 3).
In his first letter to the followers of Jesus in Corinth, Paul points out that God will achieve that restoration by transforming us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ:
“...The first man [Adam] was of the dust of the earth, the second man [Jesus] from heaven.
As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth [mankind]; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven [God’s reborn children].
And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”
(1 Corinthians 15:47-49)
As we have seen, that process of restoration into God’s or Christ’s likeness starts with our rebirth as God’s children on the day we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord (see meditations 26, 27, 30, 34-37 and 44).
Yet, when will that transformation into Christ-, or God-likeness, be completed?
The apostle John answers that question as he writes to the followers of Jesus: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he [Jesus Christ] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
The apostle Paul says the same thing when he urges on God’s reborn children in Colosse: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
By now we realise that the Holy Spirit causes not only our rebirth, but also directs the transformation process into Christ-, or God-likeness during our walk on earth.
And as we just saw, the apostles John and Paul want us to know that this transformation process finds its completion when we will be with Christ forever.
Many questions remain to ponder in the coming meditations:
--- How does this transformation process take place?
--- Don’t all God’s reborn children have the option to sin as long as they live on this earth?
--- By sinning, don’t they obstruct the process of transformation into Christlikeness?
--- Does God’s transformation process only deal with his reborn children individually or does God also aim at transforming the entire local church [i.e. the local messianic community or the local Body of Christ] into the likeness of Christ?
We will reflect upon that last question next time.
The Bible verses 2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:10, Genesis 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, 1 John 3:2, Colossians 3:1-4 are quotes of the New International Version. The other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
For further study on Christ-, or God-likeness see meditations 13, 18, 29, 30, 34 and 37.
Friday, February 11, 2011
44. REBIRTH IS THE FRUIT OF GOD’S LOVE
In the meditations so far, and especially in the meditations on ‘salvation pictures’ (38-43), we have often dwelled on the subject of God’s love for us. In fact, the apostle John captures the character of God in one short phrase: “God is love.” (1 John 4:16)
We can read everywhere in the Bible that God loves his rebellious world and wants to save it. Here is the most famous example from John’s Gospel: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Speaking about God’s love, John writes in his first letter: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
The apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome of the fact that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
Furthermore, we often read in the Bible about Jesus’ passion to save us from our rebellious ways. Here are some words from Jesus himself, written in the Gospel of Luke: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)
Finally, we have seen that our remorseful repentance and our faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins leads to our salvation, i.e. our rebirth into eternal life. John writes: “To all who believed him [Jesus the Messiah] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan - this rebirth comes from God." (John 1:12-13)
The apostle Paul reminds his co-worker Titus: “When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-5)
If you are reborn by the Spirit of God, you know how dearly you are loved by God, your heavenly Father and by Jesus, his beloved Son.
The apostle John delights in God’s love for all who are reborn by God’s Spirit when he writes: “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!” (1 John 3:1)
In the same letter John writes: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him.” (1 John 4:16)
The apostle Paul prays for the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey): “May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
For the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica (Greece) Paul prays: “May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
As we just have seen, the Bible wants us to know how much God loves our lost world and especially his reborn children [i.e., the true followers of Jesus]. Yet, the question remains, how do God’s reborn children experience God’s love for them?
The apostle Paul explains this to the followers of Jesus in Rome when he writes: “We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:5)
We thank God for the fact that he made it so clear in the Bible that everyone who welcomes Jesus as their personal Saviour, receives the Holy Spirit as a gift from God the Father and God the Son.
(For further study on the gift of the Holy Spirit see meditations 27-34, 37-43).
Yet, however much God’s reborn children might rejoice in the experience of God’s Spirit, we might wonder what God’s purposes are for us receiving his Spirit and renewing our lives? This will be the theme of the next meditations.
The Bible verses Luke 19:10, Titus 3:4-5 and 1 John 4:9-10 are quotes of the New International Version. All other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
We can read everywhere in the Bible that God loves his rebellious world and wants to save it. Here is the most famous example from John’s Gospel: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Speaking about God’s love, John writes in his first letter: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
The apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome of the fact that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
Furthermore, we often read in the Bible about Jesus’ passion to save us from our rebellious ways. Here are some words from Jesus himself, written in the Gospel of Luke: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)
Finally, we have seen that our remorseful repentance and our faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins leads to our salvation, i.e. our rebirth into eternal life. John writes: “To all who believed him [Jesus the Messiah] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan - this rebirth comes from God." (John 1:12-13)
The apostle Paul reminds his co-worker Titus: “When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:4-5)
If you are reborn by the Spirit of God, you know how dearly you are loved by God, your heavenly Father and by Jesus, his beloved Son.
The apostle John delights in God’s love for all who are reborn by God’s Spirit when he writes: “See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!” (1 John 3:1)
In the same letter John writes: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him.” (1 John 4:16)
The apostle Paul prays for the followers of Jesus in Ephesus (modern Turkey): “May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
For the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica (Greece) Paul prays: “May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
As we just have seen, the Bible wants us to know how much God loves our lost world and especially his reborn children [i.e., the true followers of Jesus]. Yet, the question remains, how do God’s reborn children experience God’s love for them?
The apostle Paul explains this to the followers of Jesus in Rome when he writes: “We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:5)
We thank God for the fact that he made it so clear in the Bible that everyone who welcomes Jesus as their personal Saviour, receives the Holy Spirit as a gift from God the Father and God the Son.
(For further study on the gift of the Holy Spirit see meditations 27-34, 37-43).
Yet, however much God’s reborn children might rejoice in the experience of God’s Spirit, we might wonder what God’s purposes are for us receiving his Spirit and renewing our lives? This will be the theme of the next meditations.
The Bible verses Luke 19:10, Titus 3:4-5 and 1 John 4:9-10 are quotes of the New International Version. All other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
Friday, February 4, 2011
43. RESURRECTION LIFE OR WHAT ? ( f )
In meditations 38 to 42 we searched through the Gospels, the book of Acts, Paul's letter and ‘the Letter to the Hebrews’ to see how they depict ‘divine salvation’. Today we will comb through the letters of James, Peter and John for ‘salvation pictures’. As we already said before, we will not repeat the pictures which we have already found in the New Testament, although many of them are repeated time and again:
‘Divine Salvation’ is pictured as:
• Being made holy by the Holy Spirit of God
“God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.” 1 Peter 1:2
• Being shielded by God’s power
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
• Being a foreigner on earth
“Remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.” 1 Peter 1:17
• Being a holy priest of God
“...and now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:5
• Sharing in God’s divine nature
“By that same mighty power, he [God] has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:4
• Being like Jesus
“Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” 1 John 3:2
• Having the testimony of God in your heart
“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:10-12
• Having fellowship with God the Father and God the Son
“If you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son.”
2 John 1:9
• Living in the love of God the Father and in the care of Jesus his Son
“This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who are called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:1
• Seeing Jesus’ face and having his Name written on your forehead
“No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there [in the new Jerusalem], and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3-4
• For ever reigning with the Messiah over his Kingdom
“There will be no night there [New Jerusalem]-- no need for lamps or sun-- for the Lord God will shine on them. And they [Jesus’ servants] will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:5
“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The whole world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’" Revelation 11:15
• Having the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life
(see Genesis 2:9 and 3:22-24)
“Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.” Revelation 22:14
If you are like me, you might be overwhelmed by the 82 present and future ‘salvation pictures’ we have collected from the New Testament. Actually, our list is not even exhaustive, and as we said before, many of the salvation pictures are used frequently throughout the Gospels and the Epistles!
As specific circumstances and spiritual interests change over the years, our attraction to a particular ‘salvation picture’ might give way more than once to another picture. As a new follower of Jesus in a ‘free country’ you might momentarily be fascinated by a different kind of picture than those who live in countries where Christians are persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. Thank God for the fact that the great diversity of pictures is able to enrich our lives in every circumstance and in every stage of our spiritual journey.
It is time to start looking at some of those ‘salvation pictures’ in a more detailed way. Because of the character of our meditations, we are specifically interested in those pictures that deal with the Christian walk of life from its ‘rebirth experience’ until the stage of Christlike maturity.
So, let’s begin at the beginning...
The Bible verses 1 Peter 1:3-5 and 1 John 5:10-12 are quotes of the New International Version. All other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
‘Divine Salvation’ is pictured as:
• Being made holy by the Holy Spirit of God
“God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.” 1 Peter 1:2
• Being shielded by God’s power
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
• Being a foreigner on earth
“Remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.” 1 Peter 1:17
• Being a holy priest of God
“...and now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:5
• Sharing in God’s divine nature
“By that same mighty power, he [God] has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:4
• Being like Jesus
“Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” 1 John 3:2
• Having the testimony of God in your heart
“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:10-12
• Having fellowship with God the Father and God the Son
“If you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son.”
2 John 1:9
• Living in the love of God the Father and in the care of Jesus his Son
“This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who are called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:1
• Seeing Jesus’ face and having his Name written on your forehead
“No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there [in the new Jerusalem], and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.” Revelation 22:3-4
• For ever reigning with the Messiah over his Kingdom
“There will be no night there [New Jerusalem]-- no need for lamps or sun-- for the Lord God will shine on them. And they [Jesus’ servants] will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:5
“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The whole world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’" Revelation 11:15
• Having the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life
(see Genesis 2:9 and 3:22-24)
“Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.” Revelation 22:14
If you are like me, you might be overwhelmed by the 82 present and future ‘salvation pictures’ we have collected from the New Testament. Actually, our list is not even exhaustive, and as we said before, many of the salvation pictures are used frequently throughout the Gospels and the Epistles!
As specific circumstances and spiritual interests change over the years, our attraction to a particular ‘salvation picture’ might give way more than once to another picture. As a new follower of Jesus in a ‘free country’ you might momentarily be fascinated by a different kind of picture than those who live in countries where Christians are persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. Thank God for the fact that the great diversity of pictures is able to enrich our lives in every circumstance and in every stage of our spiritual journey.
It is time to start looking at some of those ‘salvation pictures’ in a more detailed way. Because of the character of our meditations, we are specifically interested in those pictures that deal with the Christian walk of life from its ‘rebirth experience’ until the stage of Christlike maturity.
So, let’s begin at the beginning...
The Bible verses 1 Peter 1:3-5 and 1 John 5:10-12 are quotes of the New International Version. All other texts are quoted from the New Living Translation.
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