The Blessed Assurance of Our Salvation in Christ Jesus and the Fundamentals of the Doctrine of Holiness

For those of us who believe in Jehovah God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and desire His will to be done in earth as it is in Heaven, “salvation” involves beginning in faith (justification), continuing in faith (sanctification), and finishing in faith (glorification). Justification happens the moment we repent of our sins and exercise faith in God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His Holy Spirit. Another phrase for this experience is “regeneration of the Spirit.” It is at this very moment in time when we believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation that our “spirit man,” “the hidden man of the heart,” is translated (powerfully removed) from “the power of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.” Through receiving Christ and believing on His name, we are “born again, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of the will of God.” This union, leading to communion with God, for which we were created, was lost to humankind through Adam’s transgression, but is now regained through Christ’s obedience and our faith in Him. Again, we can only enter into this reunion experience through believing in, and receiving Jesus Christ through faith. Once this is accomplished, we are justified (made innocent of our past transgressions) through faith in Jesus Christ’s accomplished work on the cross on our behalf and in our stead. “If we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Now, whereas justification happens in a moment of time, sanctification requires a lifetime of believing in the promises of God to sanctify us wholly spirit, soul, and body, unto the coming of the Lord, to perfect that which concerns us, and to complete the work that He began. A phrase for this experience of continuing in Christ is “transformation of the soul.” This transformation takes place as we learn to consistently yield our human wills in obedience to God’s divine will by following the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of the dictates of the flesh (the old sin nature). It also requires that, “by the mercies of God, we present our bodies, living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our spiritual service, and be not conformed to the world, but be transformed through the renewing of our minds that we might prove (demonstrate) what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Our hope is in the risen Christ, and “He that has this hope purifies himself, even as He is pure.”

The end result of this process of transformation is the transfiguration of our bodies, which will take place at the rapture of the church, also called “the first out resurrection of the dead in Christ.” This transfiguring glorification of our bodies will be the experience of those who have died in Christ as well as of those who are alive in Christ at His second coming. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

The present process of our transformation (change) in Christ takes place in our souls and leads to the perfecting of our moral character in conformity to the character of Christ, as opposed to conforming ourselves to the sin nature inherited through Adam’s transgression. This requires our consecration unto Christ. Our sanctification is God’s business, and it has been accomplished through the work of Christ’s cross, and it is also being accomplished presently through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Whereas our sanctification in Christ is God’s business, consecration in Christ is our business, and this is accomplished through our working with God in yielding the members of our bodies as servants of righteousness as opposed to slaves to sin. Thus the exhortation, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure.” As we continue in Christ and His words continue in us, we come to know the truth, and the truth makes us free from sin. So we understand that God is working in us leading to our sanctification through the Spirit as we work with Him through our willing consecration unto Christ.

Paul referred to this perfecting process, or if you will, this finishing work that God is actively involved with in our lives (even as we are actively involved with Him through faithfulness to His directives) with the following proclamation, “I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yes doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them as dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my on righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brothers, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press for the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” Philippians 3: 7-15

God has not, and will not, leave us alone in the processes of perfecting us or in the finishing of our moral character in order for us to be able to share in the glories of His kingdom. “Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith.” He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him; but you know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:15-17

Paul writes, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Until we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13

We are made innocent of our transgressions through faith in Christ Jesus. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. He is made unto us redemption, wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification. We will be made perfect by the same grace through faith.

I will conclude this teaching with a quote from the book of Hebrews.

“You are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect; And to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel; See that you refuse not Him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth (Moses), much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaks from Heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things that cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:22-29

We see that our salvation involves the past work of Christ, whereby we were justified by grace through faith, and the present workings of the Holy Spirit, whereby we are being sanctified by grace through faith, as well as our continuing works of faith born of His grace, whereby we shall be glorified by grace through faith. Thus, “You are saved by grace through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works (of law) lest any man should boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works (of faith) that God ordained beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Our works of faith that validate our faith in Christ as being a living faith in the living God (a faith that saves), come forth out of a relationship, a fellowship, and a communion with Him. Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” The scriptures declare, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Our salvation in Christ is a result of our utter dependence on Him, which is the opposite of independence from Him. Independence from Him is the very nature of sin. Dependence on Him is the very nature of the faith that saves. Self-righteous religion whereby one attempts to save oneself through his own efforts, and unrighteous rebellion whereby one rejects Christ and His doctrine of holiness are one in the same. They are just different sides of the same coin because they are based on human pride. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the might hand of God that He might exalt you in due season. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Let us reject self-righteous religion born of legalism and un-righteous rebellion born of license to sin, and let us receive eternal life through a relationship and fellowship with Christ, around His Word and in His Holy Spirit. Amen?