God, in His infinite love, offers us salvation to restore our relationship to Him. This daily devotional reviews how salvation fits into the transformation process that leads to perfection.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Going through the nuggets from the newsletters, I had a lot left over that seemed like they were on miscellaneous topics. I didn’t want to miss these, so we are going to be looking at them for the next couple of devotions.
I went through and sorted them by topic. I’ll just have to see how they shake out.
Salvation
- Salvation + Regeneration + Sanctification = Perfection (Transformed to a New Mind).
- Choosing to accept God’s gift of salvation means we commit to Him without delay (More Reasons Why We Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things).
- What helps us believe in God? It isn’t a case of seeing is believing in the usual sense of the word. Instead, we have to see with the eyes of our hearts (The Morality of Diligence).
- When we repent of our sins, God will forgive us and restore our relationships to Him (What Was John the Baptist’s Message?).
- When we repent, we have to change — our allegiance, our thoughts, our mindset, our actions (John the Baptist’s Tough Message).
- God is adamant that we have to come to salvation His way (What Was John the Baptist’s Message?).
- Age, race, gender, social status — nothing limits to whom God’s salvation is offered. Nothing limits to whom the consequences are given. Our relationship with God begins with the realization that God can be our Father. As we learn of Him, we learn of His character through His laws (Consequences of Setting Our Affections Below; How Do We Set Our Love, Desire, Hope, and Joy Above?).
- All are offered the gift of salvation, but it is only given to those who accept it. Justification, adoption, etc. happens only when we turn our lives over to God (Attributes of God: Merciful and Forgiving).
- If we don’t turn away from the desire to sin, we aren’t saved (Attributes of God: Merciful and Forgiving).
- We’ve got to come to God with a true confession of faith. If we say the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, we have to say all sin is wrong, and we want nothing to do with it. Just as we can’t pick and choose what is and isn’t a sin, once we decide to accept the gift of salvation, we can’t pick and choose when we are going to repent (What Do Morality, Grace, and Regeneration Have in Common?)
- God calls us to salvation. What salvation entails was determined by God. He figured out what we would have to do to gain it. We have to believe that Jesus died for our sins. Then, God calls us to salvation. We can’t wake up one day, knock on God’s door, and say, “Save us.” Only He can call us to salvation through the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Yet, God wants us to take the initiative and seek Him after salvation. He does not force us to grow in grace and knowledge (II Pet. 3: 18). He calls each and every one of us. Some, He may call when we are young. Others He will call when we are older. God alone knows when He will call us home. It may be when our life here is over. It may be when all life here is over. But it is all God’s Plan (Focusing Our Labor on God).
- God will call us to salvation when we are searching for Him and more willing to accept His gift of salvation. God’s salvation is offered to all regardless of what we have done. God calls us to salvation for differing lengths (What Is Life About?; Focusing Our Labor on God).
- If God had predestined who would be given salvation and who wouldn’t, wouldn’t He have just done that from the get-go? Why make Adam and Eve sin and make it look like their choice? If God wanted to flex His Sovereign muscles, He could just proclaim it to be so. But He doesn’t work that way. Instead, disciples are called (What Are the Causes and Effects of Evil? (Part 2)).
- We’ve got to come to God with a true confession of faith. If we say the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, we have to say all sin is wrong, and we want nothing to do with it. Just as we can’t pick and choose what is and isn’t a sin, once we decide to accept the gift of salvation, we can’t pick and choose when we are going to repent (What Do Morality, Grace, and Regeneration Have in Common?)
- Repentance can’t be a single act. There is so much sin in us — and the continued opportunity to sin — that it is going to take a while for us to cut it out of our lives (What Do Morality, Grace, and Regeneration Have in Common?)
- God calls us to salvation by His grace but bestows the full measure of His grace only on His children (What Do Morality, Grace, and Regeneration Have in Common?)
- Jesus taught that it isn’t enough just to believe. We have to show our faith by our good works. We have to put feet to our faith (The Commandment of Morality).
- While there is no connection between salvation and good works, there is between faith and completing whatever tasks He assigns for us to do (The Commandment of Morality).
- Sanctification is the process in which the transformation occurs. It is the process of transforming our nature to be more like God’s. We complete that process when we seek God (Transformed to Humility through Grace).
- To be sanctified, it encompasses being, doing, and suffering. We deliberately have to choose to be, to do, and to suffer all that God has in store for us. The three-pronged act of sanctification combines into the perfection of being (Transformed to Perfection).
- Perfection is what God wills for us, and it pleases Him when we achieve it. We achieve it by doing good as opposed to evil (Transformed to a New Mind).
- The fruit of the tree of life will only be given to those who have been set apart and perfected because they are morally pure and have their names written in the book of life (What Affections Are We Talking About?).
- We are not entitled to God’s love and forgiveness. He did not have to design the Plan of Salvation or even offer it to us. God wanted to because He wants to get back to having the hands-on relationship with all of His creation. But we have to accept it (Transformed to Humility through Grace).
- By following God and keeping His laws and commandments, we gain salvation, eternal life, grace and mercy (Transformed to Humility through Grace).
- The Plan of Salvation is all about restoration. But it is about restoration because the judging will come later (Who Was John the Baptist?).
- Our future happiness is contingent on our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior. If we don’t do that, we aren’t going to set our affections on things above (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
- If we ABCD but are not sincere about it, we won’t gain Heaven. If we say we are setting our affections on things above but can’t give up the things below, we won’t make it (Final Thoughts on Setting Our Affections on Things Above).
- We can access God — even though we are still in these sinful bodies — because of our belief in Jesus. But that doesn’t mean God hates our sin less (Why Do We Set Our Affections Above?).
- The Plan of Salvation is not based on our knowledge. It is based on our hope (Attributes of God: Mysterious and Incomprehensible).
- But only those who have ABCDed will get to live with Him forever. The only way God will condescend to live with us is if we hold the same character traits and values as He does. What does that take? “… a contrite and humble spirit …” (Isa. 57: 15 KJV). It takes true repentance (Attributes of God: Transcendent).
- Jesus paid the price for our sins, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do our parts. We have to repent and believe (The Expected Message).
- We are called to convey the message, but Jesus alone brings the salvation (The Expected Message).
- Jesus always comes to us where we are. He doesn’t make us clean up our acts or change what we are doing to earn salvation (The Expected Message).
- Making the decision to accept the gift of salvation means we have to choose to be obedient. That is a major choice for some (The Expected Message).
- Jesus had died and had risen from the grave. The Plan of Salvation was complete. Jesus’ didn’t see His work as over. He had a group of men that needed to be restored, encouraged, and equipped (The Expected Message).
- The Plan of Salvation wouldn’t mean a thing if these men did not tell others it existed. We have to know we are sinners. We have to make a conscious choice to believe in a Risen Savior (The Expected Message).
- We have to know what we believe. Knowing what we believe comes from seeking God. When we do all the steps in seeking God, we get a solid foundation (The Law of Liberty).
- We tend to think we are the reason for the gospel. We think we are the purpose or the motivation behind the Plan of Salvation. God designed the Plan of Salvation because He wants back what Satan took away from Him. He wants us back so we can worship Him again in spirit and in truth. Some may think I am nitpicking there, but I don’t think so. God is the focus. He always is the focus (The Focus of the Ministry).
- Salvation is the same for all who ABCD. We all are changed from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive. We all are given access to Sovereign God. We all are given eternal life (Focusing Our Labor on God).
Making the Connections
Salvation is free, but it is not a freebie. We don’t have to earn salvation. We don’t have to clean up our acts and then receive salvation.
But neither is there no expectations. We are expected to seek God, so that our character may be changed to be like His. We are expected to follow His laws and commandments.
How Do We Apply This?
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Father God. We are humbled that You love us enough to offer us the Plan of Salvation. You sent Your Son to die, so that we could have eternal life with You. Help us to focus on our sanctification that changes our character to be like Yours. Amen.
What do you think?
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