A Recipe for the Salvation of Your Soul
God sits in the heavens, and He does as He pleases (Ps 115:3; 135:6). From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things (Rom 11:36). Therefore, according to His eternal purpose, carried out in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:11), He works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11).
In the will of God, He has purposed to save a remnant portion of fallen, sinful humanity. God saves His chosen people (Rom 11:5; Titus 3:5), from His own righteous wrath against ungodly sinners (1 Thess 1:10), in rebellion against Him (Rom 1:18–32). This is the majority of humanity destined for wrath. The remnant, elect were predestined to adoption as sons of God (Rom 8:15, 23). Simply put, God has chosen to have mercy on these people (Rom 9:15–16). His choice was made before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4–5; Rev 13:8; 17:8; 21:27).
There is nothing in sinful man that desires the salvation of God (Gen 6:5; Rom 3:10–12; 8:7; Eph 2:1–3), therefore, it is the grace of God, alone, that causes one to be born again of God (Eph 2:8–9; 1 Pet 1:3). This means the sovereign God sends His Holy Spirit to a particular person, who receives Jesus, not by his own will, but by the will of God (Jn 1:12–13). Receiving Jesus, that is the Spirit of Christ, means one receives salvation from God (Acts 4:12; Titus 3:5).
The salvation of one’s soul brings radical life transformation, as stark as the contrast of light and dark or life and death. God, who has not destined us to wrath (1 Thess 5:9), is the One who causes us to walk in His statutes (Ezek 36:27). This is because God is glorified, by His willing and working His salvation into these vessels of mercy, being prepared for glory (Rom 9:23; Phil 2:13). It is God who accomplishes what concerns us (Ps 57:2; 138:8), and what concerns us is that we should be holy, as He is holy (1 Pet 1:16).
Holiness means that one is set apart by God and for God. In this process called “sanctification,” God employs His Spirit to wash the saint with the water of the Word of God (Eph 5:26). Being cleansed of all sin and unrighteousness is utterly liberating. It is the truth that sets us free from our bondage to sin and death (Jn 8:32). If Jesus, who is the truth (Jn 14:6), sets us free, then, we are free indeed.
Sanctification is the will of God for the Christian (1 Thess 4:3), and this is to prepare the saint for glory. Glory is the apex of the chain of God’s works, involved in the salvation of His chosen people (Rom 8:29–30). Those He has predestined are called and justified and finally, glorified.
God has graciously given each believer in Jesus Christ, a token or pledge of salvation (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5). The third Person of the Trinitarian Godhead is the pledge or promise that God, who began this good work of salvation in a soul, will bring His good work to its perfect end (Phil 1:6).
The perfect end for the Christian is called “eternal life with Christ.” He who has the Son has eternal life, even as he who does not have the Son does not have life (Jn 3:36; 1 Jn 5:12). Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, and the Spirit of the living God is who resides in the regenerate believer (Jn 14:17). Christians believe only because the Holy Spirit has given us faith, as a gift from the Author of faith…Jesus Christ (Gal 3:22; Phil 1:29; Heb 12:2).
Faith embraces things not seen (Heb 11:1), but these things are known because of God’s Word, the Bible. In the Bible, the Christian learns of the promises of God, fulfilled in Christ Jesus. In Him, all the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” (2 Cor 1:20). Salvation is the transfer of a soul into Christ, that is, into His kingdom of light (Col 1:13; 1 Pet 2:9).
The marvelous light of the kingdom of God is where truth is seen and loved. The good news of Jesus is preached over and over again (Mt 24:14; Mk 16:15; 1 Cor 1:23; 2:2, 4; 2 Tim 4:2), to the sheep of His pasture (Ps 23; Jn 10), who graze on His Word day and night. These have a Good Shepherd, who cares for them (1 Pet 5:7), and who will never leave them nor forsake them (Heb 13:5). This position in Christ is immovable and unchangeable because God’s call upon His people is irrevocable (Rom 11:29).
The Christian, who has been loved by God in Christ (Rom 5:8), and for whom He died (Eph 5:25), now lives for Him (2 Cor 5:14–15). This redeemed man lives a life of faith in the Son of God (Gal 2:20), even as the Spirit of God’s Son lives in Him (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11; Jas 4:5). This mutual indwelling is the life of God in the soul of man (1 Jn 4:13)…and the believer seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Eph 2:6). It is the glory of salvation, which manifests in the production of spiritual fruit, by the indwelling Christ (Jn 15; Gal 5:22–23).
Friend, do not be deceived. This potent occupation of one’s soul, by God, cannot be missed or mistaken. The evidence of God’s salvation is seen, first, in one’s new interest in the Bible (Dt 6:6; Col 3:16). You cannot be a Christian and not be taken, with a love for God’s love-letter to His people (Bible). Is that you?
Christian, consider again, today, what God has done for you in Christ Jesus. These words are written for you, as an encouragement for you to once again consider who God is and what He has done, to give you new life (Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 3:6; 5:17), which is abundant and eternal (Jn 10:10). There is great reason for every believer to rejoice in so great a salvation (Heb 2:3; Rev 19:1).
May God richly bless you, today, as you meditate on the great things He has done. With much thanksgiving, we celebrate the one and only Savior of sinners (Acts 4:12), who gave His life a ransom for many (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45), being the propitiation for our sins and our only hope of glory (Rom 3:25; Eph 1:18; Col 1:27; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10).
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
October 17, 2022
