Continue to Work Out Your Salvation in Reverence and Fear
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START WITH HEART
Lord, as You speak please help me listen with my whole heart and Holy Spirit please meet me today and make me more like Jesus.
Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)
Dear friends, … Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
The Bible uses three tenses when speaking about salvation: past, present and future.
Salvation past tense: “I was saved”
Because we are born with Adam’s sin in our blood, there is nothing we can do to get rid of it. The consequence of this “dirty blood” is eternal hell, eternal separation from God.
We are born sinners, even if we are good people. We are not Christians if we go to church or if we were brought up in Christian homes.
Salvation is also not just saying the sinner’s prayer. There has to be a spiritual exchange. My life for His life.
On the day I believed and confessed that Jesus died for my sin, and declared Him my Lord and my Master, Jesus cleansed my blood of the sin of Adam that carried the curse of the penalty of eternal death. Now, in Jesus, I have been freed from the power of sin, I have been made right with God. It is a done deal and it never has to happen again.
In an instant Jesus filled me with His love and power and transferred me from the kingdom of darkness into His Kingdom of eternal life in His presence, and I am now a new creation in Him, and I am justified before God.
Salvation present tense: “I am being saved”
I am being changed from glory to glory. I am continuously being sanctified, becoming more and more Christlike. Being saved is not fire insurance (you’ve probably heard that analogy before ?). I was saved from the consequence of eternal damnation, but I need to continue to produce the fruit proving my salvation.
We are saved for a purpose. Our purpose is wrapped in our spiritual gifts, our talents and our passions.
So most mornings I “report for duty” and ask the Lord what He has for me.
Jesus said His sheep hear His voice, so I know when things come to mind, or I am convicted of something, I know that it is the Lord and I need to obey. It is not always easy, but I have to be faithful in applying His Word to my life, in the power of the Holy Spirit working His righteousness in me.
Then, most evenings, I ask myself “the 360° questions” as part of my “clean up” at the end of the day. Lord Jesus,
1) What must I stop doing?
2) What must I start doing?
3) What must I continue doing better?
Salvation future tense: “I will be saved”
Finally, when we see Jesus face to face and we look just like Him, our Bridegroom, we will be free from the presence of sin, and death is swallowed up forever.
Jesus has prepared a place for us – a mansion, where Jesus will be our eternal Shepherd and we will never again be hungry or thirsty. There will be no hurt, pain or suffering ever again in His presence! There will be no darkness, we will live in the glory of The Lord’s presence for eternity.
Hallelujah!!
JOURNALING QUESTIONS:
- Am I truly saved? 2 Corinthians 13:5 and 2 Peter 1:10-11 – we are to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith.
- Am I producing fruit in keeping with repentance (salvation)? Matthew 3:8 – if not I am just practicing religion. Matthew 7:22-23 warns that I can be deceived and miss my final eternal rest with Jesus.
Oh come Lord Jesus, come!
WORSHIP SONG:
I’m No Longer a Slave to Fear, by Tasha Cobbs
by Julia Taylor
