I AM saved, am BEING saved, and WILL BE saved. Huh?

Walk in Wisdom - Gleanings in Scripture

 

Heb. 13.8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

 

One of the trickiest aspects of both reading and interpreting our Bibles, along with living realistically (i.e. Biblically), is getting a handle on what is often termed - “The already, but not yet.” A good example of getting that thinking right is found in 1 John 3.2 - “Beloved, we ARE God’s children NOW, and what we WILL be has NOT YET appeared.” (Emphases mine) Keeping this tension firmly in hand helps us not only draw a realistic picture of what we can expect here and now - both from ourselves and God, (We can’t live as glorified beings yet, we WILL sin) and makes sense of what are sometimes perceived as contradictory passages - if not confusing ones. To highlight that below, it might be useful to see what HAS happened, IS now happening, and WILL happen in our spiritual lives. Jesus is Lord of all. Past, present and future. And we need to look to Him in all. So our hearts will be settled when we still experience some things incompatible with where and what we WILL be; while we’re still in the here and now. And at the same time remain confident that what WAS done, IS done.

 

He HAS saved us (regeneration) – Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

He IS saving us (sanctification) - 2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

He WILL save us (glorification) - 1 Peter 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

 

He HAS cleansed us - 1 Cor. 6:11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

He IS cleansing us - 1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

He WILL utterly cleanse us – Eph. 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

 

 

He HAS kept us – Gal. 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

He IS keeping us – 1 Peter 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

He WILL keep us – John 6:39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

Live sweetly beloved, He is Lord of ALL!