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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman The
Process of Salvation When thinking of
Biblical salvation we should realize that it is a process that originated
in the mind of God prior to the Genesis creation account and has been
revealed in incremental stages throughout history.
As much as we know, what I would call cosmic salvation finds its
ultimate realization with the appearance of the new heaven and earth
(Revelation 21:1). What I call
personal salvation is also a process that begins in the mind of God as His
Spirit invites us to a life of salvation authorized by Jesus that
culminates in us becoming as Jesus presently is on that new earth (1 John
3:2, Romans 8:29). My observation over the
decades is that we tend to view our salvation in terms of getting saved at
some point in the past, and once saved, we expect to go to heaven when we
die, but there is much more to it than that.
The New Testament views personal salvation in three verb tenses.
They are, past, present and future.
That means our salvation is a process that began in the past, is
worked out in the present, and is ultimately realized in the future, as
seen in the following verses.
I was saved, past tense,
is seen in Romans 8:24. "Now in this hope
we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for
what he sees?" I will be saved, future
tense, is seen in Romans 5:10. "For if, while we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then
how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life." I am being saved,
present tense, is seen in 2 Corinthians 2:15.
"For to God we are
the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those
who are perishing." My point is simple.
We cannot view our personal salvation as getting saved in the past
so we can go to heaven. Salvation
is a process whereby we are being saved, being transformed into God's will
in this life. Among many
things, that means we sin less this week than last week.
We carry out the ministry calling we have been called to
facilitate. We have a
productive, present relationship with Jesus where we can effectively seek
Him and His kingdom above all else in our lives (Matthew 6:33).
Yes, salvation is a present, ongoing process whereby God's Spirit
who entered your life when you were saved begins to transform you into
His will for you until the day you become as He is.
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