"For the grace of God has appeared with the salvation of all people" (Titus 2:11, HCSB).
We must all realize that God's call to salvation goes out to us personally and that He cares about our welfare, lot, and future as well as about final destiny with Him. His plan is personalized, tailored, or individualized with us in particular in mind as if only we we alive. He knows the plans He has for us; to prosper us and not to harm us! (Cf. Jer. 29:11). God's best is for us, spiritually speaking. But we must apply God's message to us personally (claiming it) and realize that He is talking to and has us in mind. The only counsel that seems pertinent is to RSVP, because this is such wonderful news we cannot afford to lose the opportunities that are possible.
The offer has not only to do with our forgiveness from our past sins (justification), but deliverance from the power of sin and from what we are (sanctification)! God never paints a pretty picture of our condition in solidarity with Adam, but tells it like it is--we are slaves to sin and not free before salvation and only Christ can set us free. G. K. Chesterton said that the only doctrine that can be proved is total depravity! In fact, the extension of our salvation is fourfold: pardon from our sins, power over sin; purpose for living and to carry on; and peace with God, man, and ourselves (the four P's).
This means that we are not just sanitizing our life (cleaning up our act) and giving up sins, but turning our back and renouncing sin in general and it's power and influence in our lives, which entails not loving the world (cf. 1 John 2:15) nor the things of the world (the devil's delicacies which spoil our taste for the real thing); what we are doing, in reality, is salvaging our soul itself, not only staying alive but being alive in the real sense--entree into a new life from above in Christ.
For Christ "didn't come to make bad men good, but dead men alive!" We are never more alive when we live in Christ and know His power that resides in us (the power of the resurrection per Phil. 3:10)). When we know Jesus, we see Him in a spiritual sense at work around us, even using us for His glory. To know Jesus, then is to be fully alive with this abundant life (cf. John 10:10) He promised, that involves our soul's participation. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (cf. Eph. 2:1) especially to the spiritual before knowing Christ, but now we are alive spiritually and can comprehend and know spiritual things (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). The only healthy response is to obey ("For to obey is better than sacrifice..." per 1 Samuel 15:22)! By faith we obey but obedience is the only test of that faith, not ecstasy or experience. "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes" according to Bonhoeffer.
NB: Our salvation is nearer than we realize, (cf. Rom. 13:11). Jesus is as close as the mention of His name and we can do nothing to earn our salvation or even to keep it (cf. Jude 1)--it's all been done for us on the cross and we must just receive it as a free gift on God's terms (cf. Eph. 2:9). Soli Deo Gloria!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.