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two phases of salvation?
Something that has been on my heart and mind the past little while is the verses through the new testament that stress that after we are initially saved, there is a life of fruit and works.
If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like there are two steps in our salvation that the Lord has made provision for:
1. freedom from the guilt of sin (Christ as our substitute on the cross), and.
2. sanctification (Christ as our Vine and our Sanctification)
I want to know if I'm understanding this properly...
So sanctification is the process of being made holy, right?
And if this so far is accurate, what has stood out lately is I am just as utterly incapable as living the way Christ calls me to live as I was to save myself from the guilt of sin.
When I read the words of Christ (particularly Matthew 24 about being a "doer" not just a "hearer", it strikes me how high the standard is in the Christian walk.
But when I read the new testament, there seems also to be a great message of hope that the One who did all that was necessary to give me forgiveness of sins, also does part 2 (if you will) of the process, that is to make me holy.
So just as when I sought initial salvation and looked upon myself in hopelessness but then found that it was done in Christ, I can now by the same faith, look to Christ to do the work of making me holy (process of sanctification).
This may be totally obvious to others, but it's only beginning to come through to me. And I want to make sure that I'm understanding properly. Because if this is true, and I need only rely on Christ to be all and all in my sanctification as He was in my initial salvation, this is great news indeed!
Dare I hope that it's as easy as saying, "Lord, what You undertook for me on the cross, so You will undertake to make me what I must be from here on."
And if all of this is true, it seems that the only job of mine for the rest of my life is to trust Christ completely.
Any insight from those of you further along the path than I is much appreciated.
Jenny
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Colby on
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Here's the short answer, which I can elaborate upon or clarify as needed. Salvation is the gift of God of eternal life [1], by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ [2], whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins [3]. Entirely God's work from start to finish, with Christ being the author and perfecter of our faith [4]. The plan of salvation is presented in the Scriptures as a three-stage process.
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Permalink Reply by Jenny on
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thankyou,
i guess i'm trying to better understand the "sanctification" phase then.
and specifically if i'm understanding how it works
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Jenny,
To better understand sanctification, follow this discussion link: "What is Biblical Sanctification as Applied to the Believer Today?" There you can read clear, cogent and Biblically-grounded explanations provided by L.T. and RoyW.
Colby
"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (Jn17:17).
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this thread to referred is spot-on what i needed to hear, thanks for tracking it down for me:)
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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Jenny,
My replies in that discussion are gone due to me leaving AAG but this was one of the things that LT and Roy both helped me understand. I think many people have these same kinds of questions. So posting new discussions is helpful. Here is the song that I had shared in that discussion which Roy really seemed to like there. I hope all your questions about this topic, like mine were, are now settled, too.
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thanks for the link Amanda,
and yes, some questions have been answered, this is all making more and more sense
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Jenny,
Amanda makes a good point. How sanctification fits into God's plan of salvation, including its relationship with justification, is a topic of ongoing interest for Christians.
Paul the Apostle says that believers have become new creations in Christ, and it is Christ who lives in us. As we hear in the lyrics of the song that Amanda shared with us, sanctification is a lifelong process by which we become transformed in the image of Christ and are made holy: "I am chosen and I am holy, and I am deeply loved ... I am being remade."
The previous discussion, which I linked to, is quite helpful in this regard. It may have answered your questions satisfactorily (at least for now), but it need not be the last word.
If you still have questions about sanctification or if aspects of it are unclear, you should, by all means, raise those questions here.
Colby
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Yes, by all means continue to ask. I didn't mean it that way. I only meant that I hope all your questions about this topic are settled as mine about it have been settled and that's a great feeling. I want you to be at peace with this as well. Blessings to you and Colby both.
Amanda
PS I had to ask for quite some time and it took hearing the right amount of truth coupled with the right amount of enlightenment from the Holy Spirit ... And that can be different for everyone concerning all of these topics about getting saved, sanctification, living the Christian life as a born again believer, and so forth IMO and I continue to ask about many many things.
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thankyou both,
i fully expect to have many more questions, but the info shared has certainly helped and been a blessing
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wow, i'm glad to hear what the Lord has done and is doing in you.
thanks for this, it's very encouraging. i can see the Lord has begun to change me too. there's sooo much that still needs to be changed in me, but pretty encouraging to consider what He has already started to change in me.
have a blessed day!
jenny
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