GOD"author": "Gary W. Summers
To be sure, the world is perverted, and we cannot help but notice what is happening around us and then offer a spiritual perspective on the matter. But not this week. Sadly, the church over which Christ is head also faces a multitude of problems as well—from personality clashes to serious doctrinal problems, which must be addressed. But not today. It might prove healthy to periodically just step back and take a look at what we are constantly fighting for—the riches we have in Christ.
First is salvation itself. We frequently refer to the joy expressed by those who obeyed the gospel. That word is not used of the first Christians, but one cannot read Acts 2 without noticing the joy that permeates the atmosphere. Those who “gladly received his word were baptized; and that same day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41). Being baptized was not something they were begrudgingly talked into doing. They were elated to have their sins forgiven when they were baptized.
Furthermore, they did not afterward mope around in a state of lethargy. They “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). These new converts were enthusiastic. They desired to learn more about their great salvation (cf. 1 Peter 2:2). No doubt they considered it a privilege to not only have a remedy for sin—but to have taken advantage of it. Understanding that sins have actually been washed away by the blood of Jesus is an exhilarating experience. One can go to sleep comfortably, knowing that if anything occurs during the night (thieves breaking in, murderers depriving us of our lives), nevertheless one is spiritually safe. One can arise in the morning, knowing that God is with us and is operating providentially on our behalf.
These new Christians also saw “many wonders and signs done through the apostles” (Acts 2:43). Imagine the way these miracles bolstered their faith. We today can only participate in this experience vicariously—by reading about them, but their excitement and confidence spills over into our lives as well.
They enjoyed a rich fellowship experience that has seldom ever been duplicated, but we all have a measure of what they had. They ate together often, partaking of their physical food “with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:44-47a). Clearly, the beginning of the church was a joyous time.
One other occurrence probably kept their exuberant spirits high, and that was the fact that “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47b). The Gospel contains too much “good news” to keep to oneself. And the more who receive the Word, the more encouragement we all share.
This description, then, of the first church in Jerusalem inspires us to want to duplicate it everywhere in the world. We read of other wonderful occasions, also. A eunuch from Ethiopia was reading from Isaiah when Philip joined his chariot and explained the passage to him. It spoke of a suffering servant; Jesus was the fulfilment of it. But as Philip preached Jesus to him, he wanted to know if he could be baptized. (If baptism were not part of salvation, the eunuch would not have desired to obey the Gospel immediately.) After he confessed Jesus to be the Son of God, he and Philip both went down into the water, and he baptized him. As they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, but the eunuch went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:30-39, especially verse 39).
A similar event occurred in Philippi with a jailer and his household who began to hear the Gospel preached sometime after midnight. They must have enthusiastically received the Word, also, because they were baptized immediately, after which they rejoiced (Acts 16:30-34). Surely, we do not see anything mysterious in the pattern presented here. When people comprehend that they are lost in their sins, but that they can have them washed away when they are baptized (faith and repentance are also required), why would they not rejoice? The difference is one of living eternally in Heaven or dying eternally in hell.
Then What?
Salvation involves the forgiveness of sins, but what about afterward? First of all, we have the promise of Jesus’ blood continuing to cleanse us as we walk in the light (1 John 1:7-9). But God gives us much more! Romans 8:31 declares that God is for us. We may not always feel that way—especially when we sin, because we, of all people, know God’s attitude toward sin. We also know, however, that if we repent of our sins and confess them to God, He will forgive us of them. He wants us to succeed; He is for us!
Romans 8:32 asks the question: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” We might reasonably ask, “What does ‘all things’ include?” A reasonable reply would be, “All things that are necessary for us to live as a Christian.” So, what are some of them?
The first consideration might be God’s providence, which would include opportunities for spiritual growth. Christians have the regular means for growth, such as personal Bible study, as well as the classes each church provides. Worship assemblies play a dual role: we offer up worship to God, but in the process, we edify ourselves. Other situations can also arise: a conversation with a friend or co-worker, finding something helpful on line, or finding something useful in a book.
We usually do not know what God is providing for us, but we know that He does. He also protects us through His providence. Although this may at times involve physical protection, our more important need is spiritual protection. God desired us to be saved; now He wants to keep us saved. Jesus made this point clear:
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
These verses virtuously shout, “Security!” Safety dwells in the fold of the Good Shepherd. God grants spiritual protection to His own. He keeps them safe from the wolves and within the bounds of truth. Sometimes people misuse this passage to say that a Christian absolutely cannot fall, which is false. Notice that Jesus placed in these verses one proviso—that His sheep listen to His voice. If they do, they enjoy security. If not, they can wander astray (Gal. 5:1-4).
How can the sheep not listen to the Shepherd? Unfortunately, too many ways exist for sheep to depart, such as listening to those who are outside the fold (wolves in sheep’s clothing) or listening to one’s own heart (Pr. 28:26). James writes: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (1:14-15). Any Christian who finds himself lost for all eternity will recognize that he walked away willingly from the protection God afforded him. But let’s return to the positive benefits of salvation.
God Has Provided…
Not only has God provided salvation that is wondrous to contemplate, and not only does He provide for us and protect us so that we can forever be with Him, He has also given us much more. One necessity for Christians is knowledge, and He has given to us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). God did not withhold anything from us that would hinder us from becoming spiritually mature or going on to perfection. The Bible is a treasure chest, which we need to unpack carefully and use appropriately.
In fact, God has made available to us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Outside of Christ we have nothing, beginning with no salvation and reaching all the way back to no hope (Eph. 2:12)—as long as we remain separate from Jesus. But inside His body, the church, we have hope (a well-grounded expectation) of a future reward (1 Peter 1:3-5). In the meantime, God has granted us every spiritual blessing available here on earth that we can possibly possess and be enriched by. Only in Heaven could our blessings be any greater.
God gives us His grace. Sure, that seems obvious since no one could be saved apart from His grace (Eph. 2:8-9). But He extends grace to those who are already His, also. Paul, for example, had “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7). Apparently, Paul had a difficult time living with the affliction and asked the Lord three times to remove it, but He did not do so. Instead, He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9).
The Christian may not at first feel too comforted by this pronouncement, but we should. One of our 21st-century problems is that we want everything instantaneously. We know that God has all power and that He can fix us up right away; so we become perplexed when we pray and nothing happens. God does care about our physical problems, and sometimes He gives us a better and faster response than we expected. But the fact is, if He healed all Christians all the time, none of us would ever die. None of us would ever inspire others with our faith remaining solid in the face of adversity.
Sometimes, as in Paul’s case, the answer to our appeals to God is, “No.” He loves us, however, just as He loved Paul. When the problem cannot be removed, His grace will sustain us. We may face unwanted surgery or an unwelcomed decline in health. The physical body wears out, but our spirit lives forever (2 Cor. 4:16-17). We “look at the things not seen” (v. 18). “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). God’s grace sees us all the way through this life—and into the next.
Paul makes the point that even persecution and death cannot separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35-36). Since we belong to God and are members of Jesus’ church, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (v. 37). His grace is sufficient to sustain us through whatever happens.
So, the world is full of wickedness. Has that not always been the case? It seems each week that someone invents a new perversion; it could be daily. Solomon wrote: “For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall” (Pr. 4:16). Many despise Christians. They not only do not want to be around them; they really would prefer that Christians not have the freedom to speak.
And the Lord’s church is not doing so well, either. On the one hand, many otherwise conservatives fellowship (actual) liberals; on the other hand, faithful brethren are being called liberal by others if they deign to disagree with any position they hold. But whatever life brings, we still have the privilege of being called the children of God (1 John 3:1). We still have the honor of being in the only church bought by the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28). Things may be far from ideal upon the earth, but the day of perfection is coming, where we dwell in the righteousness of the new heavens and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13). Are you prepared for it? Are you looking with eager anticipation for that day? Are you living for it?