Until the Salvation is Worked Out

2006-11-18 21:30

God gave His only begotten Son to the world so that all men should not perish but have eternal life. It is the fulfillment of his will, his endless love.

This love of God is equally given to all men on earth. By being crucified, Jesus His only begotten Son, who was born of God, took away the sin of the world according to the will of the Father who sent him into the world. Now there is no sin in the world. So there is no sin in the faith in this fact. God did away with the body of all sin of the world in the body of Jesus. One died for all, and therefore all died.

The false image of sin remains only in those who have not died with Jesus, that is, those who don't believe in this substance. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For those who believe, the substance of faith is accomplished: The body of sin died with Christ Jesus, and they sin no more.

If anyone who thinks is saved sins again, he is still in the law of false image, not in the law of faith. He breaks the law of substance, building again the law of false image that was destroyed in Christ. In the law of faith, there is no sin, which is now the false image. So from now on, sin means not believing in him.

Therefore, the law of faith is the law that we died to sin. If anyone does not run the race by this law, he cannot receive the reward of eternal life in the kingdom of God. The law of faith is the law of the Spirit of life.

Whoever has the law of faith does not sin and cannot sin, because God's seed remains in him. The law of the Spirit of life set him free from the law of sin and death. Anyone who is saved has this law of the Spirit of life in himself.

If anyone who says he is saved does not have the law of the Spirit of life, his salvation is false. Anyone who is saved is born again from above, and so now he is not of this world. The first man who was born from below died with Jesus, and the second man who is born again from above lives. In him, these words are fulfilled: The first man is from below; the second man is from above.

Those who have the law of the Spirit of life in their hearts believe with their hearts unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession are made unto salvation. They don't hide the salvation; in the Spirit, they work out their salvation with fear and trembling.

God gave Christ to all men so that Christ can be formed in them. But many people sit down to eat and get up to indulge in revelry, only rejoicing over the redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

It is natural that those who are saved from sin are glad. But God gave Christ to all men so that by the salvation they received Christ can be formed in them and they can together enter into the eternal joy of their Lord. It is like a parable of talents. The servant who had received one talent did not gain one more. The servant whose debt of ten thousand talents had been canceled in his master's mercy did not cancel his fellow's debt of a hundred denarii. They cannot receive the reward of eternal life. They have the salvation they received, but they don't have the salvation they work out.

The end of faith, the salvation of souls is not accomplished in the singular number, but in the plural number. So it is written, "a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery."

"From faith" without "to faith" will suffer shipwreck at last because it is like the beginning without the end. So it is written, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"

Therefore, the salvation that God brings about is different from the salvation that man wants to get. the salvation that God brings about is that God and men together enter into the joy, but the salvation that man wants to get is the vain salvation only for his own joy.

Many people think that the salvation is accomplished by his own desire, without knowing that the salvation is accomplished by the righteousness of God. So they cannot be set free from sin and death. Many people to whom the gospel was first preached did not enter the rest of God because they did not combine with the righteousness of God and did not obey the gospel, establishing their own righteousness.

It is because they did not deny themselves at first and did not take up their crosses. Without denying themselves, they just say they believe in Jesus only to get the eternal life by their own desire. Therefore, they need Christ to teach them again the elementary truths of God's word.

We freely receive the salvation by grace, and it is worked out in us by truth. Christ is full not only of grace, but also of truth. I hope that Christ will be formed in all of us--this is the salvation. God our Father has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. He has prepared the eternal rest for all of us who work out this salvation. Thank you, Lord.