The Daily Word of Righteousness

Aspects of the Program of Salvation, continued

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

(Hebrews 9:28)

None of what we mentioned in the previous essay has anything to do with going to Heaven when we die. Rather it is involved with our position in the Day of Christ. If we preachers would be scriptural we should be preparing people for the Day of the Lord, not for life in Heaven. The Apostles prepared people for the Day of Christ!

As we have said, the supreme goal of salvation is to be in the moral image of Christ and to be abiding in untroubled rest in the Person and will of God.

The program of re-creation. The program of re-creation refers to the operation of the new covenant. The goal of the new covenant is the writing of God's eternal moral law (of which the Law of Moses is an abridged, negative, covenantal version) in our mind and on our heart. This is another way of saying that Christ is formed in us and we are at rest in God's Person and will.

The forming of Christ in us is the forming of the Kingdom of God in us, for Christ Himself is the Kingdom of God. When we are in Him we are in the Kingdom and the Kingdom in us.

Here is how it works. When we truly receive Christ (not just go through some religious formality), believing in Christ and being baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our sins are forgiven. We are touched with the Spirit of God, which is eternal life. Also, Christ is born in us. This is not a figure of speech but an actual spiritual happening.

Now we are to pray, read the Bible, attend church, serve, give, and do all else associated with Christianity. As we read the Bible we find many commandments given to us by the Apostles of Christ. We are to obey them. We are to present our body a living sacrifice to God and do all else we have been directed to do.

Please note that Christ does not do this in us. We, in our natural adamic nature, have to pray to God continually for the strength and wisdom to obey the Apostles. If we are not willing to rouse our natural man to seek God so we can keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles we have no chance of entering the Kingdom of God.

As we walk in the light of God's will, faithfully obeying God's will as we understand it, the Spirit of God enables us to gain the victory over sin one step at a time. The Spirit pulls the garbage out of us. At the same time Christ is formed in us. This is a lifelong program. The garbage goes, Christ comes in. The garbage goes, Christ comes in. The garbage goes, Christ comes in.

This is how the new covenant operates. The old nature dies on the cross and the new man sits with Christ at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

As we are dying and Christ is living, the blood of Jesus keeps us righteous in the sight of God.

To be continued.