Two things happen when someone gets saved First, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross pays that person's sin-debt in full. That means your past, present, and future wrongdoing is forgiven and removed. You had not ever sinned when He paid the debt, because you had not even been born. All your sin is covered by the blood of Jesus, all of it. Since sin was the barrier that separated mankind from God, the new believer is now welcome in His presence. Second, the Father sends us a wonderful gift which offers us a choice apart from our original, rebellious nature by sending us the Holy Spirit to indwell and guide Christians.
Before salvation we had a nature which could not line ourselves up with God. We couldn't seem to "be good" no matter how hard we tried. Our best intentions failed. The pressure was immense. But, with God's Holy Spirit inside of us we become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yet, since the mind and body don't change automatically, self-serving habits that we have developed before salvation remain ingrained and tempting. Though we may sometimes give in, we aren't suddenly unsaved because we sinned. Once god's grace is bestowed, it can't be removed. Nor can the Spirit's power be revoked. Our relationship with God remains intact, though it does need repair and washing in the form of confession and repentance.
Being saved is not about keeping a perfect record of behavior. If we could do that, we wouldn't have needed Jesus to die, or God's grace. He knows that we are human and prone to making selfish choices contrary to His will. When we do, Jesus acts as our Advocate, because His sacrifice is what makes psosible our relationship with the Father.
No comments:
Post a Comment