NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  GLORIFICATION

We are saved by God’s grace for His glory. It is within this context that we ought to consider the biblical concept of glorification.

Glorification has within it, both an “already” and a “not yet” element. Already, we are participants in the glory of Christ, for He declared in His prayer, “The glory You have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as We are one” (John 17:22). We who have believed “through their word” experience the intense weight of His worth, might, holiness, goodness and grace each time we assemble in worship. We see in one another the glory of Christ and live in an abundant life that is available nowhere else, that is, life with and within the body of Christ. Christ is to be greatly glorified in the church now and forever and we, His people, are given the great joy of experiencing His powerful work within and through us (Ephesians 3:20-21). And this joy is certainly ours individually, but it is greatly multiplied living in a glorious community with other believers.

Already, we have been raised up and “seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  God has crowned us with His kindness, and He lavishes His grace upon His beloved children.  We have been crafted by Him for good works that give Him great glory. We are His workmanship and the world will marvel at the beauty that is put on display in the good works of the church (Ephesians 2:4-10).

Already, we are like a “City set on a hill,” a “lamp put on a stand” to shine forth His light for all to see. He has exalted His church and regularly uses His children to be shining, glorious examples of His majesty, goodness, and love. It is God’s predetermined purpose to produce works of grace and mercy within His church. This is His eternal plan to elicit praise and glory throughout the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

Already, the Church is the bride of Christ and He is working to present this bride to Himself in splendor. Imagine the marvel of such a church in the midst of a dark and wicked world–a church that has been washed clean and made holy and then set in a place of honor for all the world to see (Ephesians 5:25027,32). Such a church reflects the ability of the Savior to transform even the lowest of sinners into a radiant bride that inspires worship and glory to the Father. However beautiful the church is now, we are not yet what we will be!

We have not yet experienced the full glory of our God, but one day He has promised to bring us into His Glory with Christ, “that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). One day we will literally be in His presence. We will delight in His glory. We will receive the glory of overcomers:  a white robe, a new name, position in the Temple of God, and a white stone of innocence. Christ will grant us the privilege to sit with Him on His throne with the Father in eternity (Revelation 2-3).

One day Christ will return and gather His people from the four corners of the earth. The dead in Christ will be resurrected, and the rest will be “caught up together with them” to reside with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). One day our work will be done, and we will depart from this body. In a moment we will be present with the Lord, and all that was unclear, dim, and difficult to understand will be known fully when we are “face to face” with Christ (1 Corinthians 13:12).  One day His love will not only be in our hearts, but we will be in the very presence of the One who is Love (1 John 4:16-17). One day we will be at home with the Lord, and our walk of faith will reach its destination. Our earthly groanings will be “swallowed up by life” when that which is mortal is traded for immortality (2 Corinthians 5:4-10).

Already, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…”

…One day, you will obtain “the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  SANCTIFICATION

Once a believer has been justified by the love and grace of God, the Father begins a process of transforming a fleshly person into the image of His Son. Certainly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved; this is an absolute and final declaration from God (Romans 10:13, Joel 2:32). But God promises to do more than merely rescue us from eternal punishment. He has predestined to conform every believer to the holy character of His Son as we put off the old life and put on the new. As we walk this path of sanctification, God has promised to produce the spiritual fruit described in Galatians 5:22-23. We will now turn our attention to this path of sanctification and God’s transforming work in our lives.

When we express faith in Jesus we are instantly transformed from death to life, from blindness to seeing clearly, from being an enemy of the cross to an adopted child of God. Although this transformation is instantaneous, we are still encumbered by the life we have lived. Our habits, tastes, thoughts, ambitions, and desires seem to linger in our hearts and minds. Up to the point of believing in Jesus we have been living for ourselves with personal gratification and private glorification as our goal. Sanctification is the cooperative journey that we take with God. Step by step, as we seek Christ and “things that are above,” He reveals all that is contrary to His will for our lives, and we are charged to “put to death that which is earthly and put off the old self” (Colossians 3:1-10). Some of these habits, thoughts and desires are deeply ingrained and very difficult to dislodge. In fact, you cannot transform yourself. Try as hard as you like, you will not change yourself. Still, you must try. “Wait, if it is an impossible task, why should I try?” you might ask. Sanctification is characterized by God doing the work of transformation as you submit in faith to His reforming hands.  

The primary tools that the Lord uses to reform our lives are not overly cumbersome or difficult to understand. They are, in fact, the simple spiritual disciplines that have enriched and strengthened believers from the beginning of the church. First, we are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:12-17). God uses His word to show us what needs to go and what ought to be increased. As you read the word of God you will inevitably be convicted of sin. Your response should never become trapped in guilt. The remorse that you deeply feel is a reminder to call out to the Savior in prayer; the second foundational spiritual discipline.  Suppose you are convicted by the words “anger, wrath, malice” in the text. Imagine the freedom that will come when you pray in the following way:

“Lord, I have no right to be angry, wrathful, or to exhibit malice, because you have commanded me to forgive as I have been forgiven. Help me to have the strength to forgive. Please, reduce and ultimately remove these feelings in my heart and replace them with Your love and grace. Each time these feelings return I will run back to You for help. I trust You to change my mind, heart, and will. Thank You for Your infinite forgiveness in Christ. I am resting in Your grace.”

Such freedom will not be found in the simplistic prayer, “God, forgive me of all of my sins,” because such a prayer does not actually convey submission to the Lord’s sanctifying work. Here we see a liberating truth of salvation: repentance is one of the most powerful blessings and gifts that the Lord has given to you. Often we are stalled on the path of sanctification merely because we refuse to trust God with our everyday sins. If you trusted Him to forgive and cleanse your sin when you first believed, you should continually trust Him to cleanse you as you walk in fellowship with Him day by day (1 John 1:6-10). This is the sanctification He has promised and predestined us to enjoy.

I have used the word predestination twice in this essay because it is a vital biblical truth that should not make a believer nervous. God has predestined or predetermined to conform every believer to the image of His son (Romans 8:28-30).  He has promised not to leave us as orphans but rather to give us a Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters of Almighty God. He will not only keep each and every believer in salvation, He will also lovingly remove everything in your life that does not resemble His Son. Systematically, methodically, intentionally, purposefully, and definitely God will mold your life for His glory and your good. God’s end goal is to make you into a beautiful representation of His grace; blameless before Him because of the blood of Jesus. In love, God has determined to lavish His riches upon you “to the praise of His glory” if only you will believe in Him (Ephesians 1:3-14). He, thus, has saved you, will keep you, and He guarantees your inheritance in Heaven by sealing your salvation with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The transformation I have described is a renewal of the mind; a taking up of the mind of Christ and the rejection of a mind of the flesh (Romans 8:5-8). There are two more important tools of sanctification that we must consider. When Paul describes people who “set their minds on the things of the Spirit” he is, at a minimum, calling us to meditation and worship. Meditation is simply lingering long in thought about some aspect of God or His work. Meditation is accomplished by simply slowing down long enough to let thoughts of God, revealed in His word, roll around in your mind. Notice that meditation must be tethered to the word of God because our flawed minds are prone to twist truth into grave error (2 Peter 3:16). But thoughts that are firmly rooted in the word of God will undoubtedly lead a believer to worship. The implications of His holiness, grace, and love filling your mind will crowd out the “cares of the world” and will firmly root you in the faithful love of God. The love of the world will fade and the love of Christ will bring a steadiness and firmness to your faith, resolve, and fruitful living.  

Believers in Jesus are obvious because we have the Holy Spirit living within and empowering us to a new way of life, bearing spiritual fruit for God’s glory. We are surrounded by people who practice the deeds of the flesh. Envy, drunkenness, dissension, sexual immorality, fits of anger “and things like these” are the headlines for every news piece these days. We see clear evidence that the desires of the flesh are at war with the desires of the Spirit and often keep us from practicing His righteousness. In contrast, as we live in the Spirit, walking in harmony with His word and His will, we will begin seeing supernatural fruit in our lives. As God prunes away everything that is unnecessary and un-pleasing in your life you will begin to see “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5: 22-26). What an amazing list! This is more than a promise. This is the purpose of God. And God accomplishes all that He purposes to do.

NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  JUSTIFICATION

Thus far on our journey we have discussed man’s overwhelming need for salvation and God’s goodness to save.  We have considered the simple and straightforward message of the gospel and the obligation of every man to respond to it in faith.  This, however, is only the beginning of salvation, for God has promised to transform our lives, mold us into the image of His Son, and ultimately transfer us into the glory of His eternal kingdom in heaven.  Although we will deal with these aspects of salvation separately, we must remember that salvation is a singular and unified work of the Holy Spirit within an individual’s life that will absolutely be brought to completion. So, let’s begin by thinking deeply about God’s justification of man.

All have sinned and none are righteous.  If justice is to prevail, all must receive the punishment due for sin.  To withhold that punishment arbitrarily is by definition unjust, so death and hell are necessary components of justice.  Since God is neither arbitrary nor is He unjust, someone must pay for every sin that has been committed, and that someone must be one of two people.  Obviously, the first person is the one who has committed the sin in the first place.  You are guilty, and you must pay the price for your sin.  The second option is to find someone who can stand in your place and take your punishment for you.  Here is the problem.  You have to pay for your sins, and I have to pay for my sins.  No matter how much I might love you or want to pay for your sins, I can’t.  My sins have left me bankrupt and, upon paying for my own sin, I have nothing left to pay for yours.  You must find someone who is sinless who can satisfy God’s justice by offering His sinless life for yours. This is what Paul is saying when he says God is both just and the justifier (Romans 3:26).  Therefore it seems that justification is a saving from something and a saving to something; justification is God’s loving act of redemption (saving from) and reconciliation (saving to).

A vile criminal was condemned to die.  He fully deserved his punishment and his fate was sealed.  When there was no escaping the grip of the executioner and he had absolutely nothing to offer in exchange for his life, he whimpered, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Such miniscule faith was exhibited.  He only asked to be remembered; not to be rescued or given absolution.  The criminal didn’t want to slip out of this life into oblivion, so he asked Jesus to think of him as though a thought might offer some consolation.  So Jesus’ gift of redemption had to be startling.  “Today you will be with me in paradise” meant the criminal’s cursed, worthless existence (in the eyes of the world) would be exchanged for eternal bliss.  A criminal was redeemed and made into a saint all because of the smallest request made in faith (Luke 23:32-43).

In love God has redeemed those who believe, rescuing them from the punishment of sin.  God has graciously forgiven our sin because of the shed blood of Jesus.  God has taken the righteousness of Christ and placed it on all who have faith in Jesus.  Only because of Jesus' sacrifice will God pass over and thus forgive our sin (Romans 3:21-26).  Again, forgiveness is not arbitrary.  Forgiveness is only available through the willing and appropriate sacrifice of One who is worthy and sinless.  The blood of bulls and goats cannot eternally redeem a sinner.  Only the blood of the perfect Lamb of God can redeem us from death and hell, and in Christ alone we have eternal and complete forgiveness (Hebrews 10).

Isn’t the feeling of forgiveness wonderful?  You might imagine a season of anger, resentment, disagreement, and discord in your family.  You found yourself at odds with a loved one, and there was an emotional wall between you.  She was angry with you… You were angry with her, and that was the end of it.  And then one of you apologized for the wrong that was committed.  Forgiveness was given and the relationship was restored.  This is a picture of reconciliation.

Not only are we saved from the penalty of sin, but we are also saved to a restored relationship with God and, unlike the illustration above, only we have wrongly broken fellowship with God.  God has always been faithful to His covenant with His people and has never violated His relationship with man.  Mankind decided to enter a war of sin against God; we were enemies of God, and only the death of His son could restore our relationship with Him (Romans 5:9-11).  We have been saved from our sin and saved to His marvelous love and light.  We have been saved to the joy and hope of a life that is abundant and free from the consequences of sin.  This is the crux of justification.  In Jesus the curse of sin is pardoned, and we live as though we never sinned in the first place.

NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  MAN AND SALVATION

In the previous essays I have written, I attempted to shine some light on two foundational issues pertaining to salvation. First, God alone saves. He established the way of salvation from the beginning of time and He continues to extend salvation to mankind long before man acknowledges a need or desire for salvation. Second, God’s goodness, holiness, righteousness, and wrath are the framework for man’s need for salvation. God is so good, holy, and righteous, that man is destined to experience God’s wrath in hell. Man is utterly incapable of saving himself so his need is overwhelming and inescapable. With man’s need and God’s gracious provision of salvation in mind, it is now time to consider how man ought to respond to God’s gracious offer of salvation and eternal life.

In the simplest of terms, Jesus calls all people to “repent and believe the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). These are the only actions or attitudes that man brings to the table of salvation. When a person becomes aware of his sinfulness he is at a crucial crossroads. The path of repentance is marked by a genuine remorse for sin and a commitment to walk the new path of faith in Christ. When the path of faith is taken, brazen sinfulness is left behind. Willful disobedience characterized by a “heart of stone” is rejected, and the Holy Spirit births new life and gives a willing supple heart to the new believer. All future sin now has a remedy, confession and repentance, because God is “faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Each step along the path reveals the lingering effects of the old life of sin and the cleansing that comes through repentance. Step by step the old life is sloughed off and the new life in Christ is embraced (Colossians 3:1-18). Day by day and mile by mile the path of repentance strengthens faith and encourages a lifestyle of faithful obedience. Repentance… Faith… Repentance… Faith… Repentance… Faith–step by step walking a new path of life. 

So, man’s faith response to God’s salvation is, in my mind, a cycle of sorts: belief leading to obedience culminating in evangelism. So, I will begin from the end and move forward. Our final response to the wonderful salvation that is offered by God is to become a “preacher” or “evangelist.” Paul makes this point clear in Romans 10:14. Man can only believe a message he has heard, and he can only hear if someone preaches the message of the gospel. A believer’s continual faith response is to share the clear, unapologetic, unambiguous truth of the gospel.  God the Son was born and lived as every other man has lived yet was without sin. The sinless Son of God was sacrificed on the cross to atone for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). His death satisfied the wrath of God and His resurrection grants eternal life to everyone who believes in Him for salvation (Romans 10:9-11). Ultimately, God will save all who call upon Him by transferring them into His eternal, heavenly kingdom. This is the basic message of the gospel that believers must preach with a heart of gratitude.

The only acceptable response to the gospel is to believe in Christ and to confess Him as Lord. God foreordained that man must believe; this is a pivotal element of His sovereign plan of salvation. God created man to bear His image, to carry His name so to speak, and we are not to bear His name in vain. So, there is no greater offense, no more monumental rebellion, no more seismic cursing of His name than to refuse to submit to Him as Lord and believe in His gracious plan of salvation. So, faith in Christ is absolutely essential in order to be saved. 

Faith, however, is much more than merely agreeing to the truth of Jesus’s existence. Faith is more than an intellectual understanding of the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Faith recognizes man’s deep need for salvation and God’s graciousness and ability to save. Faith  agrees with God that all have sinned and have fallen short of His glory.  Faith agrees that transformation from a state of darkness needs to take place. Faith agrees that God is right and just to punish sin, but He is also right and just to forgive those who trust in Him. So, faith is a basic agreement with God, but it is also submission to God.

A man or woman who has faith will undoubtedly be deeply changed as he submits to God. The transformation that is wrought by faith will be apparent in his love for God–mind, heart, and strength. It is quite wonderful to witness believers thinking deeply and longingly about their Savior; to hear the expression of their love through fervent worship and praise. Faith-filled people sing differently, pray differently, serve differently, and love differently. Different from what? Men and women who have responded in faith to Christ are elementally different from all other people. This is precisely how a nominal (in name only) Christian is identified. 

Nominal Christians have little to no faith. The cares of this world choke out their love for Christ. The scorching heat of the trials of this world quickly dry up their short-lived enthusiasm for Christ. Only the faith-filled believer who has the word deeply rooted in his heart is fruitful in the kingdom of God, for the Holy Spirit will always produce His fruit in such a life.  

And finally we come full circle in this cycle of faith. Faith produces obedience for “those who love me will keep my commandments.” This is what Paul is describing when he charges the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of your calling;” of the Collosians to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord;” of the Philippians to “only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ;” of the Thessalonians to “walk in a manner worthy of God.” Faith-filled men and women walk in loving obedience to their Savior, not out of obligation but willingly, as grateful recipients of His grace and love. And such believers take joy in sharing this gospel message with all who will listen.

NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  THE PLIGHT OF MAN

The path of life is spiritually perilous because it is often broad and leads to destruction. At every turn painful obstacles of sin and failure are strewn about and it is the plight of man to walk this road in utter darkness; blind to the path that leads to life. No wonder people can’t find their way!  Some wander into despair, brokenness, and dejection, never able to walk more than a few steps before falling into the ditch of lostness. Still others wander into success, ease, and wealth, never realizing they too are lost and in a ditch. These are the kinds of words Jesus uses to describe the plight of man: lost, blind, and evil. This is why we need a savior and this is why the gospel is so wonderful, beautiful, and liberating.   

People love darkness and live in darkness (John 3:19, 7:7, 12:46). These are Jesus’ words, not my own. We tend to bristle when accused of doing “evil deeds” because evil seems to be an extreme description; therein lies the problem. We see ourselves as basically good people who make a few mistakes along the way. A few mistakes do not deserve punishment and certainly not eternal punishment in hell. Certainly, all people want to go to heaven when they die, so they will freely choose heaven over hell. Right? So, we blindly grope around in the darkness of life, refusing to admit our sinfulness and, therefore, do not believe we need a savior. 

Walking in darkness is the definition of lostness. You have experienced the fear of walking in darkness, not sure where you are or where you are going. This metaphor is quite alarming and is the subject of many nightmares. Jesus described such lostness in Luke 15. The lost sheep wandered away from the herd, a precious coin was sadly misplaced, and a beloved son was lost to wicked living.  In each of these stories we see an important element of lostness. 

The lost sheep wandered away from the shepherd. In a way, this wandering was not intentional. It was natural. Sheep by nature wander off, are short-sighted and prone to a quick death. We too, by nature, follow the desires of our hearts and do not see the dangers of a life far from the Shepherd. We are led by the desires of our flesh and blindly, with heads down, will follow green grass over the edge of a cliff. We need a loving shepherd to rescue us from our own wisdom, will, and desire.

The lost coin was utterly incapable of “finding itself.” The important point in this parable is the diligence of the owner of the coin. She would stop at nothing to find it. She moved all of the furniture, swept the house clean, and searched until the coin was found. She then rejoiced and celebrated with friends when the coin was redeemed. The coin was hopelessly lost. It could not cry out from the corner, “Here I am!” Jesus said He came “to seek and to save that which is lost.” 

The prodigal son is unlike the first two figures because his peril strikes far too close to home.  He is lost because of his own design, desires, and devices. The prodigal son is self-centered to his core, and wicked living is the natural result. In unsettling contrast to the first two stories the father does not go searching for his lost son. He patiently watches and waits, looking down the path, anticipating the sight of his son returning home. When exactly was the lost son found? I believe this is a profound picture of the complexity of the salvation of man.  

The son was found when “he came to his senses.” His situation had not changed. He was in the pig pen day after day, but one day he was given the gift of awareness. The lightbulb came on and he had a decision to make. Would he return to his father in repentance, or would he try to rescue himself from the muddy ditch of life? With each step on the path back to his father he repeated his speech of repentance. Don’t miss this most important element of the story. The prodigal son was ultimately found when the father ran to him, restored him as a son, and welcomed him home. Suddenly coming to our senses is a mysterious gift from God which starts us on the path of repentance and reconciliation. 

You must “come to your senses” and admit that you are in great peril. You must recognize not only the depths of your wickedness but also your inability to save yourself. You must call out in your blindness for mercy, grace, forgiveness, and salvation. Then the Father will save you and “deliver you from the domain of darkness and transfer you to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). This is the beautiful message of the gospel and is the solution to the plight of man.

NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  GOD IS GOOD TO SAVE

Salvation begins and ends with God.  Long before you heard the message of the gospel, God was working.  Long before you were even born, God made the way of salvation.  In fact, from the foundation of the world, the One through Whom the universe was created, has prepared a kingdom in heaven for all who are recorded in the Book of Life. Because God is good, He has saved to the uttermost those who believe and, in fact, it is because of His goodness that we need a Savior.  

Imagine for a moment that goodness can be seen, felt, or experienced as light.  A little bit of goodness would be like a flickering candle in utter darkness.  Such a sight is warm, inviting, and reassuring as it chases away the frightfulness of darkness.  Obviously, as the amount of goodness increases, so would the intensity of the light.  A great goodness would completely eradicate the darkness and completely reveal everything that was hidden by the darkness.  Fear would be greatly diminished because the unknown is now revealed by the light.  I suppose some level of discomfort may also begin to surface because that which was comfortably hidden by the darkness would now be revealed.  Now consider an infinite goodness; a perfect and complete goodness; the goodness that God alone exhibits. Such a goodness would be much more than blinding.  It would be felt and excruciatingly experienced like flying directly into the sun. The Apostle John said it this way, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Such a goodness would not only dispel the darkness, it would also destroy anything and everything that was not also perfectly good. And so, we who are not perfectly good need someone to save us from His perfect goodness. Here we come to understand a foundational truth of salvation.  God’s goodness and God’s wrath are intertwined.

In order to understand the interdependent nature of God’s goodness and God’s wrath we must always hold these two attributes in mind simultaneously. We must also guard ourselves from thinking in terms of human wrath and goodness by always being mindful of God’s perfection.  To think of God as only wrathful without goodness would naturally devolve into seeing Him as unjustly and indiscriminately inflicting pain and punishment.  In contrast, to think of God only as good and devoid of wrath would also devolve into a laxness toward holiness and righteousness, and therefore, injustice.  Because God is both perfectly good and perfectly wrathful we are eternally in need of a savior. God alone is able to provide such a salvation for men who are described in the scriptures as “blind and hard hearted,” “dead in sin,” and “enemies of God.”

So, God acted first, and God acted alone in salvation.  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  While we were dead in our trespasses and sin, God made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).  While we were enemies of God we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Romans 5:10).  God acted first in salvation, out of His great love for us. This is a wonderful reality of His goodness.  God loves us before we deserve to be loved.  We, in fact, will never deserve to be loved by God yet He loves us anyway.  God is good to love and good to save.  God is good to forgive and good to redeem. We can always count on Him to act in goodness toward us. In contrast, because of our deadness… because of our sinfulness… because of our weakness… we are utterly incapable of saving ourselves; therefore, God alone saves.  Because of our sinfulness, only God can rescue us from utter holiness, pure light, complete goodness, and the wrath that accompanies these attributes.  But holiness, light, and goodness are positive aren’t they? Why would we need rescue from them if they are good? We need rescue because the holiness, light, and goodness of God are too good… too intense… too pure for our impurity. His holiness reveals our unholiness. His goodness sets ablaze the wood, hay, stubble, and sinfulness of our lives.

The fire of God’s goodness reveals just how much we need a savior.  Since we are utterly incapable of attaining salvation, we must place our faith in the One who has offered salvation from the start. Jesus alone was able to endure God’s wrath toward sin.  Jesus knew no sin but became sin in order to give us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Only because of faith in Him as Savior can we stand in the presence of such goodness, holiness, and light.  Such a wonderful salvation inspires Paul to extoll in Romans 11:33-36:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever.
Amen.

 We too should join Paul in declaring that God is good to save.

NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN  -  SALVATION 101

Greater men have attempted to properly and completely communicate a theology of salvation, so this is not an attempt to surpass their works.  My task is in some ways a simpler one; in other ways more difficult. As a pastor my job is to make topics like Salvation understandable without being simplistic.  In order to strike that balance I will attempt to limit myself to using only biblical terms and giving explanations of those concepts that I would typically use in conversation.  I personally do not find great value in using theologically technical terms because I lead and minister to “everyman” kind of people who simply long for greater understanding of the deep truths of scripture.  I will leave untouched any number of issues related to salvation. If you desire a more in-depth discussion of these topics I am happy to refer you to the works of the greater men I mentioned previously. In this introductory piece I hope to build a framework from which to write several more essays that I hope will coalesce into one document dealing with the theology of salvation.  I intend to define the problem of “lostness” or “sinfulness” and point to the gospel as the solution.  In a series of essays I hope to walk with my people down the path of justification, sanctification, and glorification with Christ.

Salvation is a rather tricky word.  To church insiders, salvation often means “I will go to heaven when I die” or “Jesus has forgiven my sins.” People who are new to the church will often have questions when we use the term salvation. “Why do I need to be saved? I didn’t know that I was in real danger! What do I need to be saved from; Are we talking about being saved from demons or the devil attacking or bad things happening?”  Let’s be honest for a minute. The church has not been clear about salvation.  We have not consistently taught the doctrine of salvation from the Scriptures. Some have plumbed the depths of the word of God and have developed a rich and meaningful theology of salvation on their own; I believe these are the exceptions. Most have lived their lives, attended church, participated in a few Bible studies yet they have never deeply understood the message of the gospel. Most are just trying to do their best in life and hope against hope that it will be enough in the end.  This is no salvation at all; it is in fact a prison of works and self-righteousness. The message of the gospel is “good news” not a prison cell.

The gospel is the message of redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation with God, but in order to get to the “good news” we are forced to start with the bad news.  It is a popular misconception that people are basically good but sin on occasion.  With this as a foundational belief many struggle to understand why they need salvation.  Almost universally people want forgiveness because those occasional sins result in feeling guilt and shame. As we lower the bar on sin the subsequent guilt and shame associated with it is also diminished. At some point we will no longer feel the need to be forgiven because we will no longer see any reason to be ashamed. If sin isn’t actually sinful then why do we need salvation and forgiveness? There will be no need to be redeemed or reconciled to God if He loves me “just the way that I am” with an unconditional love.  If people no longer believe the “bad news” of lostness and sinfulness, sensing no reason to be remorseful, no heaviness of guilt, they will be blind to their need and deaf to God’s offer of salvation.  This is in fact the desperate problem that we face today even among those who profess to be Christians.  

The only solution to this problem is to clearly teach the entire gospel message.  We must begin with God making a way of salvation for all who believe “from the foundation of the world.” We must courageously preach and teach the plight of humanity and the darkness of sin. We must be bluntly honest about the wickedness of man and clearly reveal mankind’s eternal need.  Only then can we move on to see the grandeur of justification, righteousness in Christ and God’s sanctifying work in all who have been given “a spirit of adoption” as sons and daughters of God.  

In the coming weeks we will look closely at each step of this journey.  We will begin with God’s eternal plan of salvation and His primary work in the heart of man.  We will then tackle man’s eternal and insurmountable need for salvation. We will conclude our travels by understanding what the Bible says about redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, and glorification. These are biblical terms that are rich and full of life to all who will “seek the Lord while He may be found.”