The Second Post

When someone is BORN AGAIN of God’s Spirit and made a NEW CREATION in CHRIST…
                       
They turn from sin to trust Christ alone for salvation
                        Their sin was laid upon Christ who suffered the penalty that they deserve on the
                        His perfect life – His perfect righteousness – is given to them as a gift of God’s
                        They are forgiven of their sin…washed CLEAN in the blood of the lamb
                        Justified in the sight of God  -  reconciled to Him and declared to be RIGHTEOUS
                        Indwelt by the Spirit of God…
                        And they are saved from the penalty of sin  -  they are saved from the power of sin
                        And from that moment on…by the grace of GOD…
                        That new Christian is gradually and progressively being SAVED from the PRESENCE
                        It’s called the Doctrine of Sanctification!

Perfection cannot and will NOT be attained on THIS side of eternity…
But the Christian is called to a life of INCREASING HOLINESS…
Increasing faithfulness…increasing obedience….increasing knowledge…increasing wisdom….
Increasing peace….increasing JOY….increasing Christ-likeness….INCREASING CHRISTIAN

MATURITY!

We’re not saved by works…
But it must be the ZEALOUS WORK of EVERY true Christian to WORK OUT their salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING…and PURSUE Christian maturity
Peter says, “for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.