The Application of Biblical Christianity
The Important Question: "How Is The Christian Related To God?"
Christianity, we have seen revolves around the Person of
Jesus Christ. We are not told in the Scripture to believe on
the church, nor in our good works, nor in baptism or the
Lord's Supper. We are to believe in Jesus Christ.
Because of Who Jesus Christ is and because of what He has
done for us in His death, we are commanded to repent of our
sins and to believe in Him as our Lord and Savior (Luke
13:3; 24:46, 47; Acts 26:20; Romans 10:9, 10; 1 John 3:23).
This is the most important decision one may make. Without it
one is still under the condemnation of God (John 3:18,36);
he will be rejected by Christ (Matthew 7:21-29; John 8:24);
and be eternally lost (Revelation 20:11-15).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved
... " is the promise of God (Acts 16:31).
When we obey God and believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior then the Scripture describes our condition by such
words as saved," "adoption," "begotten," "redeemed,"
"forgiven," and "justified" (Ephesians 2:8; 1:5; 1 Peter
1:3, 18; Colossians 2:13; Romans 5:1).
Such words signify a standing before God. They indicate a
spiritual position, a relationship which has been obtained
for the believer by Jesus Christ through His death. The
believer is seen as having received the benefits of the work
of Jesus Christ. The value of Christ's work has been imputed
to him and he is therefore "saved," "adopted," "begotten,"
etc., and brought into the relationship of salvation (Romans
5:1-11; 8:31-39; Ephesians 1:3-14; Colossians 2:10-15; 1
Peter 1:1-5; 1 John 5:9-13).
The Scripture describes all believers, therefore, as
"complete" (Colossians 2:10). In the Greek, in which the New
Testament was written, this word means "possess fully" and
the grammatical construction indicated a finished product.
To explain what he meant in calling the Christian "complete"
the Apostle Paul indicated that the believer in Jesus Christ
"fully possessed" at least five things.
He has received a spiritual cleansing (Colossians 2:11).
This means that the moral uncleanness which characterizes
every non-believer (Isaiah 64:6), has been washed away. The
believer, even though he may feel unclean, has been cleansed
(1 Corinthians 6:11).
The Christian, as "complete," has been "quickened" by God
(Colossians 2:13a). The word "quickened" means "to make
alive." This teaches the great truth that God has given
eternal life to all who believe on His Son (John 3:16, 36; 1
John 5:11, 12). Though once dead to God (Ephesians 2:1), the
believer now possesses life (John 10:28) and has experienced
the New Birth (John 3:3, 5).
The third possession of the Christian is forgiveness
(Colossians 2:13b). The Bible, by use of the word "all"
emphasizes the universality of this forgiveness. This
pertains to man's guilt (Romans 3:23) with its resultant
condemnation (John 3:18) and death (Romans 5:12; 6:23). The
believer is fully forgiven; he is no longer guilty, no
longer under the sentence of condemnation and death (John
5:24; Romans 8:1). The believer has also been justified
(Colossians 2:14). As man's Representative, Jesus Christ
satisfied the demands of God's law. This work has been
imputed to the believer. On this basis the believer is
looked upon by God as justified, i.e., as though he had
perfectly obeyed God and was therefore perfectly righteous
(Romans 5:1, 10; 8:1-4; 10:3, 4).
The final possession, which Paul indicates as belonging to
every Christian, is that of freedom from Satan (Colossians
2:15). Christ came into our nature to free us from the Enemy
(Hebrews 2:14, 15; 1 John 3:8). The value and power of His
work has been imputed to us. The believer has been set free
(Ephesians 1:19-2:6; Colossians 1:13). He no longer belongs
to Satan - he belongs to God and irrevocably so.
The remarkable factor here is that the believer possesses
all of these spiritual benefits completely. He is not half
forgiven or half justified. This is what Paul meant by
"complete." The believer "fully possesses" all of these
benefits. Diagram 7 contrasts the completeness of the
believer as he was before salvation and as he is after
salvation.
In sharp contrast the Bible exhorts the believer to
"seek," "mortify," "put off, "and to "put on" (Ephesians
4:24; Colossians 3:1, 5, 8). There are many commandments
which specify that the Christian is to "grow" (1 Peter 2:2;
2 Peter 3:18),and to "work out your own salvation"
(Philippians 2:12).
The Scripture, therefore, addresses the Christian in a
two-fold manner. On one hand it instructs him in the
permanence of his possession of salvation into which he has
been fully brought. On the other hand it exhorts him to
develop his "walk" and his "witness." In the former area he
is reminded that he is "complete" and in the latter he is
always "incomplete."
The instruction in all of this is to the effect that the
believer has a two-fold relationship with God. There is the
relationship of salvation, in which he is complete; and
there is the relationship of sanctification, in which the
believer will always be incomplete.
The Key To Success: Accept The Word Of God As Your Final Authority. Believe God
Not Your Feelings Or Circumstances! If You Have Repented And
Believed In Jesus Christ As Savior And Lord - You Are
Complete In Him!
The Necessary Distinction: How Is Salvation Related To
Sanctification?
In order to understand the Bible and to live
successfully, we must clearly distinguish between our
salvation and our sanctification. To confuse the two will
bring uncertainty and ambiguity into all aspects of life and
thought. This distinction is necessary in order to
understand the plan of salvation. The Bible is adamant in
its denial that salvation is based on good works. It
emphasizes in a great variety of ways that one does not
achieve salvation by human endeavor of any type (Matthew
7:21-23; Luke 18:9-14; Galatians 2:16; 3:11; Ephesians 2:8,
9). Salvation is the gift of God (Romans 6:23) and is
received by faith (John 3:36; Ephesians 2:8, 9; 1 John
5:9-13).
It is also necessary to make this distinction in order to
live the Christian life successfully. Salvation may be
likened to the foundation upon which the Christian life is
built as a superstructure. To believe that the foundation is
defective, that it must continually be shored up, and that
it is in constant danger of disappearing altogether would
thoroughly discourage even the most committed Christian.
The Bible is emphatically clear on this point. God has
promised to give eternal life to all who believe (John 1:12;
3:36). This life, or salvation, with all the benefits
described earlier, is the present possession of all
believers (John 10:28; 1 John 5:11, 12). The one who has
received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is exhorted to take
God at His Word in this matter of personal salvation and
thereby be fully assured of his acceptance by God (1 John
5:9-13). How we may personally feel about our relationship
to God is entirely irrelevant. Our feelings are absolutely
no standard whatsoever. The only standard is what God has
said in His Word. "These things have I written unto you that
believe ... that ye may know that ye have eternal life ... "
(1 John 5:13).
At this point many earnest Christians confuse the witness of
the Holy Spirit and their feelings. They believe, when they
lose their "feeling" of assurance, that they have lost the
witness of the Holy Spirit. The only conclusion they can
draw is that they are not true believers. It is very
important for us to recognize that the witness of the Holy
Spirit is not our feeling. The "witness" is the Holy
Spirit's instruction to us that God has authoritatively
spoken in His Word (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15; Romans
8:15, 16; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 5:9-13). The Holy Spirit has
not been sent to make the believer "feel" that he is a
Christian. He was sent to bear witness to Jesus Christ and
the Scripture and on that basis to lead the believer into
the assurance of salvation. Therefore, the Holy Spirit
"witnesses" within the believer that the Scripture is true.
To doubt God's Word and work because of personal feeling is
a very dishonoring thing to do. God is Truth. He is the
Sovereign Lord. He is worthy of all trust and confidence. He
has given us His Word. We must accept His Word, believe what
He has said about us and our salvation, and obey His
commandments. When we do so we are cooperating with the Holy
Spirit.
Having recognized that the salvation foundation of our life
is complete and permanent, we may then confidently assume
responsibility for the superstructure.
The Biblical Description: The Characteristics Of
Salvation And Sanctification.
In salvation the Christian has a "standing" before God
which is complete (Colossians 2:10). In contrast, the daily
life of sanctification is not complete and may be described
as his "state." The believer's "standing" is based on the
divine work of imputation. That is, God simply gives the
believing sinner all the salvation benefits purchased for
him by Jesus Christ. The believer's state" is based on the
divine work of impartation. Here God continually gives to
the believer those virtues and enablements which he is
spiritually able to receive and practice. The first
characteristic which enables one to distinguish between
salvation and sanctification is that the former is a gift
while the latter is earned.
The benefits of salvation, some of which have been listed
earlier, are freely given to all who believe on Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior. They cannot be purchased, or merited,
nor are they the product of some natural endowment or
heritage. They can only be personally received (Romans 6:23;
Ephesians 2:8, 9).
In contrast to the benefits of salvation, those of
sanctification must be earned. We receive such virtues and
abilities only as we learn how to put them into practice by
faith and love (Romans 6:16; 1 Peter 1:22). An illustration
of such a benefit would be the ability to resist temptation.
We earn this ability by truly desiring it, by claiming the
provision and promise of God (1 Corinthians 10:13), and then
by making use of it in acts of faith (Matthew 4:3-11;
Hebrews 2:14-18; James 1:2, 12-14; 1 Peter 1:6, 7; 2 Peter
2:9).
The second characteristic indicates that the benefits of
salvation admit of no degrees while the benefits of
sanctification, by contrast, do admit of degrees.
Such a benefit of salvation as forgiveness, is fully given
by God. To possess forgiveness at all, in the area of
salvation, is to possess it fully (Colossians 2:13; Hebrews
10:19). All believers possess forgiveness in the same degree
- completely. This is also true for justification, eternal
life, adoption, and all such benefits.
That which the believer possesses by way of sanctification
is never complete. Whatever the benefit may be, it is only
partially known and utilized. One Christian may possess the
ability to resist temptation only in a very small degree
while another may possess it in a much larger degree. All
Christians have some ability to resist temptation, but all
in a different degree.
The third characteristic distinction between the provisions
of salvation and sanctification is that the former are
permanent and the latter may be transitory.
The provisions of salvation are, happily, permanent. We
receive these benefits as a gift, they admit of no degrees,
and they are ours permanently. This comforting truth is
implied in the type of life which God gives to those who
believe: it is "eternal" life. Jesus Christ said, "and I
give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish ...
" (John 10:28). We do not merit these benefits of salvation
nor do we keep them by merit.
By comparison, the virtues and abilities of sanctification
are not necessarily permanent. It is very possible to attain
a high degree of progress in some area of Christian practice
and then to lose it through neglect. It is debatable whether
one may lose any benefit of sanctification absolutely.
Undoubtedly this would not be true. Every Christian,
however, has experienced remarkable growth in some area only
to find a stunting of that growth, and a decline in ability,
due to carelessness (1 Corinthians 3:1-4; 5:1-13; 6:1-8;
11:18-22; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 2 Timothy 4:10).
The fourth characteristic which distinguishes between the
benefits of salvation and sanctification has to do with
their source. The benefits of salvation depend only on the
Person and work of Jesus Christ. Through His representative
work, which has been considered earlier, He obtained all the
provisions of salvation. These are given to all who believe,
as a gift. They admit of no degrees; they are ours
permanently, and they depend only on Jesus Christ (Romans
3:20-31; 5:6-11; 8:1-4,31-39; Phil. 1:6). In sharp contrast,
the benefits of sanctification depend not only on Jesus
Christ and His work, but also upon the spiritual cooperation
of the believer. It has been pointed out earlier that one
must desire and learn how to utilize these benefits. This
must also be emphasized here. The provision has been made by
Jesus Christ so that His people may live successfully. The
Holy Spirit has been sent to teach and anoint the believer.
But it is clear from the Scripture and from the experience
of every Christian, that our cooperation is necessary.
When we desire to obey God, learn how to submit to His
authority and how to put the Bible into daily practice, then
the grace and power of God will flow into our lives. "But
God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was
delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the
servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17, 18).
These contrasts between the Believer's Standing and his
State are depicted in Diagram 8
The Key To Success: Do Not Confuse Your Relationship With God In Salvation Which
Is Complete ... And Your Relationship With God In
Sanctification Which Will Never be Complete In This Life.
