In pursuit of the Hope Of our Salvation
From the fall of Adam mankind has been left with a nature that embodies sin. This nature is manifesting its total depravity in the absence of God’s perfect righteousness. Therefore being in Adam every one of us is fully partaker of this lower nature called the flesh.
This is the general state of all men, in the sight of the holiness of God which is called total depravity.
An existence in complete opposition of God’s intended Holiness, which was to bring Him honor and glory through continual communion with His eternal abode of righteousness.
This state of depravity brought an end or death to the desired fellowship of men and God, leaving men in a destitute state of eternal separation from God.
This separation was called the state of spiritual death and is domain hovered upon all men from Adam until Christ.
But thanks to the Lord our God that through His majestic plan of salvation, foreknowledged before the foundation of the earth He saved us through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
This salvation was and is the means by which we are saved from the eternal death. As in the letter of 1st John we read it transferred us from death to life. Under this unfathomable mercy, is also hidden the greatest mystery of all. That is our adoption as sons in the kingdom of His everlasting light.
This is why upon genuine conversion we start experiencing the benefits of the Kingdom to come or better to say the age to come. The Bible says through the miracle of salvation of our spirit we are immediately identified with our heavenly habitation through the initial deposit of His Holy Spirit in us. This is the finished work of our God in His Son on the cross for us
Through this amazing work of grace now we are saved and the sentence of eternal death is now reversed in us. This conversion is metaphorically very similar to the opening of the blind man’s eyes for the immediate gift of sight. This spiritual act of restoration of man’s fallen image back to God’s initial purpose and plan in creation also is called regeneration. We are now freely able to tap into the purposes of God in the work of His righteousness in us called the sanctification.
With this also a great battle starts to appear in each of our lives and that is the warfare between our natural man and the new man in Christ we are now to put on.
Paul describes it in Galatians and other similar letters as the battle between the old and new nature.
In Romans chapter 7 the Apostle is confessing the warfare being very serious and tenacious and he detects the enemy within us as the nature of the flesh.
The Lord in another place speaks of its fierceness as a heavenly warfare with the natural man being our flesh in opposition to the spirit man in us.
He says the violence is the nature of this warfare and the violent will take the Kingdom and its principals by force.
In saying all this I need to still remind us of the greatest of all things that accompany our salvation and that is our redemption.
We are unfortunately not very clear in regards to our true redemption and its full understanding by heavens standards. I said all the above to bring us to the need of our understanding of our redemption.
We call The Lord Jesus our Messiah and our Savior and Redeemer, yet we do not see clearly what this Redemption is all about.
In studying the scriptures in Luke’s gospel the 21st chapter I saw the significance of the second coming of the Lord in a whole new way, praise God.
As Luke describes the second coming of our Lord in verses 25 through 28 he mentions a big difference between the unbelieving world in expectancy of His return and His own looking forward to this day.
To the unbelieving these days are described by a great phobia or fear of unexpected, yet to the remnant bride a time to look up for redemption. This gave me a new outlook on the events of the latter days. What redemption is Luke or the Lord speaking of?
I believe that Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8 verses 19-25 is describing it wonderfully.
Studying this passage of the new Covenant scripture illuminates the entire purpose of such redemption drawing very near.
This is where many other teachings about the physical state of man’s existance is judged
through His unfathomable word
Here is where the Body or the flesh is totally condemned in its demands and desires.
In Romans 8:19-25 the body is described as a full hindrance in the work of our redemption.
The sons of God are to be manifested at the last day, since there is still remaining a groaning in the heavenlies for their manifestation to the world.
Paul says in the verses 22 and 23 that “The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting forthe adoption, the redemption of our body.”
This is the incredible mystery called the adoption, which could mean the picture of the Revelation the 12th chapter also.
The next verse says it this way…
“ For we are saved in this hope”
If this is true? Then what is there to be afraid of? This must be our only blessed hope.
Now since we have such a hope in laying aside our body, which it is called the hope of our salvation then we should look upon this day very favorably and not with fear. Then this means we are saved to have our bodies be redeemed at the last day.
If this is true then why some are so entangled in fulfilling its lusts and desires to the point they call it the abundant life in Christ.
The following verses in Luke also is a proven fact that our position or spiritual standing with the things of this world and the lusts of the flesh will determine our standing with Him in the last day.
Therefore now that we know what hope we are saved in, let us pursue to fulfill its heavenly demand by faith, not the other way around.
Let us once more call on the Lord to renew our hope of our salvation, which is the redemption of our bodies. Amen?
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