All The Way To The Finish Line, Part 1

I am convinced that the Church’s current spiritual bankruptcy has finally been dragged into the Light by Covid-19 and the collapse of our nation’s foundations. I actually think the Church is responsible for the condition our nation is in currently, because we have traded being salt and light for a compromised Gospel and being popular.

So, today, the Church of Jesus Christ in America finds itself at a crossroads of national, maybe global significance. We find ourselves where Israel was during the days of Jeremiah the prophet, when the Lord said to Israel, destroying itself by idolatry,

“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’” (Jeremiah 6:16 NLT)

Well, what is the “old godly way” that the Church has refused to walk in? It is a salvation that radically transforms our lives and how we live…together. A salvation that is based on…

• …a Holy Spirit revelation of the love of and holiness of God, displayed in Jesus death and resurrection.
• …conviction of sin, by the Holy Spirit, that produces deep repentance…a re-orienting of your life from sin to God.
• …forgiveness of the debt of sin that we owe God (justification).
• …and the assurance of the Spirit that we are now sons and daughters of God…we are family!

Now, every bit of that salvation is amazing. You are “saved” at the moment you repented and turned in faith to Jesus. It is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). And, if you died the minute after you experienced God’s gift of salvation by faith, you would be ushered into God’s eternal presence.

But, for too much of American Christianity, that’s where the Christian life stops. You got your past forgiven, you have assurance of heaven instead of hell, so you are good to go.

When God sent Jesus to die on the cross and raised Him from the dead, He was interested in way more than just dealing with your past sin so you could go to heaven. He was interested in…

• …drawing you into a supernatural intimate union with Him
• …that, over your lifetime, would deliver you from your alienation from Him and others and end your slavery to sin.

The New Testament recognizes that part of salvation is immediate and powerful and can happen in a moment of time. (“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:10 ESV) But there are also other passages in the New Testament that recognize salvation as a life-long process. (“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT)

The Greek word translated, “being saved” in 1 Corinthians 1:18…

1. Is a verb that describes an action or state of being.
2. Is in the present tense, which portrays an action in process or a state of being with no assessment of the action’s completion.
3. Is in the passive voice, which means the subject (you and me) are being acted upon (by the Holy Spirit).

This does not cancel out the assurance of our salvation that you and I live in by faith from the moment we are saved. But these verses remind us that our salvation is a LIFE to be lived in relationship with God and His people…and not a “get out of hell free pass” we carry in our billfolds. Salvation is a life lived, by faith, with assurance from God that we are sons and daughters of God, but lived daily ALL the way to the finish line!