For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18
As defined by Merriam-Webster, salvation is the deliverance from the power and effects of sin. To Christians who have a relationship with God, it has a much more emotionally tied meaning. Salvation is God’s free gift to us. As John 3:16 says, salvation was brought to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. He “rescued” us from sin; the only way to be truly rescued is through Jesus (John 14:6).
Salvation was promised in the first book of the bible. God promised a champion who would reign down over evil after the fall of man (Gen 3:15). For it says, “… You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head.” This was a curse from God focused on Satan where He promised the defeat of death. Satan would end up damaging Christ, but He had the final victory on behalf of humanity.
Salvation encompasses both the physical and spiritual dimensions of life. There are three stages of salvation:
- Justification
- Sanctification
- Glorification
As Christians, we are guaranteed all three stages if we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Below I am going to define each stage along with scripture for reference.
Justification: I am saved from the PENALTY of sin.
Imagine you are put on trial for a crime you committed. Now, imagine the Son of God coming into the courtroom proclaiming you are innocent, and He is willing to take the penalty and punishment for your crimes. This is exactly what happened when Jesus went through the suffering on the cross and then uttered the words “tetelestai,” meaning, “it is finished” in Greek. Justification is a legal (judicial) act. Instead of God judging us as guilty because of our sins, He now “justifies” us, making us right in his judgment, and there is no penalty for our past sins.
Justification is the instantaneous act from God when a person places their faith in Jesus. This is the biggest win that someone can have in their life and the moment they change for the better! Once you have Jesus on your side, all evil has no power over you.
Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
For you are saved by grace through faith and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, that that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
… and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:24
But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Romans 5:8-9
Sanctification: I am being saved from the POWER of sin.
Salvation does not end at justification. There is still so much more. We may be saved from the penalty of sin, but we still need to deal with our daily confrontation with sin.
The sanctification of Christians is a continual lifelong process. It involves both a relational component (separation from participating in and being influenced by evil) and a moral component (growth in holiness or moral purity in attitudes, thoughts, and actions).
We can never be perfect on this side of eternity, but we can strive to become more like Jesus through the process of sanctification. Through Jesus’ blood may we be perfected and made clean. To consider it simply, sanctification is the work of becoming a little more like Christ today than you were yesterday.
… he saved us – not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy – through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is the truth.
John 17:17
For by a single offering he had perfected all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Ephesians 4:21-24
Glorification: I will be forever saved from the PRESENCE of sin.
Glorification is when believers will share in God’s glory as resurrected bodies in the new heaven and new earth. It will remove us from the presence of sin forever. In our eternal home in heaven, we no longer have a sinful nature. We will be “perfect” in our new “glorious” bodies (Philippians 3:21). What is promised to us now will be given to us then. Christ’s final return will bring an end to Satan once and for all and will bring to glorification to fruition. If you like worship music, we can be sure of one thing: worship will be a key factor in this experience of glory with God. The Bible speaks of masses of people standing around His throne and praising Him. So basically, it’s a praise party. Glory be to God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans 8:30
… May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Salvation can often feel like a mystifying thing. It can be easy to wonder, “If I am really saved, why don’t I feel free from the grip of sin?” Rest assured that as a believer in Jesus your freedom from sin is certain, it is just not sudden.
Be assured in your justification. It was.
Be patient with your sanctification. It is.
And be eager for your glorification. It is to come.
Cover photo by Sekatsky on Unsplash
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