The journey of salvation: past, present and future

I read Romans 5 this morning and thought I would share a short theology lesson that a verse in that chapter brought to mind...

When a Christian says they are "saved," they are saying that they have been forgiven of their sin and saved from sin's penalty - God's wrath. The provision for this salvation was accomplished as Jesus died on the cross. It becomes the experience of the Christian at the moment they repent of their sin and trust in Jesus to save them.

But, there is another aspect to our salvation. Sure, we are saved from sin's penalty by Jesus' death but we are also being freed from sin's power by Jesus' life. When someone trusts in Jesus' work on the cross to forgive them and bring them into the family of God, the Holy Spirit of Jesus takes up residence within them. As Jesus resides within them, He is continually breaking sin's chains and enables the believer to become more like Him.

So, it's not just the death of Jesus that saves us. His life continues to save those who have trusted in Him.

Romans 5:10 (ESV)

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

So, we could say that there are three aspects to our salvation:

At the point of salvation - I am saved from sin's penalty.

The rest of my life - I am being saved from sin's power.

In Heaven - I will be saved from sin's presence.

Jesus has done much more than we realize to claim us for His Father and enable us to enjoy His presence for eternity. Allow that thought to move you to gratitude today. Allow it to cause you to take your walk with Him seriously today. Allow it to move you to share the Good News of the Gospel with someone today.