Romans 13:11 “Besides
this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer
to us now than when we first believed.”
As I continue through this
study of the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Romans, I learn that fulfill the
law of God through our love of Him and our neighbor, but the Apostle Paul is
clear that our own fulfillment of the law is not what grants us salvation. Our
fulfillment of the law remains imperfect in this life, in the sinful desires of
the flesh, we continue to struggle against sin. The only reason why we can even
begin to fulfill the law lies in the fact that Christ was born under the law
and fulfilled it for us, succeeding where both Adam and Israel failed. Through
faith alone, this obedience is imputed to us and we are “justified”, or declared
righteous in the sight of God. Paul speaks elsewhere of salvation as a past
event, using the word salvation as a synonym for justification.
The lesson points out however,
the Apostle does not use the term salvation only for the past event of our once-for-all
justification. Paul says our “salvation
is nearer to us now than when we first believed”. Clearly, then, he views
salvation as a future event in at least some sense, Paul’s varied usage of the
term salvation reflects the Bible’s insistence that redemption is a past,
present, and future reality. We were saved; we are being saved; and we will be
saved. If we look at salvation as an overarching concept that encompasses past,
present, and future, it becomes clear that Scripture views salvation as a work
that begins with regeneration and justification, continues on in sanctification,
and then is finally brought to
completion in our glorification, or the point at which all remnants of sin are
purged from us entirely. In the ultimate sense, we do not experience salvation only
the moment we are born again; that is just one aspect of salvation. The
fullness of our salvation will not take place until our glorification when we
enter into heaven.
Certainly, the Lord
guarantees the present and future aspects of salvation by what He has done in
the past. If we have been justified, we will certainly be glorified, and if
someone falls away, it is because he never had saving faith. In any case, the
future aspect of our salvation that we will enjoy in our glorification in
Heaven is nearer now than when we first believed. Every day, we get closer to
the appointed time at which our Savior will return, remove all sin from
creation, and bring us into glory.
The lesson concluded that
salvation draws near has ramifications for our lives in the present. God always
finishes the work that He starts, and if we are in Christ now, our future glorification
is assured. This helps us put our confidence in the right place. Because the
Lord has us in His hand, we can trust that He will work out all His purposes for
us. When we grow discouraged with the lack of holiness in our lives, we must remember
that God is working in us, that He will finish what He started, and that if we
seek His face, we will enjoy all the benefits of His redemption.
Blessings
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