Dr. Willie Nolte asks, Now, is salvation about forgiveness
of sin? Of course it is! Is it important to have forgiveness of sin? Is it absolutely
essential for us to have life? Of course! Ephesians 1:7 tells us, “In Him we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace.” But, at the same time, the Word of God in the Holy Bible is clear that
while sin separates us from God, God intends to do something else with
salvation also. The forgiveness of sin is just the beginning. Without the
forgiveness of sins, there can be no relationship with holy God. Holy Scripture
always looks at us as human beings holistically. And so, when the Scriptures
says things like: we are being transformed,” that is the right word for those
of us who are walking as Believers, believe the gospel, accept and love Jesus –
our Savior, through the eyes of faith.
Romans 12:2 “Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.”
That is a “tip off” to us
that when the Scripture talks about what happens to us as human beings, it is
not just talking about our soul going to heaven, because we are no longer held
accountable for our sins, which Jesus redeemed. It is literally talking about
the entire person being changed from the inside out. As we journey along on
this road of life, it is happening. How we think, how we respond, our emotions
and, therefore, our actions ad lifestyle. We are literally receiving this
transformative reality.
Are we there yet? Are we all
the way there as a total person having been full transformed? No. We are on a
journey. Is it always safe and smooth travelling? No. Do we always Honor and
respect God on this side of eternity? Not really? But, it is what we are
receiving because Jesus came, died, rose again and continues to indwell us that
God’s Holy Spirit. This is what we are currently receiving. Now, how can we be
characterized as people with joy when things are bad? It is because we are
receiving what God has done in Jesus.
Now, if you are a Believer
today, Dr. Nolte wants to remind you and encourage you to embrace who you are
becoming in Jesus, because He is at work in you now. And because that is true,
joy will be yours, even in the storms of life. If you are reading this message
today and you realize that you do not have what Dr. Nolte is talking about,
being jerked about by the world, can’t get a grip on how you feel, lost in your
emotions because your anchors of normalcy and security are gone; if this is you
today, he asks you to consider that it’s perhaps because you have never chosen
to see Jesus with the eyes of faith? Maybe, you have never chosen to believe
Jesus in faith? Possibly, you have never decided to believe what God says about
who you are and who Jesus is? To believe the Bible and what Jesus has
accomplished is what the gospel is all about.
You know that these days are
heavy and crazy, to where you can feel that you have no grounding. It does not
have to be that way! What a great day and time for you to choose to receive
salvation in Christ by faith. God is not hiding or making your decision
difficult. God invites you to accept what He offers – the free gift of
salvation. If you choose to believe Jesus and walk into God’s offer for a
transformative relationship with Him in faith, all God requires is for you to
hand over the throne of your life to Jesus. In doing so, God promises to
forgive your sins because Christ has paid for them on the Cross, to fully adopt
you into the family of God as His son or daughter in the kingdom of heaven, to
fill you with His presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and give you the
complete fullness of life that begins now, but continues on into eternity.
And here is what is going to
happen: There will well-up within you an inexpressible and glorious joy; not
because things are good or bad, but because God has entered into your life.
That brokenness and separation that you had from God because of sin has been
brought back together by the completed work of Jesus Christ. Decide to follow
Jesus Christ today and have joy in the storm.
In Christ, Brian
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