Title: Salvation is a precious gift from God
Contents
Salvation through faith is a precious gift from God, given only to his people, whom he knew in advance. As it is written, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). . Therefore, it testifies that “by grace we have been saved through faith…”.
As it is written, “Therefore, not of a willing, nor of a runner, but of a merciful God” (Romans 9:16), salvation is not the same as selling indulgences.
Even if two people plow the hawk together, if two people plow the field together, if two people sleep together, one will be taken and the other will be left behind. In this world, there are other people of God who will be saved. This cannot be known to man, but God knows who His people are. Thus it is written, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, and do not share in her sins, and receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). this is separate. These are people who do not follow the flesh but follow the Spirit.
They are the children of God who belong to the spirit who longs for a better hometown heaven than the hometown world, where they lived as strangers in the world. These are the sheep he knew who followed the True Shepherd, who was given to those who put off the children of the slave girl below and were prepared to be born again as the children of the free born again above.
Therefore, the true shepherd knows his sheep. So the precious gift of salvation is true food and true drink given only to his sheep. That food is Christ. His flesh and his blood are not given to anyone, but as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has conceived of all that God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) As it is testified that the true way of salvation is not permitted to those who are of the world.
“Those who are after the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who follow the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. For those who are in the flesh cannot please God. If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh but in the spirit. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Christ.” (Romans 8:5-9) As the true testimony of God, the children of the slave woman and the children of the free woman coexist.
That is why the Bible testifies, “But at that time he who was born after the flesh persecuted him who was born after the Spirit, so it is now” (Galatians 4:29), and the Lord Himself says, “A man’s enemies are the members of his household.” (Matthew 10:36) He said.
Therefore, the Bible says, "...deliver us from the unreasonable and evil men, for faith is not everyone's" (2 Thessalonians 3:2).
God is love, and He has given portions of the world to those who are not saved in the future. It is written of this, “Lord, deliver me by your hand from the people of the world, who have received their portion in this life, O God, who is satisfied with your children, filled with your riches, and passes on the rest of the inheritance to their little ones” (Psalms). 17:14) testifies.
Therefore, God already knows all those who belong to the world and those who belong to God. It is written, “Children, you are of God, and you have overcome them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world, and because they are of the world, they speak of the world, and the world listens to them. He who knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us, for by this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion” (1 John 4:4-6). For those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30). ) did.
Therefore, there is no regret in God's calling. As it is written, “The gifts and callings of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29).
Christ became the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Those who obey this way of the cross follow the Spirit, not the flesh. Because faith is obedience. Faith without obedience is a false belief. It is written, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a land that he would receive as an inheritance, and went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). No, it is the vain dream of the wandering stars who will go into the darkness prepared for eternity.
Therefore, those who were taken captive by the law and died to the law through the law are raised with Christ. Only those who have accomplished this can experience this word of righteousness. Thank you Lord.
Sunjin, who preceded this, said, "By the law I died to the law, that I might live to God" (Galatians 2:19), and said, "Therefore, when he ascended on high, has been given” (Ephesians 4:8).
Those who are held captive by the law and do not have the curse that is the end of the law, that is, the fact that they were crucified with Jesus, cannot live with Christ again. Therefore, salvation is only an illusion. This is because they belong to the world and cannot escape from the world. It is written, “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. The carnal mind is enmity with God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it do it” (Romans 8:6-7). It's like Ham.
Now the saved children of God have been set free from sin and become children of righteousness. Put off the old man and put on the new man. Therefore, all the children of God, who have received salvation through faith as a gift, together say, “Behold, what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God, and so are we. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed, but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we will see him as he is. He purifies himself in the same way” (1 John 3:1-3) and sings a new song. Amen.
little brother kim yoon-goo