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Notice
the three words "began," "will" and "until."
After a person is forgiven of their sins, God "begins" or
starts changing us. He "will" continue changing us "until"
Jesus comes. In theology this is called "progressive sanctification."
We are saved, but God's salvation is also something we experience
now in this life. Imagine God's forgiving us of our sins and then
not caring how we live between now and heaven. The apostle Paul summarized
this quickly when he said,
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For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are
being saved and among those who are perishing; (NASB)
2 Corinthians 2:15 |
The
Greek word for "being saved" means just that. We are in
the process, but our destiny is sure!
This is the idea of Philippians 2:12-13.
We are already saved, but since we are in process God calls us to
"work out our salvation with
fear and trembling" - to live the Christian life.
God Is At Work. But God is also
at work in us. For without Him we could never spiritually grow. Here
are some verses that remind us that we need the Holy Spirit to help
us grow - "to work out our salvation."
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Holy Spirit's Role |
Passage |
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Helps
us understand/study the Bible |
1
Cor. 2:14 |
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Helps
us pray |
Romans
8:26 |
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Convicts
us of sin |
John
16:8 |
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Empowers
us |
Ephesians
5:17-18 |
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Helps
us have victory over sin |
Gal.
5:16-23 |
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Helps
us serve others |
Romans
12:7 |
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Helps
us teach the Word |
1
Cor. 12:28 |
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Gives
us victory over Satan |
Eph.
6:11-18 |
The Holy Spirit called us to Jesus, placed us into the body of Jesus,
and then started transforming us into holy saints. Some day we will
reach heaven and then we will actually be perfectly holy. So God calls
us to cooperate. He calls us to "work out our salvation"
while He also works in us.
Conclusion:In
order to live the Christian life, we must want to change. God calls
us again and again throughout the scripture to live a holy life -
to change. Most, not all of us, are trying or have tried to change
by our own willpower. Philippians 2:12-13 explains that we must want
to spiritually grow, we must try to grow and we must depend on God
to change us.
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A man went to a hardware store to buy a new saw. The salesman
took a chain saw from the shelf and commented that it was the
"newest model, with the latest in technology, guaranteed
to cut ten cords of firewood a day." The customer thought
that very good, so he bought the saw and took it home.
The next day the customer returned, looking somewhat exhausted
and disturbed, "Something must be wrong with this saw,"
he moaned. "I worked as hard as I could and only managed
to cut three cords of wood. I used to do four with my old-fashioned
saw." Looking confused, the salesman said, "Here,
let me try it out back on some wood." They went to the
woodpile, the salesman pulled the cord and as the motor went
Vvvrooommmm, the customer leaped back and asked, "What
is that noise?" The customer did not know there was power
in the saw and as a result, his efforts were exhausting.
The Holy Spirit is the power
needed in the Christian life. He is the key to living the
Christian life. |
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