Well, I was up way too early. I have way too much on my mind. And the topic of interest in God’s word has way too much to say!!!
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.[1]
Yesterday, my focus was on how Jesus was “made… to be sin”, and how utterly remarkable that is. Today I am considering the other side of that which is, “that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
One theme in all of this is to see a contrast between worldly religions like Islam that portray the Bible as false based on their inability to understand it. I have seen some videos where converts to Islam say that it is how it “makes sense” to them that convinced them it is true.
But it is actually the other way around. A religion that “makes sense” to the natural man is proof it is manmade! The only belief in the world that transcends man’s understanding (as is obvious from how it contrasts with every other worldview) is the revelation in the Bible that God is Triune, and that the salvation God has provided is Triune.
I was also drawn to what Paul says about these things, how, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (which explains why people can’t see the truth), and, “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (which explains why believers do see and understand what is revealed in God’s word).[2]
The Triunity of salvation is in the fact that it begins with our “justification” by grace through faith whereby God credits to our account with him the righteousness of his Son so that we can be treated as righteous in their sight. Romans and Galatians are where Paul makes justification very clear. Here is one sample:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.[3]
Once we enter this salvation by our justification, we begin the journey of “sanctification” in which we are constantly changed from the unrighteous side to the fully righteous side over the course of our lifetimes. I love the way Paul describes it:
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.[4]
And the third dimension of our Triune salvation is “glorification” when our personal righteousness will finally match the righteousness of Christ in every aspect. John’s description is what my heart longs to experience:
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.[5]
Part of what God is speaking to me about is the glorious way he has done things so that we will truly “become the righteousness of God” in every way, and part of what he is emphasizing is how all the complexities of his incomprehensibleness builds our faith in how glorious and good he is even while we are mocked by the spiritually blind who have no idea what we see in Jesus Christ our Lord.
The application for me is to focus on making this Triune
salvation of the Triune God known to everyone and wait on the Holy Spirit to
open the eyes of the blind to see it and believe. For now, God appears to be
teaching me to be faithful in proclaiming the gospel in all its glory and
goodness even while not having any soul-winning fruit to encourage me along.
Trusting God for such things when we see nothing happening is worshipping him
in spirit and in truth, and I am resting in that today.
© 2023
Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
No comments:
Post a Comment