What is the ultimate objective in salvation?
- Heaven?
- Mansions on streets of gold?
- Forgiveness of sins?
- A better life?
All those things are certainly a part of our salvation. There is no doubt that there are great and majestic benefits and by-products to our great salvation.
Herein lies the problem with most presentations of the gospel in evangelical circles today. The gospel is peddled as some "fix-all" or "cure-all" for all that ails you.
Salvation is peddled as a guaranteed ticket to heaven. It is presented as a means to make you happy, hopeful, and honored.
The ultimate objective in our salvation is our sanctification. It is our being made holy. The incarnation of Jesus, his life, his crucifixion, and his resurrection, his ascension, and his giving us the Holy Spirit is for the ultimate purpose of making us holy.
"just as He chose us in Him, before the foundation of he world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." (Ephesians 1:4, NKJV)
The ultimate purpose of your salvation is that you are and are being made holy. It is not merely forgiveness of sin, an escape from hell, or the promise of heaven. It is holiness.
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." (1 Thessalonians 4:3a)
5 comments:
Mat 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
short audio of Arthur Pink's thoughts on this:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=218091044224
Susan - no doubt forgiveness of our sins is truly a wonderful part of our redemption. Thank God it is not the end purpose. Otherwise it were, God would have given us salvation and then there would have been nothing else. Thank God he forgave us and designed redemption and salvation to make us holy.
Hi Gregg,
Did you listen to the audio clip? It's only about 4 or 5 mins long. He makes the point that many want to be saved from hell, but the Bible never says God saves us from hell (although He does do that) but the more significant thing is that He saves us from our terrible sins. That is what He does when He sanctifies us. He removed the things that are tormenting us, the things that would be our hell if He did not remove them. ;-)
...oh, and I forgot to mention, but many foolishly want to hang onto their sins, they want to be saved from hell but do not want to be saved from their sins... If He doesn't wash us we are not His (like He told Peter when He washed Peter's feet)
Susan - yes I listened to the clip. I love Pink. I agree, many want to be saved from hell or have heaven as a home while refusing to give up sin or self. That is sadly too true.
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