Saved...Saved! Part Two

This morning we explored some of the things that salvation accomplishes in us and for us. For now I want to talk a bit about hope. There is much talk about hope, and for different people it means different things.

I think most people think of future hope. "I hope I find a good paying job." "I hope I marry a wonderful person." "I hope my friend recovers."

In the church, however, when we talk about hope we often are talking about future hope of heaven and all that goes with it. We think of no more trials. We think of streets of gold, dancing with the angels, and singing praises for an eternity. No more sorrow. No more pain.

But I think that Paul writes to the Philippians about hope that is past, present and future all at the same time:

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

PAST: We have hope in the completed work of Christ on the cross on our behalf. Our salvation is a done deal. Jesus said, "It is finished" before He died. It's done. We can add nothing to the pot to sweeten the deal. Christ's offer of salvation includes reconciliation with God and freedom from guilt, shame, and death. We are now friends of God.

PRESENT: Our hope in the present is that He didn't just save us and then leave us to our own devices to figure out how to be like Him. He is doing the work in us. We are fully saved from our sin, but still have our struggles in terms of behavior, attitude, and heart issues. We are learning to "walk out" our salvation. This means allowing God to bring our lives in line with who we are in Christ. Another word for this is "sanctification," and it is the process of putting away those old things of the flesh and becoming more like Christ. It isn't instantaneous. It's a process, but it takes us submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

FUTURE: Our future hope is the hope of one day being like Him and not dealing any more with the pressure and trials of our flesh. We will have new bodies and will be with Him in eternity. Again, we don't have to figure out how to get there. He said, "I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3)

Also, consider this:

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory."
I Corinthians 15:51-54

So allow me to paraphrase Philippians 1:6. It's the verse we started with at the beginning of this blog post. It kind of puts hope in perspective of how God sees it.

"He, in the past, began a good work in you by totally buying and providing salvation. He didn't stop there, because He is presently doing His work in you, and He will not stop until it's done. He will continue to carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus when you are with Him in eternity sporting a new body, and a heart that is like His."
Philippians 1:6

Tell me what your thoughts are! What does this past, present and future mean to you? How does it impact how you live your life?