" Who is the Christian ? "

 

Ephesians 2:8-9  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD: not of works, lest any man should boast."

     Who is the Christian ? That is a valid question, is it not ? Moral life may belong to any man, but spiritual life and eternal life belong only to those who take GOD's way of salvation. There is no salvation unless GOD HIMSELF has laid down the terms of it. So, as always, we are brought face-to-face with a critical question in this regard: What does GOD's divine WORD say ? If we want to come to some conclusion as to who is the Christian, we must make our appeal to the written WORD of GOD. Let us observe three truths with respect to how GOD identifies a Christian.

     First, a Christian is one who is saved by the grace of GOD. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD" (v.8). GOD's purpose in redemption is not simply to rescue us from a Devil's Hell, as great as that is. The ultimate objective in salvation is that, for all eternity, the church might glorify GOD's grace: "to the praise of the glory of HIS grace, wherein HE has made us accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6 above,12,14). We have an eternal purpose to fulfill, and HE has saved us forever. We are not justified by our good deeds, and we cannot be lost by our misdeeds. Grace means salvation is completely apart from any merit on our part and that GOD does it all for JESUS' sake. Our salvation is a "gift of GOD" (v.8), not a reward for what we have done. Salvation cannot result from man's efforts because JESUS has already completed the work of salvation on the cross. GOD has done everything for us; it is a finished work (John 17:1-4;19:30). One sacrifice -- the LAMB of GOD -- has accomplished the great work of salvation (Hebrews 10:9-13 below). HE did it all, and HE did it by HIS grace.

1st.Peter 1:18-19  "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; BUT with the precious blood of CHRIST, as of a LAMB without blemish and without spot:"

     As we have been discussing, salvation cannot be "of works" (Ephesians 2:9), for it is all "by grace" (Ephesians 2:8) -- unmerited favor. Paul declared plainly in Titus 3:5, "NOT by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS mercy HE saved us." Thus, a Christian is one saved by the grace of GOD. D.L.Moody once ran after a man saying, "Do you know grace." "Grace who?" the man asked. "The grace of GOD that saves our souls," Moody answered as he told him of the plan of salvation.

     The second thing we must note is that a Christian is one who is redeemed by the blood of JESUS CHRIST. The text above states, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of CHRIST." This was GOD's provision for meeting the sin problem and taking from man's heart and soul the burden of condemnation. The Christian has been purchased and freed from Judgment Day by the precious blood of JESUS CHRIST. Redemption is a once-for-all, finished work that was accomplished by CHRIST JESUS on the cross of Calvary.

     Third, a Christian is one who is sealed by the HOLY SPIRIT: "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with the HOLY SPIRIT of promise" (Ephesians 1:13 above). A seal signified a finished transaction, ownership, security and protection, and authenticity. We heard the Gospel of salvation, believed in CHRIST as SAVIOR, and were sealed with the SPIRIT when we believed. A Christian is bought by the FATHER, saved by JESUS' blood, and sealed by the HOLY SPIRIT. The HOLY SPIRIT within us is "the earnest of our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:14 above): the down payment guaranteeing our complete redemption -- spirit, soul and body. What a GOD we serve ! JED

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

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