In Joshua 6:2, the Lord said to Joshua, "See! I have given Jericho into your hands, its king, and the mighty men of valor." Because the Lord had already given Jericho to the Israelites, was it truly in their possession? No. God went on to instruct Joshua and the Israelites on how they were to conquer the city. After marching around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, GOD caused the walls to fall down flat. We then read, "Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city" (vs. 20). In one sense, God had already given the city to them, but in another sense, the city wasn't theirs until they obeyed God and took it.
In 1 John 2:25, we read, "And this is the promise that He has promised us - eternal life." When a person is born again by water and the spirit (John 3:5), they are saved in the same way that God had given Jericho into the hands of Israel - by promise. God is true and He will follow through on His promises. But there is a sense in which we do not receive salvation until we have obeyed the Lord and lived faithfully unto Him (Mt. 7:21-23; Heb. 5:9; Rev. 2:10).
Having said that, our obedience does not merit our salvation any more than the Israelites themselves made the walls of Jericho fall down flat. Joshua 6:16-20 tells us that even after they obeyed God's instructions, it was the Lord who gave them the city and made the walls fall down flat.
So, God promises us salvation. We accept His terms and set out to obey His will. It is after our obedience and faithfulness that we finally and truly obtain salvation...not because we have earned it, but because we have humbled ourselves before God.
In 1 John 2:25, we read, "And this is the promise that He has promised us - eternal life." When a person is born again by water and the spirit (John 3:5), they are saved in the same way that God had given Jericho into the hands of Israel - by promise. God is true and He will follow through on His promises. But there is a sense in which we do not receive salvation until we have obeyed the Lord and lived faithfully unto Him (Mt. 7:21-23; Heb. 5:9; Rev. 2:10).
Having said that, our obedience does not merit our salvation any more than the Israelites themselves made the walls of Jericho fall down flat. Joshua 6:16-20 tells us that even after they obeyed God's instructions, it was the Lord who gave them the city and made the walls fall down flat.
So, God promises us salvation. We accept His terms and set out to obey His will. It is after our obedience and faithfulness that we finally and truly obtain salvation...not because we have earned it, but because we have humbled ourselves before God.
Am I saved now? Yes and no. Yes, because God has promised me salvation. No, because I will not reap the eternal benefits of salvation until I have been judged and given a place in heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment