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Acts 3:17-21
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. In recent weeks and months we have been studying what happens to us when we accept God’s gracious invitation for salvation. It is the desire of my heart that as you learn all that God has done, and continues to do, to provide salvation – the understanding and value of your salvation grows into a deeper and richer desire to be, literally, consumed with God in all parts of your daily living. So far we have studied the doctrines of election, calling, and regeneration. There are at least 3 truths these amazing doctrines have in common: They all originate in God’s heart, they all demonstrate God’s grace and mercy, and God is the only Active Agent in them. Your salvation was solely God’s idea! Scripture makes it very clear that the effect of sin causes all people to run from God with no desire to seek Him, let alone have a personal relationship with Him! He chose you to be His adopted child because He 1st loved you – then brought you into being and lead you to Calvary. Beloved, if you don’t learn anything else from these magnificent truths learn that you are saved because God, not you, designed and desired it. Salvation always begins in the heart of God and moves under His direction toward the heart of Man. From God’s perspective salvation might look something like this. *God’s willing response to man’s willful choice to sin is salvation, which is God’s gift of grace (desire) that results in spiritual life. From our perspective, conversion is (as defined by Wayne Grudem): Our willing response (desire) to the gospel call, or invitation to be saved, resulting in spiritual life in Christ, as God’s adopted child. Notice for the first time WE take an active role in our salvation. At this point God has done all that is necessary to prepare us to receive new spiritual life in Christ. Conversion applies only to us – never to God. Now watch how these 2 truths begin to come together in a harmony that could only be by divine design! God’s willing desire to save and our willing desire to be saved meet in Christ! Now that is the theology or the information – here is the practical part or the application: God chooses/desires to give us life in Christ – we choose/desire to give up life in sin. The Biblical doctrine of conversion – where we get involved in our salvation – says to God, “I knowingly and willingly agree to Your terms of salvation, no exceptions! Someone might say, “I didn’t know what I was getting into; I didn’t know my life would have to change it so radically. I just got save so I could go to heaven.” Here are 2 more truths about salvation: no one knows or understands from the beginning what all is involved. The reason is called progressive revelation – which means God tells us things on a need to know basis. The 1st and most important thing every human being needs to know as soon as possible is they are in desperate need of a Savior, and how to apply His redeeming work to their life to eradicate their eternal sin penalty. The 2nd truth is: nowhere does the Bible ever teach the reason for salvation is to go to heaven. The reason for salvation is to reestablish the proper relationship and fellowship between God and Man that is lost in sin. Conversion means turning. It means a complete 180° turn from sin. The turn from sin is repentance and it means abandonment, or leaving permanently and forever. Next time we will begin to look at how repentance and faith work together to raise us from our knees in the brokenness of sin at Calvary – and transform us into the image of Christ that we will forever bear with him in his heaven. If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
