It is perfectly scriptural to say we have been saved but we have not been made perfect as yet. But to say we are saved for eternity even though we are not gaining the victory over sin is not scriptural. It is a terrible delusion. The rewards go to the victorious saints, not to the losers.

The salvation that is from God through Jesus Christ contains all the wisdom and power necessary to deliver us totally from worldliness, lust, and self-will. Our part is to confess our sins to God and to obey the Holy Spirit as He conforms us to the moral image of Jesus Christ.

This is what salvation is. It has little to do with going to Heaven. We are changed so we can live with God as His children. There can be no Heaven, no Paradise in the picture, as long as we ourselves are unchanged.

How long will it be before the Christian churches change from pointing toward Heaven as the goal of redemption, which is not scriptural, to emphasizing change into the image of Christ as the goal of redemption, which is entirely scriptural?

But why are we changed into the image of Christ? So we can go to Heaven? Of course not. Sin began in Heaven around the Throne of God and then passed down into Paradise on the earth. So the problem is sin, not location.

Why are we changed into the image of Christ? So we can be pleasing to God.

But aren't we pleasing to God when we are righteous by imputation? Yes, and no. When we first receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior we are declared righteous by imputation. But this is not the desired state. The Kingdom of God is not in imputed righteousness but in actual righteousness of personality and behavior. The Apostle Paul made this perfectly clear in his writings.

The idea is that we can approach God through imputed righteousness so we can embark on the program of transformation. When we do not follow the Holy Spirit in the program of moral transformation, we have made the initial imputation of no effect. It has been aborted.

Do we honestly believe God has turned away from requiring that we practice righteousness, mercy, and humility, and accepts us now because we believe in Jesus Christ? The demons believe Christ is the Holy One of God but it does not profit them. The spirit of python knew well that Paul was preaching the way of salvation, but its knowledge did not profit this spirit of divination.

Belief in Jesus Christ is absolutely useless, and perhaps worse than useless, if we attempt to use such belief as a substitute for a transformed life.

Recently we learned that the Serbian Orthodox prelates are blessing the murderers and rapists who are terrorizing the people of Kosovo. Now you tell me, what does this say about the benefit of belonging to such a church?

To be continued.