Salvation is the grace of God in action. We now are without condemnation and are invited and welcomed to enter boldly into the Most Holy Place in Heaven before the Father, there to make our needs and desires known to Him who sits on the throne of the universe.

We are accepted in the beloved Son, Christ. The holy angels rejoice and the bells of Heaven ring because a prodigal son has returned to the Father's house. From now on, death holds no terrors for us. When we die we go to the realms of righteousness, there to await the Day of the Lord.

We were dead spiritually, being cut off from God. Now, by the atonement made through the blood of the righteous Jesus, we are accepted of God. God's Holy Spirit takes up His abode in us.

The Spirit of God is eternal life in us, the pledge of the more complete redemption yet to come, which is the giving of eternal life to the mortal body. All past transgressions are forgiven. The covering of the Passover blood shields us from the wrath of God.

In the preceding paragraphs we have described the salvation phase of the Divine redemption. Every person who would gain eternal life must appear here. We must receive Christ personally as our Lord and Savior and be baptized in water. Upon doing this we are ready for the Spirit of God to plant the Divine Seed in us so we may be born again.

The only way a man, woman, boy, or girl can enter the Kingdom of God is by being born again. Until a person is born again he can neither see nor enter the Kingdom of God. Our death with Christ on the cross and our new birth in the Spirit of God compose the first death and the first resurrection—the first area of redemption.

The first area of redemption, as we have said, is that of justification, of acceptance by the Lord, of passing from death to life, of remission of the guilt of past sin by the blood of Christ. The grace of God is given freely to us through Christ and we are received as a child of God. We are born again of the Word of God.

We have pointed out the danger of making the initial work of justification all-inclusive so that it removes the need for sanctification and consecration.

Sanctification: the second area of redemption. Sanctification is a work of God that sets us apart as holy to the Lord.

Many Christians have had a genuine experience of justification but have stopped there. They have never cooperated with the Holy Spirit in the task of directing their daily behavior into ways pleasing to the Lord.

They have accepted justification by faith. They have received the Lord Jesus and the load of guilt has been lifted from them. The Spirit of God has touched their spirit and they have felt the joy and peace of the Divine Life from Heaven.

These Divine blessings are the beginning, the elementary principles of salvation (Hebrews 6:1). From this point we are to press onward to the fullness of the redemption that is in Christ.

To be continued.