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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #71
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)
The Three Stages of Redemption
There are three parts of the program of salvation. First, we are forgiven through the authority of the blood of the cross. Second, we are given God's Holy Spirit so we will have the wisdom and power to achieve God's purpose in our life.
We have been forgiven, and we have wisdom and power. But forgiven and given wisdom and power to what end? This is an important question in our day, for we now are at the point that God is ready to reveal to us what His objectives are.
It is the third part of salvation that is the Divine goal for man. We have been forgiven that we may reach the Divine goal. We have been given wisdom and power that we may reach the Divine goal.
The Divine goal set before us is that we might be the dwelling place of God through Jesus Christ. To attain this supreme goal we must be conformed to the moral (and finally bodily) image of Jesus Christ, and we must be dwelling in untroubled rest in the center of God's will.
The purpose for our being made the dwelling place of God is that God might be able through us to relate to all of His other creatures. As it is now, God is separated from His rebellious creation. His holy Character prevents His associating with that which is unholy, whether cherubim, seraphim, angels, people, priests of the order of Melchisedec, or whatever other creatures there may be in the universe.
Man is to be the chariot of God, the house of God. Jesus Christ is the chief Corner Stone of the great dwelling place of God.
In order to attain God's eternal purpose in us we must experience not just two, but three works of grace.
The first work of grace is forgiveness through the blood of the cross.
The second work of grace is that of being filled with God's Spirit.
The third work of grace includes Christ being formed in us, and then the Father and the Son coming to dwell in that which has been formed in us.
In association with the three works of grace, there are three deaths and three resurrections we are to experience.
The first death is death to the world. The first resurrection is into the Kingdom of God.
The second death is death to sin. The second resurrection is into spiritual freedom.
The third death is death to self-will. The third resurrection is into the fullness of fruitfulness and dominion.
Two thousand years of Church history have established the first two works of grace. Now God is ready to bring us into the final death and resurrection, and into the place where Christ and the Father can make us Their eternal dwelling place.
If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— (John 14:15,16—NIV)
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23—NIV)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace (Ephesians 1:7—NIV)
To be continued.