How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Hebrews 2:3
What makes our salvation so great? There’s all that Christ has done for us and all that he does in us. There’s what he has done already and what he continues to do.
What Christ does for us: justification & intercession
Christ’s completed work for us is justification. It is God’s marvelous gift by which he forgives us freely, so that we can say, “Having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). This is not a process. You are justified completely through Jesus Christ.
Christ’s continuing work for us is called intercession. Christ is for you right now at the right hand of the Father. He always lives to make intercession for us (7:25). That is why you can have confidence in living the Christian life. Your life is in the hand of the risen Christ who supplies all you need according to his glorious riches.
What Christ does in us: sanctification & regeneration
There’s even more in this great salvation than Christ’s justification and intercession for you! The Bible also speaks of Christ’s work in you. Christ’s completed work in you is called regeneration. His continuing work in you is called sanctification. Regeneration is the complete transformation that begins the continuing process of sanctification.
Most Christians are more familiar with the continuing process than with the completed transformation. We’re more comfortable saying, “God is changing me,” than “God has changed me.” Maybe your first instinct is to say, “I’ve got a lot more changing to do. I’m a work in progress. I haven’t arrived yet.”
Which are you more comfortable saying… that God is changing you? Or that God has changed you? Why?
