Those who receive God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation begin a journey back to glory!
It won’t always be easy. It will get messy on occasions. It might even feel dangerous. It will involve suffering, sighing, groaning, and perhaps three steps forward and two (or more) back.
Take heart because our suffering will be offset by joy grounded in a hope that cannot be shaken (Romans 8:18).
Do you think of your life in this way?
Most of us could benefit from a better vision of the greatness of salvation — a panoramic view! Salvation is a return to full and final glory — a return to the Imago Dei (image of God). Scripture provides a panoramic view spanning four phases of glory:
- A glory we had at the beginning – made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27).
- A glory diminished by disobedience (Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Ja. 3:9).
- A glory being restored in us – through the Spirit (Rom. 6:23; II Cor. 3:18).
- A glory fully restored – despite our present suffering (Rom. 8:18; Phil. 3:20-21; I Jn. 3:1-2;Rev. 21:1-5).
The starting and ending point must shape our understanding of our current journey.
The panoramic view is too often left out when we tell the story of salvation. The outcome is a shortsightedness which leaves us inadequately grounded for a living hope in Christ.
Stay focused on the One who pioneered our journey for us
“But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered” (Hebrews 2:9-10).
Reflect deeply on the four phases above.
Discuss this with others.
Share it!
Steve Cornell
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I. Creation – the good – made in the image of God
- Question – Where did we come from?
II. Fall – the evil – the image marred
- Question -What went wrong?
III. Redemption – the new – the image of God renewed
- Question – What can we do about it?
IV. Restoration – the perfect – the image of God restored
- Question – Is there hope?
If you remove any one of the four pillars of biblical truth, the world becomes more difficult to understand and potentially more painful to endure.
Wisdomforlife 