Weekly Devotional 10-26-15
The Hope of Heaven; The Assurance of Heaven
Many hope that when they pass from this life they will be taken to heaven. They hope that because they have lived a fairly decent life they will be accepted. They trust in their many works not understanding works will not satisfy the demands of God’s holiness; that takes a work that they cannot perform. Early in Jesus’ ministry one such person came to Jesus trying to determine just who Jesus was. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, a highly esteemed teacher of Judaism who trusted in his keeping of the Law and his own works. However, early on in their conversation Jesus knew in what Nicodemus trusted and said “Nicodemus, 3Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…. 5Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3…5-8 NKJV).
If what Jesus told Nicodemus is applicable to all persons, and it is, all persons must be born again to be accepted into heaven. The apostle Paul, himself having been born again, wrote that all persons are spiritually dead before the Holy Spirit does a work of regeneration in their life. Consider, “1And you (you Ephesians) He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3among whom also we all (you Gentiles and us Jews) once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph:2:1-9 NKJV).
It could not be clearer. Salvation, being made acceptable for heaven, is God’s work in those in whom the Holy Spirit regenerates newness of Spiritual life. Thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit for working in our lives a work that accomplishes your desire for us, for our assurance of heaven. We can rest in the truth that our salvation is in Him, not in ourselves. God cannot fail what He determines to do, or in what He accomplishes.
Our “assurance” though is found in the works that we do. Is this a contradiction? No, because the origination of works that are acceptable to God is found in God the Son. Had we read on in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we would have read, “10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” A person who has truly been born again will do works that are acceptable to God because He or she was recreated (reborn) for that purpose.
The passage testifies that the test of one’s salvation, of having been reborn spiritually, is found in the source of those works. He who has not been reborn will do works in an attempt to satisfy God’s justice, but he who has been born again (regenerated) will work because his works are originated in Christ and have been prepared by God the Father for us to do. Our motives are different than that of the unregenerate person. Our motive is the motive of a regenerated, changed heart.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man