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How Salvation is Kinda Like a New Job

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A good friend on mine just accepted an exciting new job position. They’ve been waiting on God’s good timing for a while now and this week they received the offer and accepted!

I’ve stood in their shoes many times. The promise of a great new job is exciting. A new future awaits and preparation for this new life begins.

The job has been given to me…but it is not quite mine yet.

A Lesson on Salvation

I’m sharing a bit about interpretation today, and the importance of getting it correct.

(Can’t view the video? Click here.)

There are a few “big picture” theological ideas that I have found extremely helpful in my efforts to “interpret scripture with scripture”, especially when studying passages on salvation. There is one four-worded phrase that you need to know:

Already…but not yet.

We are already “saved”…but not yet.

In order to better understand this, it is helpful to know three different components to our salvation. Justification. Sanctification. Glorification.

I know these are big words, but they are are important, so stick with me!

Justification is what has happened. In that glorious moment when the Lord invaded my heart and made me His own. I was given right standing with a Holy God, and was saved from the penalty of my sin, through Jesus Christ!

Sanctification is what is happening.  I am being made holy, and becoming more and more like Christ. I am being saved from the presence of sin.

Glorification is what will happen. One day I will meet my Savior and on that great day I will be rid completely of sin and all of the promises of being His child will then be fulfilled.

Studying 1 Peter 1:3-5

Let’s take a look at this week’s passage, with this “already…but not yet” running in the background, and see how it affects our understanding of the passage.

Here is my “dissection” of 1 Peter 1:3-5. Your’s probably looks different, and that is fine. Each of our brain works differently!

God has caused my salvation.

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

This is when justification happened. God, because of His great mercy, began the process of my salvation by declaring me righteous, through the work of Christ.

He is guarding me for salvation.

…who by God’s power [you] are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5 ESV)

My all-powerful Savior and Creator is bringing to completion what He started, and His Spirit is in me carrying out this work. I am being sanctified to become more and more like Jesus. I am already righteous in the sight of God, but I live in this sinful body, with my sinful tendencies and I must fight against it every day.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
(1 Peter 2:2 ESV)

Just like the good momma who guards a toddler as they stumble their way toward figuring out how to walk, God is guarding me as I learn to put feet to my faith and “grow up into salvation”.

God has secured my future salvation.

…to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…(1 Peter 1:4 ESV)

Glorification awaits me. I have a living hope in a very certain future with God.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
(Philippians 1:6 ESV)

This hope is not a “I hope it doesn’t rain!” or “I hope my son will be potty trained by the fall!” This is a confident expectation that what is promised will happen.

The Great Rescue Plan

God has set into motion a rescue plan in my life. I have been saved from the penalty of my sin and have been declared righteous before God. Positionally, in the eyes of God, I am saved.

You are too, friend.

But, I have a long way to go in my journey of becoming more like Christ. God has left me on this earth for a purpose, as I prepare for my eternal destination, and He is sustaining me throughout the journey.

He is sustaining you, as well.

So, yes, I have already been “given the job” and a great and glorious future awaits me…but my “start date” is not yet here and I don’t know when it will be. I am to walk by faith that it is coming, and grow up into the salvation that I have been given while I wait.

Let’s be ready for when He calls, ladies!

What did you learn in your studies this week?

Comments

  1. It is always humbling to be reminded that it is by HIS GREAT MERCY that I am SAVED.  (v. 3).  I know it, but I mean when it really sinks in, I’m just humbled and broken by it.  He set the standard of perfection and when I couldn’t meet it, He did not lower the standard but provided the perfect Measure for the standard in Jesus Christ.

    I love the phrase (NLT) “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power” (v 5). While his power is limitless and his protection is perfect, as I read this, it became crystal clear to me that my faith in Him is what limits or erupts the strength of his power and protection in my life.  His protection and power in my life are in direct proportion to my self-reliance and independence.  More of Him, less of me.  More of me, less of Him…

    I was really excited to read verse 5.  When I looked at the Greek translation of several words (from the KJV), I was just really moved by how God has always had a plan and it has never wavered. 
    Salvation (soteria) means safety or rescue.
    Revealed (apokalypto) means to take off the cover.
    On the last time (eschatos kairos) means final opportunity.

    It’s not just about God rescuing ME from the end, but even in this wording, it states how He will reveal his rescue during the final opportunity for others to put faith in Him.  I think it’s really easy to say “Lord, come quickly” but He is always saying, “I want to give everyone a FINAL OPPORTUNITY to come to salvation.”  Just another evidence to me of his grace, mercy, and compassion.

    • “He set the standard of perfection and when I couldn’t meet it, He did
      not lower the standard but provided the perfect Measure for the standard
      in Jesus Christ.”
      That is a great way to put it! He is our Standard…in all ways :0).

  2. I LOVED looking up words in Greek. (Thanks to my Hubby who has Logos!) Imperishable = Incorruptibility. Not only is our inheritance imperishable it is incorruptible! Salvation = Strength. Our salvation gives us strength to do His work. (Philippians 4:13).   

  3. Lots of times when I read scripture, I do not take the time to cross-reference verses like we did on Day 1. This was a great way for me to begin “digging in” to these verses and making connections with a bigger picture. How wonderful is it to know that God has reserved a place just for me that will never perish, spoil or fade!

  4. So blessed to have found this study! I was praying to learn how to study on my own more effectively this summer..and God led me to this study.  I have been thinking of a couple of things this week:

    1. 1 Peter was written to the dispersed Jews that had lost family (perhaps their earthly inheritance) and security, etc. as they left their homes due to persecution and were living as literal strangers in foreign lands.  Thinking about Peter’s encouragement of God’s unperishable inheritance and their new family they were born into, put this passage into perspective, especially when reading the rest of the chapter.

    2.  In v. 5 The Greek word for kept (guarded) “phroureo” meant to be a watcher in advance- to mount guard as a sentinal.  I have thought much about God being my Sentinal this week. I was at the zoo and watching the meerkats and my friend was looking for the sentinal who kept watch while the other meerkats worked away.  It provided a visual picture of God keeping watch over me.  My question I have been pondering is “Keeping watch from what? and Why?”  Knowing He is all-powerful against anything that would come against me, that He is shielding me until the coming of salvation is my living hope and comfort, no matter the questions.

  5. It is indeed clear in 1 Peter that we do not earn salvation. It is only by God’s “great mercy” that we have been saved. It is true that God is our “sentinel” as Pamela so poetically pointed out. Yet, it is also clear in 1 Peter that we can (and many do) reject the salvation that God has prepared for us. He is a watchful guard, but He will not force us to stay up and watch with Him (remember Gethsemane?). This is why Peter warns us about sinful behaviors in the same passages that speak of salvation. If we who have the Gospel choose sin, we choose to reject salvation. Indeed, the Bible says “be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

  6. Oh Logos, I sure wish I had that! Over the past few years I have periodically made it a point to utilize the Greek or Hebrew Interlinear that gives the literal translation of the Greek or Hebrew, and I always gain a new perspective when I look verses up and discover the full meaning and implication of the words in the original language. So glad that is a part of this study.

    I also like the consideration of the overall historical and cultural context of the book, timing of the book, why it was written, to whom it was written, and I try to keep all that in mind as I read the pronouns in the verses…pronouns like we or you. When we understand the passage from the context of who it was intended for, then we can evaluate what parts apply to us too.

    I can’t agree more, it can be very dangerous to immediately jump to interpretation and application wihout checking out the rest!

    Thank you Katie for your leadership and inspiration!! And your little people are so cute 🙂 

    • ”
      When we understand the passage from the context of who it was intended for, then we can evaluate what parts apply to us too.”

      Exactly! Thanks for sharing, Jacque!

  7. I looked up the Greek words for our verses this week and found myself more drawn to the adjectives of what we are to put away and what we are instructed to do. I was unable to figure out 2 of them and would love some help with their meaning and what I might have done wrong in not being able to figure it out.

    “envy” in verse 1:  I just kept getting the same word “envy”

    “respect” in verse 2: brought me to the translation “Eis” and called it a preposition

    In looking at the verb tenses and how it would change the meaning, I felt that it reads that I am not yet there and I am a work in progress.  To make the verbs past tense would speak to that it’s already accomplished and I know for me it is not. I have a long way to go with “putting aside” these things and “longing” for the word of God in a way that I desire to.

    Thanks for the help!

    • Hi Tara! I don’t think you did anything wrong! Sometimes there is added meaning we can get from the original language, and sometimes it means just what we think it means. 🙂 This is the case with envy. 

      I am not seeing “respect” in the versions I’ve looked at. Where is it used in vs. 2?

      Great observations about the verb tenses! 

      • Thanks for the response Katie and the information.  So, if we look up the word in Greek or Hebrew and follow it as far as the word of origin, is this the end point of finding a word meaning? In the case of envy, when it gave the word itself as a definition, do I just rely on a dictionary(like Merriam-Webster) definition for the word? Just want to be sure that’s as far as I should exhaust it.

        I realized that “respect” got in there from my personal notes and not the scripture itself.  Sorry about that, thanks for pointing that out 🙂 and all of your great insight!

  8. When searching for commands in this portion of scripture I was reminded of the old movie “The Karate Kid”. Mr. Miyagi is trying to get a point across to the “kid”…”Wax on…wax off…wax on…wax off…”. God desires us to not just put off malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander. He wants us to put on pure spiritual milk. Take off what is corrupt, put on what is perfect. Only by replacing the negative with the positive will real growth occur.
    “That by it you may grow up into salvation”.
    Hmm? Would you all say by “growth” this means we will mature in our salvation until our glorification? Thinking hard on this.

    • ”
      Take off what is corrupt, put on what is perfect”
      So hard to do, but exactly what the command is! Though, the more we “put on” and allow the Spirit to do His work to change us, it becomes a bit easier to “put off” through His working. 

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  9. Reading this passage is very enlightening.  I like lists and Peter gives us a great one here. Slander is such an ugly thing. Worse than gossip if you ask me…not to God as He does not differentiate sins. But slander is so mean. To say unkind words with the intention of hurting others. Oftentimes a gossip is just not thinking when they speak…but a slanderer has a goal to hurt. i think of all the middle school kids that suffer at the hand of a slanderer. I mean, we all can suffer at any age. But that age is so vulnerable. So much is being molded. So much to overcome already. I believe these words are a challenge to parents to be sure to teach children not just to avoid unkind words, but to know why we need to consider the preciousness of others you know? Just some thoughts that came to mind as I did my study today. Hope it is as gorgeous where you all are as it is here in NE PA! Have a blessed Lord’s Day!

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