The Redeemers Return

Our salvation will not be complete until the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the New Testament "salvation" is threefold in its scope -- past, present, and future; and it is threefold in its character -- from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and from the presence of sin. The penalty of sin is "death" (separation from God), and we are delivered from it because our Substitute died for us on the Cross -- "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet.2:24). But while every believer has been completely and eternally saved from the penalty of sin -- from the wrath to come -- while it is true that there is no sin ON us (all our iniquities were "laid" on Christ -- Is.53:6), yet, sin is still IN us. The evil nature remains even in the one who has been born again. Yet, notwithstanding this, Christ also indwells each of His own people and from Him may be drawn grace and strength and thus, day by day, we are being saved from the power of sin. But we shall yet be saved from the very presence of sin -- "For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil.3:20, 21). At our Lord's return we shall be completely emancipated from the dominion and pollution of sin. It was this the apostle Paul had before him when he wrote -- "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly -- completely, i.e. in each part of our threefold being -- and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto (at) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess.5:23).

We have thus shown that our salvation will not be consummated until the Return of our blessed Saviour, that not until then shall we be completely "conformed" to the image of God's Son (Rom.8:29). It is not until Christ's second advent that the purpose of our predestination will be fully realized, for it is not until then we shall be "glorified" (Rom.8:30). If then salvation is by grace and if Christ is our Saviour- our Saviour from the presence of sin as well as from its penalty and power -- then our own works (our obedience, faithfulness, service, etc.) are not the determining factor, nor even a contributing factor. Salvation is not partly of grace and partly of works, if it were we should have ground for "boasting" and Christ would be robbed of at least a part of His glory. Once we see that the time of our Lord's Return is the time when our salvation is consummated, and once we see that salvation is by grace, through faith, and not of works, then it will be clear that it cannot, in anywise, be determined by our personal worthiness.