Our Present Salvation

The gift of salvation that we received when we put our faith and trust in Christ was not an end, but the beginning of preparing for eternal life with Christ. We are promised new bodies, a new heaven and earth. There is still soul-work to be done; by the Holy Spirit and by us. We must do our soul-work and allow the Holy Spirit to do His, to become like Christ, as we wait for His return; to make us complete. [Phil 3:10-21]

The work the Holy Spirit does:

· Enables - He enables us to lead holy lives, dedicated to God’s service and enables us to become like Christ. [Romans 8:15]

· Teaches & Guides – He guides us in truth, convicts us and reveals God’s will for our lives. He shows us God’s will, but we must act upon it. [John 14:26,16:13]

o The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and reminds us of the forgiveness we have through Jesus Christ [John 16:7-11], [Eph 1:17-18]

o He assures us of who we are in Christ and the promise of eternal life [Titus 3:5-7], [1John 4:13]

· Renews – He cleans and renews our minds; something only He can do. [Titus 3:5-6]

o The Holy Spirit cleans us and fills us with the Fruit of the Spirit [Gal 5;22-25]

· Comforts - The Holy Spirit is the one who comforts, advises and strengthens us, drawing us closer to Christ [John 14:16-17]

· Intercedes - The Holy Spirit goes to God on our behalf during prayer. He helps us present our request, urgent needs and thanksgivings. [Galatians 4:6] [Romans 8: 26,27]

The work we need to do:

· Soul searching – Identify the areas in our lives that are not of Christ.

· Surrendering – Acknowledge (own) those areas, ask forgiveness and help to remove them from our lives.

o Allow that God knows what is best for lives [Prov 3:5-6] [Isa 46:10] [Jer 29:11]

§ Let him know that we depend on him to help us become like Christ (to remove, clean and fill those areas) [Psalm 143:10], [Romans 12:2]

o Act on the Holy Spirit’s direction [Isa 30: 21]

§ Ask God to change our hearts (desires) and minds to reflect His heart in these areas, then act

o When it comes to making a decision – Do what we know Jesus would do; if we don’t know, we should pray and ask for help. [Psalm 119:30, 73] [Josh 24:15]

o Call sin “sin” and confess, allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse us. [1 John 1:8-10]

· Keep the faith – Removing old habits or ignoring the way of the world is not always easy. We have to hold on to the promise that God give us “to complete the work he has started in us”. No matter how frustrated, tired, disappointed, or hurt we are, we must continue to believe in God’s love, trust in His strength, and move toward the life that Christ wants us to lead. [2 Cor 4:16]

o Keep our mind focused on the things of God. [Romans 8:5-14]

· Keep doing God’s work – There may be times when we feel that we are not changing fast enough to do God’s work. Don’t be fooled, this feeling is not from God. He already planned what we are to do (just as we are). We must press on, praying, confessing and struggle against what’s norm for us; relying on the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. [1 Cor 15:58],[Eph 2:10], [Rom 2:7, 12:12]