WE ARE NOT IN HEAVEN YET

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-13)

Devotion 9 of 37

FIRST FRUITS = NOT FULLY SAVED

Admittedly, the expression "not fully saved" is a bit clumsy. First, let me clarify what I do NOT mean by these words. I do not mean our sins are not fully remitted, or that we are not fully accepted in the Beloved (Eph 1:6). I do not mean our names are not written in heaven, or that we remain in a state of condemnation. There is no deficiency in what we have received from Christ, no inadequacy in the grace of God, and no reason to be unsure that God is for us.

I Do mean that what God has intended for us is not yet fully realized. We have not yet entered fully into His presence, nor have we obtained the prize. We have not yet attained, are not yet perfect, and have not yet apprehended. We still require the intercession of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26), the intercession of the Lord Jesus (Heb 7:25), and the working of God within (Phil 2:12-13). There is still a battle to be fought by us, armor to be put on by us, and a prize to be won by us.

THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. What we DO have is the "first fruits of the Spirit," a sampling, so to speak, of what is to come. The Word of God says it this way. " For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom 8:22-23). Our bodies are targeted for redemption, but are presently in a corrupt state. They are a source of conflict and discontent, being "vile" (Phil 1:20) and corruptible (1 Cor 15:53). As long as we are in these bodies, our capacities are limited. Thus, we have received the "first fruits" of the Spirit. This does not mean we have a small measure of the Spirit, for God has poured Him out on us "abundantly" (Tit 3:5-6). It DOES mean more–much more–is to come. That will be realized after we are free from the "body of this death" (Rom 7:24).

THE EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is also referred to as "the earnest of our inheritance" (Eph 1:14). "Earnest" means pledge or guarantee–similar to putting down earnest money when a house is purchased. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a "seal," denoting that we belong to the Lord. Notwithstanding, it is written, "Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor 1:21-22). Those with the "earnest" of their inheritance must not consider the whole of it to be in their possession. Rather, they press toward the mark to obtain the fulness of what is "reserved in heaven" for them (1 Pet 1:4). The "earnest" they possess is both real and effectual, but is not the entirety of harvest.

OUR SALVATION IS NEARER. The Holy Spirit recognizes the partial nature of our present experience of salvation, and therefore speaks of the future. We are in the land of jeopardy, where sleep is lethal, and idleness is fatal. In this world, we can be disqualified from the race (1 Cor 9:27), cheated of our reward (Col 2:18), and deceived from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 11:3). Men can make shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim 1:19), be turned out of the way (Heb 12:13), and revert to a state that is worse than before they came to Christ (2 Pet 2:20). Thus it is written, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Rom 13:11-12). By saying "our salvation is nearer," the Word does not mean we have nothing now. Rather, it means that the fulness of salvation is nearer–the completeness of what God has begun in us. Let no person conduct himself as though he had the whole of salvation now. Rather, let us thrust from us everything that is of the darkness, and cannot be transported into the glory.

SALVATION READY TO BE REVEALED. The salvation that grace brings to us (Tit 2:11) has not yet been fully known or realized. It is ready for us, but we are being readied for it. That is why it is written, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet 1:3-5). Through our faith and Christ's resurrection, we have been begotten to receive a lively, or dominating, hope. The very concept of hope involves waiting for something that is coming–something that is not presently possessed in its fulness (Rom 8:24-25). The totality of our inheritance is presently "reserved in heaven" for us. Although our outward man is perishing (2 C or 4:16), our inheritance is not fading. However, our present condition is so tenuous that we must be "kept by the power of God" until we receive our inheritance. That keeping power is not independent of our own involvement, for we are "kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH."

WE SHALL BE SAVED. Believers are told they WILL be saved, even though they are already in Christ, justified, and reconciled to God. Their salvation still depends upon Divine activity, which is dependent upon our faith. Thus it is written, "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we SHALL BE SAVED from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED by His life" (Rom 5:9-10). The required activity ("through Him" and "by His life") refers to the intercession of Christ, something that is indispensable to our salvation. Jesus does not assume we are already in heaven, and thus He makes intercession for us. What must be said of the one who supposes the work is already finished? And if your salvation requires further activity on Christ's part, is it not a bit presumptuous to assume it requires none on your part?

When Israel came out of Egypt, God delivered them. But that did not mean there was nothing for them to do. The night of their departure was filled with intense activity–things they had to do, and upon which their deliverance depended. When they came to Canaan, God gave them the land, but that did not mean there was nothing for them to do. They had to cross Jordan at flood tide, walk around the walls, and overthrow the city. As long as there was an enemy, they could not rest! They could not imagine they were in the promised land the moment they left the precincts of Egypt.

And, we are not in heaven yet. There is a part of us that is not yet saved. We are waiting with great expectation for the redemption of that part of us, engaging in the good fight of faith while we wait. But we will not discard our armor, cease to be vigilant, or go to sleep. When the fulness of our salvation comes–and it is nearer than when we first believed–we must be ready.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, deliver me from any notion that there is nothing more for me to do.

-- Tomorrow: DANGER = LIABILITY --