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 16 of 37

KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 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 Peter 1:3-5).

The glory and effectiveness of God's great salvation are unexcelled. Nothing about salvation is automatic. Every aspect of it is strictly managed by God. Our text affirms this to be true. The children of God are elected, or chosen, by God. That choice is not made according to their works, but according to His foreknowledge, or "determinate counsel" (Acts 2:23). That determination is facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who "sanctifies," or sets apart the elected ones. He does it by convincing them of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11). He also brings about the new birth (John 3:6,8). Our text states the objective of that sanctification which is "obedience" on our part, and the "sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" on heaven's part. This is a lofty view of our salvation, and serves to undergird our faith.

These affirmations are beyond the circumference of man's wisdom. Therefore, it should not surprise us if there are facets of them we cannot fully comprehend. All of them, however, are within the range of faith, and can be perceived, grasped, and enjoyed by the believer. They can yield confidence and assurance, and fuel hope until it blazes with a God-honoring glory.

While the first expressions deal with Divine intent, the next declare the experience of them. Those who are in Christ Jesus have been "begotten,' or given new birth, by the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is, it is His relation to the Son that has caused the begetting, and not His relation to us. The begetting was accomplished through His "abundant mercy," and not by a mere fiat, or powerful word. God's nature is integral to our salvation. It is something He desired and determined to do. The new birth is possible only through "the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," and is in order to a living and dominating hope. The aim is to bring us to an incorruptible inheritance that is undefiled, is not fading in its glory, and is "reserved in heaven" for us.

Thusfar, the involvements of our salvation include God the Father, His foreknowledge and election, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It includes our sanctification, obedience, being sprinkled with Jesus' blood, and new birth. We come under the powerful influence of a living hope and have an unfading inheritance reserved in heaven for us. Intense activity is in all of these involvements. None of the stated objectives were, or will be, realized apart from some form of expression. The fundamental work belongs to God, and without that, nothing would be accomplished.

The text states the CAUSE of our salvation (God's foreknowledge and election, the resurrection of Jesus, and the sanctification of the Spirit), its INCEPTION (obedience and the new birth), its intention (a living hope), and its CONCLUSION (an incorruptible inheritance). But what about the present? It should be obvious that something must be required to bring us to the realization of Divine appointments. What a sweet elixir for the soul to hear, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

The fulness of salvation has neither been experienced nor revealed–but it is "ready to be revealed." What is more, we cannot simply drift into that inheritance, but must be "kept," or protected and shielded from the eroding influences of this world. Further, that keeping must be accomplished by "the power of God," which testifies to the greatness of the opposition aligned against us. It is presumptuous to take this keeping for granted. Faith moves us to aggressively seek to obtain it, sparing no effort as we are energized by the Holy Spirit. The keeping power of God is not a theological tenet, but a reality faith can grasp, and which brings stability to the soul.

How marvelous to consider the keeping power of God! Every believer can confess with the psalmist, "My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand" (Psa 121:2-5). The Aaronic blessing is brought to its apex in Jesus: "The LORD bless you and KEEP you" (Num 6:24). We can even be "kept from the hour of temptation" (Rev 3:10), and keep "from falling" Jude 24). There is no question about God's will to keep us, or His commitment to do so. There certainly is no question about His ability to do so either.

Our text reveals the MEANS God uses to keep us. It is not by a secret determination, but "through faith." The Lord used means to beget us, and he uses means to keep us. He used means to sanctify us, and He uses means to keep us. The means of begetting us was "the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." The means of sanctifying us was "the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." The means by which we are kept by the power of God is faith. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, we could not have been begotten. If Jesus' blood had not been offered, we could not have been sanctified. Where faith is not found, men cannot be kept. God always uses means–His own appointed means.

For this reason it is written, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5). That faith is the channel through which God's keeping power is realized. If men "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits," they also depart from the keeping power of God, for we are "kept by the power of God through faith."

God keeps men through the "substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). The persuasion of faith is itself the guarantee of being kept. God has made no committal to keep those who do not believe, or do not have faith. Further, faith is never taken for granted in God's Word. We are informed that God will try, or test, our faith, as He did with Abraham (Gen 22:1-15; 1 Pet James 1:5; 1 Pet 1:7). We are also exhorted "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?; unless indeed you are disqualified" (2 Cor 13:5).

And how ought such a teaching to influence us? Rest assured, it should not provoke questions or theological wrangling. Rather, it should move us to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12), and "continue in the faith," as godly men have exhorted (Acts 14:22; Col 1:23). It should challenge us to "stand fast in the faith" (1 Cor 16:13), and be "established in the faith" (Col 2:7). If you keep the faith, you WILL be kept by the power of God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus name I confess I want to be kept by Your power. I believe Your word, that You will keep me through faith. I therefore confess, Lord, I believe! Help Thou mine unbelief!

-- Tomorrow: MAKING YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE --