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 37 of 37

CONCLUSION

We are not in heaven yet! However, we can live with a firm persuasion that when we are "absent from the body," we will be "present with the Lord" (2 Cor 5:8). We are not in heaven yet! But we can live with the full assurance that our God is able to keep us "from falling," and present us "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). We are not in heaven yet! But our faith can rejoice in the Divine affirmation, "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). We are not in heaven yet! But for those who receive the reconciliation, there is a firm persuasion "that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38-39).

The purpose of this series has not been to produce doubt, or cause those who are trusting in the Lord with all of their heart to live in fear of being rejected. Living by faith is living with your spiritual eyes wide open. It is being sensitive to the real situation, which includes both jeopardy and safety, opposition and peace, warfare and or resting. Believers must not allow their religion to anesthetize them. They are not in heaven yet! That does not mean they are not safe, but they still need not fight. It does not mean they have no security, but they still must be vigilant. There is no need for protection where there is no threat. There is no need for being kept, if there is no danger of falling. There is no need for a greater One within if there is no adversary without. We are not in heaven yet.

The life of faith is one of great sobriety. Our adversary the devil, walks about "As a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." He is to be resisted, "steadfast in the faith" (1 Pet 5:8-9). Those in Christ are engaged in a fierce struggle "against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph 6:12). We also carry about in our own members corrupt desires that must be "put to death" (Col 3:5). There is also "another law" in our own persons that "wars against" the law of our mind" (Rom 7:23). We have been given "ears to hear," and are summoned by the King Himself to "Hear!" (Matt 11:15).

There is no theological position that can lessen these circumstances, or move them into an area of unimportance and general irrelevance. True spiritual life, however, successfully addresses these conditions. Faith makes the individual equal to all of the challenges created by that faith. As the soul relies implicitly upon the Lord, yielding thankfully to Divine direction, there is absolute safety.

Many who argue vehemently that is it not possible to lose favor with God after gaining it in Christ, are themselves committed believers. We commend them for their faith, and count them as beloved brethren. But we will not allow them to convince us there is no storm, danger, or pitfalls. The very fact that we still REQUIRE an active Savior should forever silence any notions that we are locked into salvation. Words like "vigilant" (1 Pet 5:8), "diligent" (2 Pet 3:14), "run" (Heb 12:1), "wrestle" (Eph 6:12), "fight" (1 Tim 6:12), and "resist" (1 Pet 5:8) are to be taken seriously, and are not to be neutralized. When we hear the admonitions "look" (2 Cor 4:18), "hear" (Heb 3:15), "yield" (Rom 6:19), and "be sober" (1 Thess 5:6), we should vigorously resist any temptation to view them as inconsequential. We are not in heaven yet, and all of these words accentuate that obvious reality.


I would be remiss if I closed this series without offering another word of assurance to those who are engaged in the good fight of faith. It is a promise given to those who quench not the Spirit, refuse to despise the spoken Word, and are testing all things. This is a marvelous word to all who are holding fast to that which is good, and abstaining from all appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:19-22). Here is the promise given by the Spirit to such souls.

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess 5:23).

There is a wholeness, or completeness, in salvation that "the very God of peace" will accomplish. You are not in heaven yet, but the work of God is not yet completed. This is a work to which God is dedicated and for which holy men pray. It touches every aspect of our persons: "spirit, soul, and body." The Divine objective is for you to stand at last before the Lord with no defect in any part of your person. The salvation of God is calculated to accomplish this, providing a righteous framework in which the Omnipotent God can work.

His work begins at the heart of your person–your spirit. Here is where the grace of God is granted (Gal 6:18; Philemon 25). This is where the new birth takes place, and you are raised to sit with Christ in the heavenly places. It is where your "heart" is found, and where the Holy Spirit bears witness to you (Rom 8:16). God is making this part wholly for Himself, granting you strength, wisdom, and joy in this most basic part of your person.

The "soul" is also being sanctified by God. This is the expressive part of your person, including thoughts, rationality, decisions, and emotion. It is capable of descending into the depths, or rising into the heights. It needs to be sanctified by God and diligently kept by you (Lk 21:19). The working of the Lord will at last yield a soul that is not capable of a deviate thought, corrupt emotion, or incorrect decision. If you keep the faith, God will sanctify your soul "wholly."

The "body," which is the outward extremity of your person, is also being sanctified by God. It is obvious that it remains recalcitrant while we are in this world, laden with lusts, and in need of the strictest control. Now we keep under our bodies, bringing them into subjection (1 Cor 9:27). Now, our body is "vile" (Phil 3:21), and a "body of this death" (Rom 7:24). It is the source of humility and shame, and is consistently wayward. But it will not always be so! Our great God will at last wholly sanctify the body. We will be given a "glorious body," like unto that of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:21). When we see Jesus as He is, in all of his resplendent glory, "we will be like Him" (1 John 3:2). It will be a holy and pure body, with no defect and no downward pull.

Dear believer, you have every reason to be optimistic in the good fight of faith. All of heaven is for you, and God is working in you, "both to will and to do of His own good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). Set your face toward heaven, looking to Jesus, and run the race that is set before you with endurance. You are not in heaven yet, but it will not be long, and you will be!

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for revealing the nature of spiritual life. I praise Your name for revealing Yourself, Your Son, and Your purpose. I believe You will do what You have promised. Therefore I pledge myself to resist anything and any one who competes with you and what you are doing.

-- Tomorrow: IT IS THE LORD! --
-- Monday, New series: The Whole Armor of God --