Colossians 2:13-15, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 8:28-30, 1 John 3:2-3
There is an old saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The meaning of this highlights the special nature of actually holding a bird as compared to just seeing them sitting in a tree. There are actually two instances where I held birds that came down the chimney of my wood stove. One was a duck that scared the living daylights out of me when I went to start a fire. Then in a different house, there were two birds that decided to make a similar journey down the chimney. Comedy would probably best describe me chasing and attempting to capture the birds. I remember asking myself, “Are they really worth saving?” Thankfully, in the end, I was able to watch each of them fly away. Perhaps they were thankful they did not have to pay the price of their mistake. Perhaps they were thankful to be released from the power of the stove that trapped them. Or perhaps they were just thankful to be away from my terrifying presence. For us, salvation is much the same and should lead to a similar response. At salvation God justifies those who believe by faith so they no longer have to pay the price for sin all because of what Christ did on the cross. The believer is released from the power of sin over their life to live a sanctified life being transformed daily by the Holy Spirit. The future is filled with the certain hope of heaven, being free from the presence of sin, and having the process of sanctification finally completed. What glory! Justification, sanctification and glorification form the framework of God’s past, present and future work of salvation for the believer. Our response like the birds is thankfulness for the transformation and freedom of a new life.
For more see QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
There is an old saying, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The meaning of this highlights the special nature of actually holding a bird as compared to just seeing them sitting in a tree. There are actually two instances where I held birds that came down the chimney of my wood stove. One was a duck that scared the living daylights out of me when I went to start a fire. Then in a different house, there were two birds that decided to make a similar journey down the chimney. Comedy would probably best describe me chasing and attempting to capture the birds. I remember asking myself, “Are they really worth saving?” Thankfully, in the end, I was able to watch each of them fly away. Perhaps they were thankful they did not have to pay the price of their mistake. Perhaps they were thankful to be released from the power of the stove that trapped them. Or perhaps they were just thankful to be away from my terrifying presence. For us, salvation is much the same and should lead to a similar response. At salvation God justifies those who believe by faith so they no longer have to pay the price for sin all because of what Christ did on the cross. The believer is released from the power of sin over their life to live a sanctified life being transformed daily by the Holy Spirit. The future is filled with the certain hope of heaven, being free from the presence of sin, and having the process of sanctification finally completed. What glory! Justification, sanctification and glorification form the framework of God’s past, present and future work of salvation for the believer. Our response like the birds is thankfulness for the transformation and freedom of a new life.
For more see QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
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