Light Dawns

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. (Psalm 112:4, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “Even though [we] walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” (Psalm 23:4, NIV 1984), and that’s as dark as it gets, the “light dawns.” But not for everyone. It dawns only for those who put pace their faith in Jesus. For it is His sacrifice on the cross for our sins that makes us “upright,” which is justification.

But light should not stop at the dawn. It must continue to rise. Turning us into the “gracious and compassionate and righteous,” likeness of Christ, which is sanctification. Ultimately, the light will set when the Lord calls us home, which is glorification.

Justified – a onetime event where we begin the journey of our life in Christ. Not all take the journey, but those who do, start at the same place. By grace through faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV 1984). We aren’t able to obtain it any other way. “Not by works, so that no one can boast,” (Ephesians 2:9, NIV 1984). And we cannot lose it. “I [Jesus] give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one,” (John 10:28-30, NIV, 1984). “Folks, if we could lose our salvation, we would,” (Vodddie Baucham). For we are no more able to keep it by our own efforts than we were able to gain by it our own efforts.

Sanctification – a lifetime process or journey. No one’s journey will be the same, although we have the same ultimate destination. For we will all stumble at various times and places in our journey that will take us off course for a time. Nor will we all travel at the same pace. But, “we are [all] God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV 1984). So, we journey on, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV 1984).

Glorification – an end of our time destination for all who are justified. “Dear friends, now we are children of God [justified], and what we [are becoming – sanctification] has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him [glorified], for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2, NIV 1984).

My Advice – If you have not yet begun the journey, there is no better time to begin than right now. “What must you do to be saved [justified]? Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31, NIV 1984). Yes, it is that simple.

Then what? “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord [by faith], continue to live in him [by faith], rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught [sanctification],” (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV 1984).

And, “He has given us [these] very great and precious promises, so that through them [we] may participate in the divine nature [glorification] and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires,” (2 Peter 1:4, NIV 1984). For one day, we will escape this corrupt world. And if we’ve taken the journey with Him, He promises that we will “participate in the divine nature.” Definitely worth the trip!