Transformative Salvation: Embracing Life in Christ
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound concept of spiritual formation and its integral role in our salvation. Spiritual formation is not merely a Christian issue but a universal human problem: how do we become good people? This question is crucial in a world where malice and anger often dominate human relationships. The essence of salvation is not just about securing a place in heaven after death but involves the holistic transformation of our entire being—body, mind, and soul—into the likeness of Christ. Salvation is about being caught up in the life that Jesus is living right now on earth, a life that is characterized by love, joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Spirit.
We delved into the idea that salvation is deliverance, not just from guilt but from all forms of bondage, including our wrath and the wrath of others. This deliverance is made possible through the life of Christ in us, which empowers us to live in a way that reflects God's goodness, righteousness, and truth. We are called to redeem our time by bringing every aspect of our lives into alignment with God's purposes. This involves a conscious effort to be thankful for every situation, even those we find challenging, and to seek God's presence in all our endeavors.
The saved life is one devoted to beauty, truth, and goodness, lived in the power of the risen Christ. These elements are where God dwells with us, and they are essential for a vibrant and fulfilling Christian life. Without them, our faith can become dry and disconnected from the reality of God's grandeur. We are reminded that while the cross is necessary to cut off the things that hinder us, we are called to live in the resurrection life with Jesus, where beauty, truth, and goodness are fully realized.
Key Takeaways:
1. Holistic Salvation: Salvation is not just about the afterlife but involves the transformation of our entire being—body, mind, and soul—into the likeness of Christ. This holistic approach ensures that we are prepared to enjoy the fullness of God's presence both now and in eternity. [02:06]
2. Deliverance Through Christ's Life: While Christ's death reconciles us to God, it is His life within us that delivers us from wrath and empowers us to live righteously. This ongoing process of salvation involves being caught up in the life Jesus is living now. [07:34]
3. Redeeming Time: We are called to redeem our time by aligning our daily activities with God's purposes. This involves being thankful for every situation and seeking God's presence in all we do, thus transforming mundane tasks into opportunities for spiritual growth. [12:46]
4. Living in the Fruits of the Spirit: The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, and others—are not abstract concepts but concrete realities that should frame our lives. By focusing on these virtues, we allow God's presence to permeate our daily interactions and decisions. [24:09]
5. Beauty, Truth, and Goodness: A life devoted to beauty, truth, and goodness, in the power of the risen Christ, is essential for a vibrant Christian experience. These elements reflect God's nature and are crucial for a fulfilling spiritual journey. [32:08]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:21] - Introduction to Spiritual Formation
- [01:00] - The Human Problem of Goodness
- [02:06] - How to Save Your Life
- [03:22] - The Question of Heaven
- [04:12] - Spiritual Formation Defined
- [05:23] - Romans 5: Salvation and Wrath
- [07:34] - Saved by Christ's Life
- [09:12] - Salvation as Deliverance
- [11:17] - Ephesians 5: Walking as Children of Light
- [12:46] - Redeeming the Time
- [15:34] - How to Redeem Your Time
- [18:11] - Thankfulness in All Things
- [21:11] - Paul's Advice from Prison
- [24:09] - The Fruits of the Spirit
- [32:08] - The Saved Life: Beauty, Truth, and Goodness
- [34:30] - Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Romans 5:8-10 - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"
2. Ephesians 5:8-9 - "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)."
3. Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to Romans 5, what are we saved from through Christ's life, and how does this differ from being saved by His death? [07:34]
2. In Ephesians 5, what are the characteristics of living as "children of light"? [11:31]
3. How does Philippians 4:8 describe the things we should focus our minds on, and why might this be important for spiritual formation? [22:04]
4. What examples from the sermon illustrate the concept of redeeming time in our daily lives? [12:46]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the sermon define salvation beyond the traditional view of securing a place in heaven? What implications does this have for our daily lives? [02:06]
2. What does it mean to be "caught up in the life that Jesus is now living on earth," and how can this understanding of salvation impact our spiritual growth? [08:10]
3. How can the fruits of the Spirit, as mentioned in the sermon, be seen as concrete realities rather than abstract concepts? [24:09]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that beauty, truth, and goodness are essential for a vibrant Christian life? [32:08]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current understanding of salvation. How does the idea of holistic salvation challenge or affirm your beliefs? What steps can you take to embrace this holistic view in your life? [02:06]
2. Consider a situation in your life where you struggle with wrath, either your own or someone else's. How can Christ's life within you help deliver you from this wrath? [07:34]
3. Identify a daily task or routine that feels mundane. How can you redeem this time by aligning it with God's purposes and being thankful for it? [12:46]
4. Choose one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit to focus on this week. What specific action can you take to cultivate it in your interactions with others? [24:09]
5. Reflect on the presence of beauty, truth, and goodness in your life. How can you actively seek these elements in your daily experiences to enhance your spiritual journey? [32:08]
6. Think of a recent challenge or difficult situation. How can you practice thankfulness in this context, and what impact might this have on your spiritual growth? [17:05]
7. How can you incorporate the practice of focusing on what is true, noble, and praiseworthy into your daily routine, as suggested in Philippians 4:8? [22:04]
Devotional
I'm ready to provide the 5-day devotional based on the steps outlined. Here it is:
Day 1: Holistic Transformation into Christ's Likeness
Salvation is not merely about the afterlife; it is a comprehensive transformation of our entire being—body, mind, and soul—into the likeness of Christ. This transformation is essential for experiencing the fullness of God's presence both now and in eternity. It involves a deep, ongoing process where every aspect of our lives is aligned with the character and teachings of Jesus. By embracing this holistic approach, we prepare ourselves to live a life that reflects God's love and grace in every situation. [02:06]
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." (2 Peter 1:5-7, ESV)
Reflection: What specific area of your life—body, mind, or soul—needs transformation to better reflect Christ's likeness today?
Day 2: Living in the Power of Christ's Life
While Christ's death reconciles us to God, it is His life within us that delivers us from wrath and empowers us to live righteously. This ongoing process of salvation involves being caught up in the life Jesus is living now, characterized by love, joy, and peace. By allowing Christ's life to dwell within us, we are equipped to overcome personal and external challenges, living in a way that mirrors God's goodness and truth. [07:34]
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you invite Christ's life to empower you in a specific challenge you are facing today?
Day 3: Aligning Daily Life with God's Purposes
We are called to redeem our time by aligning our daily activities with God's purposes. This involves being thankful for every situation and seeking God's presence in all we do, transforming mundane tasks into opportunities for spiritual growth. By consciously bringing every aspect of our lives into alignment with God's will, we can experience a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. [12:46]
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV)
Reflection: What is one daily activity you can intentionally align with God's purposes today, and how will you do it?
Day 4: Manifesting the Fruits of the Spirit
The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, and others—are not abstract concepts but concrete realities that should frame our lives. By focusing on these virtues, we allow God's presence to permeate our daily interactions and decisions. Living in the fruits of the Spirit enables us to reflect God's character and positively impact those around us. [24:09]
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)
Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you find most challenging to manifest, and how can you cultivate it in your life today?
Day 5: Embracing Beauty, Truth, and Goodness
A life devoted to beauty, truth, and goodness, in the power of the risen Christ, is essential for a vibrant Christian experience. These elements reflect God's nature and are crucial for a fulfilling spiritual journey. By embracing beauty, truth, and goodness, we create a space where God dwells with us, enriching our faith and deepening our relationship with Him. [32:08]
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8, ESV)
Reflection: How can you intentionally incorporate beauty, truth, and goodness into your daily routine to enhance your spiritual journey?
Quotes
Spiritual formation is the standing human problem of how do you get good people. It isn't just a Christian issue; the Christians have an answer to it, but it's a human problem. And if you look around you, even here on the campus, but if you look beyond that to the world, and you see so many people intent on blowing others up, and you wonder where does all of this come from, and the answer is it comes from the human heart. [00:58:56]
Salvation is being caught up in the life that Jesus is now living on earth. Salvation is being caught up in the life that Jesus is now living. Where is he living his life? Right here. What's his relationship with his life to your life? He lives in you. Your songs all talk about that. We constantly address that issue: Christ in us, the hope of glory. [08:10:00]
The basic idea of salvation in the Bible is deliverance. It isn't just deliverance from guilt but deliverance from all kinds of things. And in the time we have, we can't do a deep philosophical or biblical discussion, but if you just read your scriptures, you'll see salvation is deliverance. It applies even to the stories in the Old Testament. [09:15:12]
You redeem the time when you bring everything that you're living through back into the flow of God's purposes, and we've already seen that that concerns all goodness, all truth, all righteousness, and the challenge to you and me is to be active in bringing everything that fills our time back into God's time and make it count for him. [14:16:00]
You redeem your time by making sure that your gentle but persistent focus is on all goodness and righteousness and truth. So now, let's think about that. What's your next assignment? Well, you know. Don't tell me. I don't need to know. You know what your next assignment is. Maybe you have to read a book or you have to write a theme of some sort. [15:34:00]
You start by being thankful. So, your test that's coming over the hill or your next paper that you have to write and get in, or your next interview with a professor or someone else, start by being thankful. Thank you, Lord, for this test. Can you say that? Can we say that together? Thank you, Lord, for this test. Thank you for this exam. [16:32:00]
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness. Now, here, I hope you're thinking already, oh, he's not talking about an abstraction. You know, you're not talking about having a wonderful feeling of love. You know, he's talking about loving things. The fruit of the Spirit is love, and he can help you love that test. [29:04:00]
Joy is not just kind of effervescent stuff, so you have a lot of people who get addicted to joy, that is, they want the feeling, but joy is a condition of life. It has some feeling with it, but it can be there when you don't even have the feeling. If you go for the feeling, you'll fall into addiction. [29:36:00]
The fruit of the Spirit is concrete reality. Love, joy, peace. I'm at peace with you. I don't just have peace. I'm at peace with you. I'm at peace with those who are around me. Maybe they're my enemies, but I am at peace with them even though they aren't at peace with me. Right? That make any sense at all to you? [30:38:00]
What is the saved life? What is the saved life? It is a life devoted to beauty, truth, and goodness in the power of the risen and living Christ who is with you in all you do. Beauty, truth, and goodness are where God concretely dwells with us in our life. How much beauty is in your life? [32:08:00]
If your salvation does not include living with God in beauty, truth, and goodness, it's going to be a very dry hall, and so much of our difficulty today for Christians in this world and for the world without a vital Christianity in its midst, so much of the problem comes from having a Christ who has no association with beauty, maybe not even truth, and not goodness. [34:30:00]
The cross is necessary, but you do not live there. You live in resurrection life with Jesus. The cross is there to cut off all of the things in our life that would keep us from the life of beauty, truth, and goodness. Beauty, truth, and goodness without Christ is a wretched failing human substitute for the life we are meant to have. [35:00:00]
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