Some Comments on Salvation

by Matthew

Some comments on the Bluecollar blog:

Author in bold.

Susan: I have to wonder - without Christian growth or sanctification, what's the point?

Matthew: Susan, the point of Christian growth is that we become ever more closely united to God in Christ, submerging our humanity into His divine energy. And the glorious future for us is to share in Christ's sovereign rule over the universe as celestial beings.

We are created in Christ to be a new kind of divinized humanity.

Mark: Matthew, Please take us through, point by point, with scripture what it is you are saying here...

Matthew: "submerging our humanity into His divine energy."

We posess eternal life. Our eternal life is the life of God, His energy outworked in the love and grace of creation and redemption.

That divine energy was eternally shared between the members of the Triune Godhead before the creation. As redeemed sinners, we now share in that divine life through grace.

We participate in the divine life. We are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

1 John
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3 that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

This divine life is perfect holiness and righteousness.

It is unfortunate that our righteousness is seen by many as simply a right legal standing.

Rather in Christ we share in God's vital holiness. Through our union with Christ we are holy as He is:

2 Corinthians 5
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Phillipians 3
9 and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:


This is not just a matter of justification, but sanctification too. In Christ we are 100% sanctified when we receive that gift of eternal life. By faith we can enter into the reality of that perfect holiness and experience the heavenly life that we are created in Christ to experience.

Ephesians 4
24 and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Romans 6
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Galatians 5
16 ¶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 ¶ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Living this life is a life of abundance and leads to ever deeper and more intimate union with God in Christ:

John 10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.


John 14
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

1 John 3
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

"And the glorious future for us is to share in Christ's sovereign rule over the universe as celestial beings."

The faithful Christian is to share in Christ's rule:

2 Timothy
12 if we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
if we deny him, he also will deny us:

When our Lord has put down the kingdoms of this world, He shall reign with His saints. They share in His glorious position.

"We are created in Christ to be a new kind of divinized humanity."

The Christian is a new man, a new creation. His position is wholly heavenly, of the next world, not this one.

Positionally, we are blessed with Christ in heaven and seated with Him (Ephesians 1:3, 2:6).

In our resurrction, we shall be like Him, sons of glory, with bodies of a spiritual nature (! Cor 15:39-51).

We are a celestial aristocracy. Though we as earthly men are a little lower than the angels, in Christ we are raised to the heights of the universe and if we are faithful, we shall be raised yet further into the divine glory.