Honoring Christ In Our BodiesSample

Renewed

We rest as we are Renewed and transformed by God …

1 Peter 1:3-6 documents one of the most complete portrayals of what salvation is in all the Scripture. Read it:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice …

Salvation is portrayed here as something that is past, present, and future. Notice how it is God’s act of mercy to give us new birth (past). We don’t accept Jesus as Savior. He saves us of his own accord. Notice then, how he gives us an inheritance in the present that is kept in heaven for us. It is amazing, that though we are justified (past) and made right at salvation, that we need moment-by-moment saving in order to stay in step with the inheritance kept in heaven for us. It is equally amazing that we cannot lose salvation by our slip-ups and sin because it’s God’s power that keeps us. Finally, salvation is coming. We are to rejoice in the fact that our true salvation is signed, sealed and delivered, past, present and future.

The above facts are important because it helps us walk out in patience our process of transformation and being renewed. We will make mistakes, we will fail to trust the gospel in our battle with addiction. We may also experience some success in our own strength and then fall back again because we trust our own will power, AGAIN. But in our moment-by-moment journey, we have the hope that God is committed to continually renewing us day-by-day, and that our salvation is not dependent on our work. Our salvation is dependent on all Jesus has already done for us in his works.

Therefore, take hope my brothers and sisters in Christ. Addiction is a real thing, but it is a CYCLE. Each day we may find ourselves needing to walk through the cycle step by step, and others, we may find that we just need to really focus on a specific aspect of the journey in the cycles. We must remember in it all however, that life is a cycle, a journey, and a wild ride. Jesus fills everything, and he is committed to our transformation through the repentance and renewing of our minds.

Visit www.gardencityproject.com/7-cycle for more information. Accompanying this study is over 300-Hours of video footage from 150 of today's top Christian thinkers on culture, creativity, innovation, and invention at www.makejesusculture.com and www.gardencityproject.com. We aim to help churches develop grass roots culture formation for their contexts. Go now!