Established in Christ by God
Let me begin with a question. Do you know with certainty that you are saved from your sins, and you will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord? God wants all of us to have that certainty. (II Corinthians 1:21,22) The apostle Paul explains that we are established in Christ, so we need to make sure we understand and have that assurance of salvation.
When God establishes us, it means He has given us a firm foundation in Christ, so that we will not be moved or separated from Him. Then, we have the Holy Spirit given to us, and we are anointed by the Spirit. This is the presence and power of the Spirit in our lives, which enables us to see changes in our lives that can only be explained by the presence of God. He seals us by the Spirit, too. Just like a slave would have a mark or a seal to show who his owner was, we have the Spirit, as the mark of Jesus being our Lord, so we belong to God. Finally, the Spirit is a guarantee of our inheritance in Christ. He is the down payment of God into our lives that guarantees God will take us to heaven and give us the full inheritance in the end.
Therefore, once we trust Christ, and we have the Spirit in our lives, we are established in Christ forever, and we should not have any doubts about it. His presence will be obvious, as will His power.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 2-5.
When God establishes us, it means He has given us a firm foundation in Christ, so that we will not be moved or separated from Him. Then, we have the Holy Spirit given to us, and we are anointed by the Spirit. This is the presence and power of the Spirit in our lives, which enables us to see changes in our lives that can only be explained by the presence of God. He seals us by the Spirit, too. Just like a slave would have a mark or a seal to show who his owner was, we have the Spirit, as the mark of Jesus being our Lord, so we belong to God. Finally, the Spirit is a guarantee of our inheritance in Christ. He is the down payment of God into our lives that guarantees God will take us to heaven and give us the full inheritance in the end.
Therefore, once we trust Christ, and we have the Spirit in our lives, we are established in Christ forever, and we should not have any doubts about it. His presence will be obvious, as will His power.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 2-5.