Definitive transformation of sinners through the redeeming love of God
God does everything with a purpose in mind. He has a reason for what he does. He is not some blind force doing random things. When God created the heavens and the earth, he had an ultimate function for all of his creation. Isaiah 45:18c tells us that God created the earth “to be inhabited.” God’s supreme creation on earth was the human race. God created us in his image and likeness. He made us spiritual beings with a physical body and a soul. Our spiritual being is in the image and likeness of God. This has not elevated us to the level of gods. We are subject to God and his ways. There is only one God in the universe. David, in Psalm 8:4-8, tells us that we are capable of fellowship with God, we are a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor, given dominion on earth. God’s original creation was regenerative rather than degenerate. He was created to live forever. Nothing died. God created everything fully functional. He created the human race as male and female. He established the marriage of one man and one woman for life. Before the flood, all the land mass was in one place and the seas covered the rest of the land.
What we have today are the desolate remains of the earth after the flood. Something happened that turned the fertility of the land into desolation. We now live in a fallen civilization. Death and pain came to our land as a result of rebellion against God. The devil, in the form of a beautiful creature, tricked Adam and Eve into rebelling against God. They went against God’s simple command to them. God told them that if they ate a certain fruit they would die. They ate it and brought death to our planet. This act of disobedience separated us from God. He established Satan as ruler over us. Satan is referred to as the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.”
This did not take God by surprise. He had a plan to restore the human race to his original plan. God’s redemptive plan began before the foundation of the world. It was announced to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15 and is in operation until Jesus establishes the earth to his original greatness at his second coming. It operates in three stages. We are free from the guilt of sin when we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ. We are free from the power of sin when we are totally sanctified. We are free from the presence of sin when we are glorified at the second coming of Jesus.
In the first work of God’s grace we are freed from the guilt of the sins we have committed. These are acts of sin against the laws of God. We are justified as a result of Jesus paying the price for our deliverance. Jesus gave his life for us. At this moment we are made “a new creation in Christ Jesus.” Our fellowship with God is restored. We are adopted into the family of God. We are made part of the body of Christ which is the Church. Our names are written in the Book of Life. All our past sins are forgiven. We receive the Holy Spirit.
In God’s second work of grace, we are freed from the power of sin that we inherited from Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. The carnal nature is destroyed. We are crucified in Christ Jesus so that we can live the life of faith and love. God’s love is spread throughout our being by the Holy Spirit. We are free to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We live in the Holy Spirit. We are walking in the light. Our relationships with God and with others improve a lot. The Holy Spirit receives us.
In the third work of God’s grace we are freed from the presence of sin when we are glorified at the second coming of Jesus. All sin is removed from the earth. The devil and his followers are thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone. The land is restored to a regenerative land again. Pain and death are removed. A new heaven and earth is established with justice and holiness as “the law of the land.” Jesus will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. All God’s people will serve one another. This state of God’s grace is called Heaven.
In each stage or work of God’s grace, He does a perfect work. The first stage is to lead us out of the dark night of sin into the glorious light of God. He takes us out of the hand of the devil and humbles us under the mighty hand of God. The second work of God’s grace is to perfect our love for God and for others. We are enabled to live “soberly, justly in this present world.” The fruit of God’s Holy Spirit abounds in every area of our life. The third stage of God’s grace leads us to a land of eternal bliss in Christ Jesus. We are given a glorified body. We are given a place to serve God and others. The first work of God’s grace is given to those who repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their personal Savior. The second work of God’s grace is given to the redeemed who have consecrated themselves to God and accept His cleansing and renewal by the Holy Spirit. The third work of God’s grace is for those who have prepared to meet God in the first two works. This is the ultimate transformation of God.