Salvation unto New Jerusalem (1)

Ephesians 2:5 proclaims that God, “even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” This salvation is secure and eternal, yet this is only the first step in our full experience of salvation.

In this stage God justified us through the redemption of Christ (Rom. 3:24-26) and regenerated us in our spirit with His life by His Spirit (John 3:3-6). Thus we received God’s eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9) and His eternal life (John 3:15) and became His children (John 1:12-13), who shall not perish forever (John 10:28-29). This initial salvation has saved us from God’s condemnation and from eternal perdition (John 3:18, 16).*

First Peter 1:3 speaks of our regeneration through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the life core of our initial salvation. This is “unto an inheritance” (v. 4), and we “are being guarded by the power of God through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.” This consummation of God’s full salvation includes our glorification and our participation in New Jerusalem.

The apostle Paul wrote Philippians more than twenty years after his initial salvation. At that time he was not merely waiting for the Lord Jesus to return but rather was pursuing, pressing forward, to experience and gain more of Jesus Christ as his full salvation. He should be an example to encourage us to press onward unto New Jerusalem as the fulfillment of our salvation.

* This is from footnote 5 on 1 Peter 1:5 in the The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003.  A New Testament of this Bible, with outlines for each book, 9000 footnotes, 13,000 cross references, and other study aids, is available in multiple languages for free from Bibles for America, Bibles for Canada, Bibles for Europe.

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Posted by Don on August 20, 2025

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