Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
In this present dispensation of the grace of God, we can rejoice in our position in Christ which is afforded us through the Gospel of Christ. Our position in Christ is not a work in progress based upon our performance such as maintaining a level of obedience to the law, or keeping the faith, or praying, or any activity that is often associated with what people think or believe is required for being a Christian, on the contrary, we are complete in Christ by simply trusting what Christ did to save our never dying souls.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The absolute best explanation of the salvation transaction is contained in one scripture, demonstrating the steps necessary to be saved. We are saved by God's grace through faith, and the object of our faith is the gospel of the grace of God.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Let's break that down:
- You hear the gospel of your salvation
- You believe the gospel
- You are sealed with the holy Spirit of promise
- You trust Christ
It can't be any clearer than that! When you are saved, you are sealed, you are complete in Christ! What could you possibly add to anything that God has declared to be complete? I submit if you think you can or must add to the finished work of Jesus Christ to be saved, you have not trusted in the gospel, rather you are trusting in what you must do to complete the transaction, therefore, making the cross of Christ of none effect. It can be as subtle as asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins, asking Jesus into your heart by praying a prayer, water baptism to seal the deal, joining a church, whatever it may be, it is an offence to the gospel and should be avoided. Place your faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and God will count your faith as righteousness and place you in His body, complete in Christ and sealed unto the day of redemption!
The Gospel of Christ, the gospel of the grace of God, the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery can only be found in the writings of the apostle Paul for us in this present dispensation of the grace of God. It is only through the Apostle Paul can we find the "gospel of our salvation" as stated in Ephesians 1:13. I submit to you, the Gospel!
1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
There it is, the gospel of "your" salvation. You can search the scriptures from beginning to end and the only place you will find the gospel that saves your never dying soul in this present dispensation of the grace of God is in the writings of our Apostle. Paul was saved in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts when he was on the road to Damascus. His first message was given in the 13th chapter of Acts wherein he said...
Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
That was something new! Justification by simply believing, no works, no law. The apostle Peter said something completely different in Acts 2 and 3 when he said.....
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Don't let the word "remission" get away from you in the above scripture. Remission is not the same as forgiveness. If you or someone you know has cancer in remission, the cancer is not gone but will have to be dealt with a a latter time. Peter explains it better in the 3rd chapter when he says....
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Did you see it? Israel's sins will be dealt with when Christ returns in the times of restitution, which is when Christ returns to establish His kingdom on this earth. Let's look at what Paul tells us about our position in Christ in regards to our sins in Colossians 2:13....
Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Our sins are forgiven, Israel's sins are in remission. Two different words, two different meanings, with two different results. This clearly demonstrates how the apostle Paul could say what he said in Romans 5:11....
Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
We have now received the atonement is what Israel cannot say until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth when He sets up His kingdom. Peter eluded to this when he wrote to the little flock of Israel in 1st Peter 1:13....
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Clearly, we in this present dispensation of the grace of God do not have to hope to the end for the grace of God to be brought unto us, we have a present possession of the atonement therefore we joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are complete in Christ!!
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
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