Three S’s of the Christian Faith: Salvation, Sanctification and Service

Salvation: We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) in need of a Savior (Romans 6:23, John 3:17). God created a perfect world but the first man and woman disobeyed God bringing sin and death into the world (Romans 5:12). Sin separates us from God – severs our relationship with Him (Isaiah 59:2). Therefore, we need a means of restoring that relationship so that we are not eternally separated from God – we need salvation. It is not possible for men and women to “earn” their salvation (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:11) through religious observance.

Instead, God provided a means of salvation through faith in His only begotten son, Yeshua (Jesus) (Romans 10:9-13). Yeshua came into the world (Matthew 1:23), lived a perfect, sinless life (1 Peter 2:22; 1 ohn3:5; Hebrews 4:15) and died on our behalf – taking on the punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21). If we acknowledge that we are sinful and in need of a savior (1 John 1:9) and then believe in Yeshua as the means for us to obtain forgiveness for our sins (Acts 16:31; Mark 16:16) then we will be “saved” – have our relationship with our heavenaly Father restored (Galatians 3:26; 2 Corinthians 6:18).

Perhaps the most remarkable fact of all is that God did all this for us before we knew Him or loved Him (Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10). God seeks us out (Luke 19:10) and draws us to Himself (John 6:44) even when we are not seeking Him (Romans 3:10-11)!

Sanctification: Salvation is only the beginning of our walk with God. Salvation bring us into relationship with God to enjoy a more abundant life (John 10:10). An abundant life is not one that focuses on our comfort (John16:33) but character. We are to strive to be more like our Father (Matthew 5:48) and our Savior (1 John2:6) so that others will want to have a relationship with them as well. Developing a godly character is the process of sanctification.

Service: An abundant life is also a life of service to God (Ephesians 2:10). Service has a practical component for our present life, e.g. caring for people in need (James 1:27). Service also has a transcendent, spiritual component of sharing our faith with others (Matthew 28:19-20). These elements of service are linked. It has been said, “We do good works, to build good will to share good news.” Since 1865 the motto of the Salvation Army has beautifully capture the balance of the temporal and the spiritual: “a heart to God and a hand to man.”

In the weeks to come we will explore further the concepts of salvation, sanctification and service. They form the core principles of the Christian life. I pray you will take time to read and meditate on the many verses cited above. If you are not a Christian, I pray that God will draw you to Himself and that you will respond and become one of His children. You will begin a life of sanctification and service.