I was reading in the 3rd chapter of Phillipians this evening and in it Paul says some very intriguing things. He asserts that we Christians ought to live up to what we've already have attained - which is citizenship in heaven - even though the resurrection of the body that we all place hope in is still yet future and we have not yet attained it. We are still waiting on our Savior to come and transform us.
The thought struck me that it is needful that our salvation not end with the first act of repentance and reconciliation with God because of what use is a glorified body that is filled with a corrupt spirit ? Justification restores us initially to relationship with God but the process of sanctification restores our spirit to a state that is worthy of that new body that we hope for. The receiving of that body is the final step, the glorification. This is what it means to be saved - to be restored to God's favor and relationship and also restored in body and spirit because of our faith in the power of Jesus Christ to make it happen. Today we have a body and spirit that is decaying and dying but we have the hope of a new body and spirit that is eternal.
We have justification now. If we have repented of sin and put our trust in the Lord then we are justified. That means that in the sight of God, our creator, and his court we have been pardoned with respect to our transgression of his law, the charges have been dropped and we are again restored to citizenship in his kingdom and have a new relationship with him.
Paul says that since we already have this citizenship (though not the final state of it) then we ought to concern ourselves with it and the things that are related to it. Our daily thoughts, goals, expectations, conversation, and so forth ought to be about that and not this flesh life which it is going to replace THAT citizenship and the future it represents is what is important - this flesh life is merely temporary. We should be focusing on growing into that citizenship - what good is an eternal body without a worthy spirit ? We have a pattern which is Christ. He has the kind of spirit that fits a resurrected, eternal body and we need to become like him in order to be worthy of such a thing ourselves.
The things that happen here in the flesh are unimportant to us compared to the things that will matter in the coming kingdom and we ought to be preparing for that age NOW. One of the ways that we do that is by connecting ourselves to the assembly of fellow believers (or church) because in fellowshipping with others we keep our focus on that which is to come. And if our focus is on that coming state, that kingdom which Christ will usher in, then we will be concerned with doing those things which are important to that future kingdom state.
As I worked to wrap my mind around this idea, I thought of this example. Suppose today I own a home in the community called Fleshville, a run down, poverty stricken area. My house is falling apart, the neighborhood is deteriorating and there is just one problem after another. Being offered a new home in a new neighborhood called Heavensgate, I agree and sign a contract. Once I sign that contract for a new home in Heavensgate then my concern is no longer with the old house in the old neighborhood because I'm not planning to stay. I do the bare minimum there because it's unimportant - all my plans and hopes and dreams are involved in the new house. I spend my time, my money and my attention on it. Does it need furniture ? I plan for it and arrange to buy it and have it delivered after I move in. Does it need grass planted ? I'm on it. No longer do I plan for or dream about the old house because it doesn't matter. The place that I am leaving is no longer important but the place that I expect to move to becomes my new focus.
That's how it is for Christians, we're moving to a new neighborhood. We've become citizens of a new city and we've got a contract on a new and beautiful home that is so much better than the one that we have now. Moving day has not yet arrived but we await it with excitement and it has all of our attention. Everything we do is focused on it and not on what we are leaving. This flesh world is not our home !
The power of effecting that future state of resurrection, to make it happen, comes from Christ - it is he that will bring about our move from the flesh to that glorious state. This is why our hope is in Christ and that future resurrection and all our attention is on it.
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