JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part VII

Life in Christ Jesus, our Peace

So what are believers in Jesus supposed to do, anyway?

Well, trusting Jesus is more than a one-time decision. It is a change in lifestyle. Some believers call it a "walk," while others call it "living right" or "living holy" or "living saved."

Although I am no expert on this new lifestyle, I would like to offer some Scriptures and some of my thoughts here to help fellow believers, and perhaps clear up some misconceptions about our life in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

We're not saved just to gloat about being saved, nor so that we can be free to sin without guilt. We are to “become the righteousness of God.”

This is not to be confused with earning our own salvation through good works; instead, because we are legally declared righteous before God, we are called to act righteous in our daily lives. One preacher said that we are to "become what we are" in Christ; that is, we should live in a righteous way because God considers us righteous in Christ.

Writing to believers, the Apostle John reminds us of what God has already done and what we are waiting for:

1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now,
and what we will be has not yet appeared;
but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him,
because we shall see Him as He is.

And everyone who thus hopes in Him
purifies himself as He is pure.

This is a wonderful Scripture about why we should live in a new way. We didn't earn our peace with God or eternal life; Jesus purchased them for us. And in what His Son did for us, God showed His love for us.

Notice that God has loved us in this wonderful way: He made us His children through what Jesus did for us. And we are waiting for Jesus to return. We are waiting to "see Him as He is."

On that day, we will be changed. Writing to believers, the Apostle Paul writes below about the resurrection of the dead:

1 Corinthians 15:42-49

So is it with the resurrection of the dead.
What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Thus it is written,
"The first man Adam became a living being;
the last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural,
and then the spiritual.

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;
the second man is from heaven.
As was the man of dust,
so also are those who are of the dust,
and as is the man of heaven,
so also are those who are of heaven.
Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Here, the Apostle Paul lets us know that, someday, we who believe will "bear the image" of Jesus! We'll have resurrection bodies that will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. Then, the Apostle Paul gets more specific about when this will happen:

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

I tell you this, brothers:
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold! I tell you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we shall be changed.

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable,
and this mortal body must put on immortality.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable,
and the mortal puts on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

"Death is swallowed up in victory."

"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

When Jesus returns, believers will inherit our spiritual resurrection bodies. These bodies will be imperishable, like the body of Jesus. If we have died, we will be resurrected. If we are alive, we will be changed. God decided that those who believe in Jesus will be with Him, have immortal, imperishable bodies, and claim victory over death forever. Jesus purchased these gifts for us through His perfect life of obedience, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.

All of this was done by God's grace; we did not earn it. But, since God did this for us, we also have a responsibility to uphold: that is, an obedient lifestyle to our Owner and Master, Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.

For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.

Again, we've done nothing to earn salvation. We've already seen throughout this series that religion, self-effort, moral goodness, or any such things cannot earn us peace with God. Jesus is our only hope to have eternal life and the assurance of an eternity of peace with God and His Son.

While this is all true, the passage above from Ephesians makes clear that we are "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

As far as I understand, the term "good works" refers to things that believers do to benefit others, primarily others who are also saved. It refers to a lifestyle, not just a few scattered acts. Depending on who we are and what situations we find ourselves in, the specific good works will differ from believer to believer, but they share several things in common:

• We can't be saved by doing good works, but since we are saved, we are actually equipped by God to do them as we live this new life.
  
• The passage states that we are the workmanship of God. Therefore, God, working through Jesus, is really doing the work. The credit for our good works does not go to us; all glory goes to God through Jesus Christ.
• God is the One who prepared our good works for us, so we don't need to worry about whether we're capable of living up to God's standards for good works. If He moves us to do them, He also equips us to handle them.
  

Through our good-working, we should remember why we are able to do these good works, and Who we are doing them for. The Apostle Peter writes the following:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action,
and being sober-minded,

set your hope fully on the grace
that will be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children,
do not be conformed to the passions
of your former ignorance,

but as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct,
since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

And if you call on Him as Father
Who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds,
conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
knowing that you were ransomed
from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world
but was made manifest in the last times for your sake,
who through Him are believers in God,
Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.

(1 Peter 1:13-21)

We believe in Jesus; therefore, we believe in God. Let us not lose sight of our Savior as we live to please Him.

One last Scripture before we part for now:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves whoever has been born of Him.

By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and obey His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Who is it that overcomes the world
except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

(1 John 5:1-5)

"The world" refers to the evil environment we live in, which constantly attempts to persuade us to sin. But this Scripture, written by the Apostle John, gives us hope. Through "our faith" in Jesus, you and I are guaranteed to overcome the evil temptations and sinful patterns of the world system. We will prevail, not because we are mighty, but because Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, and the Lord of all, has already overcome the world.

If He wills, we'll conclude this series soon. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

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All emphases are mine.
All Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
All pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized.

For the previous part of this series, go here.
For the final part of this series, go here.
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.