“Who
Has Saved Us And Called Us To A Holy Life” (2 Timothy 1:9 NIV)
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Paul mentioned that he was suffering for the gospel (1:8) and, in verses 9-10,
summarized some important points of the gospel. Continuing from verse 8,
"relying on the power of God," Paul writes that God saved us.
Salvation forms the core of the gospel, the Good News. There would be no gospel
without the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for our sins so that we could be
"saved."
Moreover, God called us with a holy calling:
·
"And we know that all things work
together for good to . . . the called. . . ." (Romans 8:28 NKJV)
·
"Moreover, whom He predestined, these He
also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified,
these He also glorified." (Romans 8:30 NKJV)
·
"God is faithful, by whom you were
called into the fellowship of His son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV)
·
"I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ. . . ."
(Galatians 1:6 NRSV)
·
"I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been
called." (Ephesians
4:1 NRSV)
·
"Urging and encouraging you and pleading
that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and
glory." (1
Thessalonians 2:12 NRSV)
Why
did God save us and call us?
His purpose in salvation was to redeem people for
himself—people who lived to glorify him. He saves people from sin and
calls them to holiness. Each believer is called to a holy life.
Holy living seeks God's view instead of the self-centered view. Holiness
expects to find God involved in every facet of life. Holiness consistently
turns away from self-pleasing answers in order to please God. As opposed to the
pagans who often tried to please their gods through good works or
self-abasement, believers can live truly holy lives because holiness is not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was
given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. NKJV
Salvation
and holiness relies on the Giver alone, not on the receiver. We cannot live holy
lives according to our works: "For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them"
(Ephesians
2:8-10 NKJV).
Our works cannot save us nor empower us to please God with
our lives. Instead, our salvation and holiness occur because of God's purpose
and grace (see Titus
3:4). God's sovereign choice alone, through his planned purpose and his
astounding grace, allowed sinners to receive salvation and the right to stand
holy before him. Everything fits into the framework of God's sovereignty. We
create neither the opportunity nor the possibility of our salvation. God
graciously allows us to simply respond to his plan.
Salvation was given to us in Christ Jesus. We are
saved only because of Jesus' death on the cross in our place. Only because he
took the punishment, we deserved does God offer salvation and holiness. Jesus
said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me" (John 14:6 NKJV).
This incredible offer to human beings did not occur as God
saw the world spin out of control; rather, it was planned before time began,
or literally "before time eternal." God's sovereignty extends from
eternity to eternity, enveloping the history of humanity. God knew that people
would require a Savior, and from the beginning, he planned to give his only
Son. "From everlasting to everlasting, You are God" (Psalm 90:2 NKJV).
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LIFE APPLICATION: UNDESERVING
God loves us, called us, and sent Christ to die for us. We
can have eternal life through faith in him because he broke the power of death
with his resurrection. We do not deserve to be saved, but God offers us
salvation anyway. What we must do is believe in him and accept his offer.
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Bruce B. Barton, David R. Veerman, Neil Wilson, Life
Application Bible Commentary – 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, (Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale, 1993), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "2 TIMOTHY 1".
"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to
build theirs."
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