From Wrath to Resurrection

Question: Do I actually belong to Him

Answer: Yes, through Jesus, God has made me His child and welcomed me into His family.

For all who are in Christ, adoption means that God has done more than simply forgive our sins - He has brought us into His family and given us a new identity as His children. Through Jesus, we have not only been rescued from punishment, but we get to experience God as our loving Father. Our belonging is not based on our performance, achievements, or ability to earn His love, but on the finished work of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit applying that work to our lives. As Paul writes, “And you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:15 CSB). We are not outsiders or strangers, we are sons and daughters, invited to live in God’s story by knowing Jesus and loving all people! 

Question: How do I know the gospel is secure?

Answer: By faith, I am united to Christ and can never be separated from Him.

I know the gospel is secure because my salvation rests on the finished work of Jesus, not on my performance. We do not have to question our status before God, He has finished the work on our behalf. As Paul declares, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, CSB), and later, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39, CSB). The security of the gospel is not found in my ability to hold on to Jesus but in His unfailing ability to hold on to me. We can rest confidently in His finished work because, by faith, His righteousness is our righteousness.

Question: Do I have the power to change?

Answer: Yes, through the Holy Spirit, God is making me more like Jesus every day.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I have the power to change! The gospel is not only God's rescue from the penalty of sin; it is also His ongoing work of transforming me into the likeness of Jesus. God has given me His Spirit to empower me to grow in holiness, walk in obedience, and love like Christ. As Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB). God is faithfully at work in me, for “it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13, CSB). Because of Jesus, I am no longer defined by who I once was. He has made me new! Through the Spirit's power, I am being transformed as I know Jesus more deeply, live in authentic community, and participate in God's story by loving all people for His glory.

Question: Has Christ actually won

Answer: Yes, Jesus defeated sin, Satan, and death, and He will make all things new.

Through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, Jesus has defeated sin, death, and Satan once and for all. His victory is complete, and one day every part of creation will fully experience the reign of King Jesus. Because Christ is victorious, we do not live in fear or uncertainty but with confident hope, knowing that nothing can overcome His kingdom or separate us from His love. As Paul declares, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:57, CSB). Jesus proclaimed the results of His victory in Matthew 28:18, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Because Christ has won, we are invited to live in His victory today - and one day we will experience the fullness of that victory through eternal life with Him.