What comes after salvation?

The two termini of a Christian's course are here marked as the results of this interposition of God in grace, namely, salvation and glory. The Christian's path, I repeat it, is here shewn to lie between the starting-point, which is salvation, and the goal, which is glory. Grace and glory are inseparable. Conduct, exercise of heart, trial, conflict, service, lie between these two points, and in God's estimate take their character from them; but the salvation was accomplished alone by Christ's appearing in grace - for "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." And the glory will be accomplished, alone, by Christ's appearing in glory. This is what the passage states. "The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." It then adds, "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Intermediately it tells us that the grace, which brings salvation, teaches us, "that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world"; while in verse 14, we have the constraining motive to holiness in the end for which Christ gave Himself for us. "Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Let it not be supposed from the gospel preached — of salvation entirely through what Christ had done — that when these hearers were born again, were saved, were justified for ever from all things, that they were not then taught to walk as children of God. No, Paul says: "As ye know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who has called you to his kingdom and glory." As he says elsewhere: "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works," etc. (Titus 3:8.) The order is this: first, the grace of God brings salvation to all men; secondly, this teaches us to lead a holy life; and thirdly, to look for the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord. See Titus 2:11-13. How simple this was in the first years.

Holiness in life is the consequence of salvation. "He hath saved us and called us with a holy calling." "Being made free from sin and become servants to God, we have our fruit unto holiness." I admit that being born of God, and having received Christ as life, the principle of holiness is there; as all human nature is in a child of an hour old, but its conscious development and practical exercise is when the question of justification is settled. Desires there will be before, but ending in sorrow of heart, because the desire is not satisfied, the heart is really under law; we must be holy, we feel, and we are not.

This is most plain and most weighty. It makes it quite plain that the gospel is not intended to be an allowance of sin, but salvation from it. Where really received, it brings a man out of the things it finds him in, and sets him in the way of holiness. As the apostle goes on here: "And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified," etc. And again, as in Titus 2:11-12, "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared, … teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." The grace which saves makes holy.

A familiar passage in Titus declares this clearly: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). The apostle, in exhorting servants to be obedient, to be respectful, not to use their liberty in the house to purloin or steal little trifles, makes it an occasion to speak of this salvation of God and its effects. It is a word to us all, for we are all servants to God, and are to walk here in a way that will glorify God, or, as He says: "Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." For the grace of God that brings salvation also teaches. It cannot teach us what holiness means until it has taught us what salvation is; but when salvation is known, then that grace teaches us to live here soberly as to ourselves, righteously in our relations with others, and godly in our relations with God, and to be looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour. Then, in verse 14, he reminds us of this truth at which we are looking: "Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity" (there are the silver rods), and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." How beautifully the linen curtains thus are suspended from the hooks and rods of silver — from redemption.

It is because the condition of a Christian is perfect sanctification in Christ, that he is exhorted to be holy as God is holy who has thus sanctified him in His Son. Salvation is the end and present hope of the saint who still struggles in the conflict with the powers of darkness. That salvation (1 Peter 1:5) which is a synonym of rest and glory, must not be confounded with the same word as it expresses the standing of the justified believer as already safe. "He has saved us" is the triumphant reason of the hope which looks with patience for its vindication in glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile the daily shortening of the term of patience was to be the still recurring argument of watchfulness and hope. Each daily revolution in the flight of time, while it sealed to their hearts the sweet assurance of the still nearer advent of their salvation and their rest, added another incentive to a yet more earnest zeal. The way of pilgrimage had been long, but they were nearly at its close. With yet more watchful diligence, therefore, had they to cast aside all that which yet remained as a weight or hindrance to their course (Heb. 12:1). They were on the eve of meeting God. They had therefore to put off every defilement contracted by the way, that their entrance into the place of His dwelling might be with readiness and with joy (compare Gen. 35:1-4).

But if it be a denial of all truth to detract from the glory of the Lord by diminishing the weight and measure of His perfect work, then it is a similar contradiction for me to doubt respecting the true nature of my standing as a believer in Him A Christian's faith is, as has been shown already, an effect of His election of God. He is elect by the grace of God, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. The sanctification of the Spirit, begins its effect, according to Divine foreknowledge, from the moment that the mighty hand of God is laid upon the sinner to lead him to Christ. But the purpose and object of this choice of God is salvation (2 Thess. 2:13). Salvation, then, is an end, a result. It is so, but it is God's end; the result of Divine purpose, and the crowning effect of a Divinely finished work. Again, the same witness testifies that it is "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His own mercy He saved us … that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5, 7). The means are stated in the same passage. It is instrumentally "by the laver (loutron) of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." God is thus the operator in the means, as well as the deviser of the purpose. Regeneration is not my work, but God's. The renewing of the Holy Ghost is effected by the abundant shedding forth of that blessed Spirit "through Jesus Christ, our Saviour." That is, the Spirit, which is the vis and potency of effectual work in man, acts thus only in those who already, as born of God, are regenerate; and who, as believing confessors of Jesus Christ, the Lord, already rejoice in Him as a Saviour. But if so, then are they safe. Now may they work. The fear of wrath being replaced by the peace of God, they may well bethink themselves how they may henceforth walk so as to please Him. In a word, the only ground and starting-point which the holy word of God reveals for work in His sight is perfected acceptance in Christ. Where grace is known, work must follow; for faith is a living and an operative thing.*

It is not only that we have been begotten again, but that we receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls. The end of all will be to see Christ and the glory that He has gained for me. He says here, the salvation of the soul, because the question is not of a temporal deliverance, as in the case of the ancient Jews. I see now this glory through a veil, but I long to see myself there. And being now in the trial, I look to Him who is in the glory, and who secures it to me. The gold will be completely purified; but the gold is there; as to me, as to my eternal life, it is the same thing as if I was in the glory. Salvation and glory are not the less certain, though I am in the trial, than if I were already in the rest. And this is practical sanctification: habits, affections, and a walk formed after the life and calling one has received from God.

Let us remember that we were not saved by any meritorious works that we have done, but through the mercy of God. Not only are we saved from judgment, but a new life has been imparted to us, and the Holy Spirit given to us to live this new life. By this new life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are cleansed from the old life with its ignorance, lust, malice, and envy. We are thus washed with the cleansing that will mark the regeneration, when in the days of the Kingdom all will be made new. If we are saved from the world, and cleansed from the old life, it is in view of the glorious inheritance to come, in which eternal life in all its fulness will be enjoyed.

Thus it may be seen that salvation, as Peter was given to view it, is not regarded (as in Eph. 2:8, 2 Tim. 1:9, and Titus 3:5) as complete in Christ, but rather a process going on to the end of the journey through the desert (as also in the Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Philippians, Hebrews, etc.). They are distinct aspects of the truth, and one as true though not so elevated as the other, but both highly important to hold fast and discriminate. For it is our privilege as full-grown, or in that sense "perfect," Christians to enjoy the unclouded certainty and comfort of a salvation so complete, that we are not only quickened together with Christ, but risen together, and seated down together in the heavenlies in Him. For this we must turn to the later Epistles of the apostle Paul. Yet none the less are we, as full grown also, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure, with the prize in view, and at the goal of His coming as Saviour to conform our body of humiliation unto His body of glory (Phil. 2, 3).