The Good Work God Completes in Believers

AMY TURNER

In Philippians 1:6, Paul writes that the Lord will finish the good work He has begun in His people until the day of Christ. This good work is salvation. Salvation is not only a moment in time but a work of God that stretches across all time.

When a person first repents and trusts in Jesus, they are saved from the penalty of sin. The believer is made right with God. But the work does not stop there. The Holy Spirit continues to shape the believer’s life, helping them turn away from sin and grow more like Christ. This present part of salvation is called sanctification.

There is also a future promise. One day, when believers are with Christ forever, they will be completely free from the presence of sin. This final part of salvation is known as glorification.

So salvation is one work of God with three parts: we were saved from the penalty of sin, we are being saved from the power of sin, and we will be saved from the presence of sin. This is the work the Lord will bring to completion.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Ephesians 2:8

The Warning Against a Different Gospel

AMY TURNER

In Galatians 1, Paul speaks strongly to believers who were turning away from the true message of Christ. He tells them they were being drawn to another gospel, which was not the gospel at all. This false message centred on the idea that salvation could come through keeping the law and through human effort.

Paul reminds the church that faith begins with the Spirit, not with the works of the flesh. To return to law-keeping as a way of salvation is to go back to weak and empty things. In chapter 5, he makes it clear that such a path is disobedience to the truth.

The danger in Galatia came from those who insisted that Christians must still follow Jewish laws to be saved. Paul’s teaching is clear: if works are added to grace, then grace is lost. Any message that mixes human effort with God’s free gift of salvation is not the gospel and cannot save.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Ephesians 2:8

Jesus Is the Way the Truth and the Life

AMY TURNER

Jesus is described in many ways throughout the Bible. He is known as Christ, Lord, Saviour, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. He is also called the Alpha and Omega, meaning the beginning and the end. Other names include the son of David, the great king, the lamb of God, and the lion from the tribe of Judah. These titles reflect different parts of who he is and what he came to do.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements that begin with “I am,” where he reveals more about himself. One important statement is found in John 14:6, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus does not just show the way to God. He is the way.

Through Jesus, people can know the truth and receive life that never ends.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

Access to God Comes Through Jesus Christ

FLOYD ROGERS

Everything believers experience in their relationship with God rests on His grace. It is based on His kindness and love that no one can earn. This grace became available because of what happened at the cross. Without the blood of Jesus being poured out for sin, there would be no way to come near to God’s holiness.

Since people are sinful by nature, something needed to change to allow us to be near a holy and perfect God. That change came through Jesus. The Bible teaches that there is only one way to reach the Father, and that is through His Son. Jesus made this possible when He gave His life.

By dying on the cross, Jesus opened the way for people to receive God’s grace, not just for a moment, but for all time. Through Jesus alone, the door to God’s presence and grace is open.

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:5

Jesus’ Promise of Eternal life

FLOYD ROGERS

When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Saviour, something powerful takes place. In that moment, God gives them the gift of eternal life. The Bible clearly teaches this truth in John 10:28, where Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” This promise is not temporary — it is everlasting.

Jesus also assured His followers that though He would leave this world, He would not leave them alone. He promised to return one day, but until then, He would send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence living inside every believer. When someone is saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them, staying by their side and guiding them.

Doesn’t this tell us that the life of the risen and glorified Christ is present in every believer through the Holy Spirit? He will give us strength, comfort, and hope as we walk through life, giving us wisdom through God’s Word and keeping us connected to God’s promises.