God's Spirit at Work

Some of us have had the "joy" of buying a home. The acquisition of a home takes place in stages. When you go to the bank to purchase a home, you exchange money for the title of the property. At that point you certainly own the home. But you don't yet live in the home. You haven't yet begun the work of restoration the home might need. You haven't made it yours.

In a similar way we can think about God's work of salvation. We are made to share in the salvation willed by the Father, purchased by the Son by the working of the Holy Spirit (cf. Titus 3:4-7). Our salvation was planned from eternity past. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; cf. Q/A 20). Salvation is God's plan not ours. Our salvation was accomplished in history. Christ accomplished salvation for God's chosen children by mediating between God and man in the states of both his humiliation and exaltation. Our Salvation Must be Experienced Personally. This is how the creed moves; from objective to subjective. It is by the Spirit that we experience the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting.