Lesson 20: The Present Age - Part 2

What happens when someone trusts in Jesus for salvation? We explore what the Bible says. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, God can declare a believer as righteous. And God births new spiritual life through the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit indwells permanently; and the Holy Spirit seals a believer, guaranteeing eternal life. We then examine why believers still fail, disobey and do evil. That’s because there are three aspects to salvation: there is the one-time justification (saved from the penalty of sin); the on-going sanctification (saved from the power of sin); and the future glorification (saved from the presence of sin). God secures justification and glorification, and while the Holy Spirit leads the sanctification process, it requires the cooperation of the believer. This means the believer can stumble, be disobedient and fail. This is why the Bible talks about being filled with the Spirit, grieving the Holy Spirit and quenching the Holy Spirit. These are all sanctification issues. We also discuss the realities of the church age: how there will be fake believers, failed believers, false teachers and Satan’s continued attacks on the church. So while the “invisible” church is made up of true believers, the “visible church” is a mix of real, false and failed believers, as well as false teachers. That’s why churchgoers often experience a mix of loving people and people who behave in unloving ways. To follow the session, access the notes at https://comeandsee.online/s/Lesson-20-The-Present-Age-Part-2.pdf