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“God plays the symphony of our salvation in three movements,” say Philip Graham Ryken and Michael LeFabvre in Our Triune God. Each of these movements is associated with and facilitated by a different Person of the Trinity.
The Father: Salvation originated with the Father. Ephesians 1:3-6 tells how the Father chose us before the foundation of the world, and predetermined our adoption as this children through Jesus Christ. The Father is the administrator of salvation, and he oversees the process from beginning to end.
The Son: Salvation is brought to fruition in the Son. Everything the Father does for our salvation, he does through Christ. The work of the Son means redemption, adoption to the Father, reconciliation, sanctification, and glorification (Ephesians 1:7-12). It operates horizontally as well as vertically, and it is for Jew and Gentile alike. It is through the Son that we achieve salvation and come into full relationship with the triune God.
The Spirit: Salvation is communicated by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit changes us from the inside out, preforming the gracious act of regeneration. With this comes the gift of faith and the spiritual ability to believe in the Resurrection. Through the Holy Spirit, our salvation becomes a present reality, applicable to our lives in our own specific context. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that serves as a seal, establishing us as children of God (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Excerpt modified from of Our Triune God.
How do we know if we love something too much? Where is the line between a healthy enjoyment and an idol? Idolatry is often subtle. It can creep up on us in the form of good desires, like getting married or excelling in the work place. You may have created idols for yourself if:
When good gifts (like marriage, beauty, healing, or money) turn into idols, they become terrible and consuming masters. To destroy these idols, we must put them off by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to give us a deep love for God that drives out all lesser loves and gives us power over our idolatrous desires, in both our thoughts and actions. Through the Holy Spirit, we find contentment.
If we have made an idol out of something good that does not need to be driven from our lives entirely, such as a desire for children, repentance comes in the form of prayer. Stop demanding that God give you children, but rather pray humbly, offering your requests to God but submitting to his all-knowing plan for your life.
Excerpt modified from chapter 4 of The Greener Grass Conspiracy.
If you’re a student or a pastor (or someone who loves to study biblical Greek in general), our new GreekTools module within ESVBible.org is a great and affordable resource for both study and sermon prep.
While logged-in to your ESVBible.org account, simply click on the blue “content +” button at the top of your screen to access a free 30 day trial. If you find GreekTools helpful, be sure to purchase by May 13th before the introductory price of $9.99 moves up to $14.99. To access the discount you’ll need to type www.crossway.org/GRKTLS into your web browser.
Some of you may have already noticed, but the ESV Online is now ESVBible.org. Existing accounts will not be affected at all and your previous bookmarks should redirect until you can update them.
To help welcome first-time visitors to ESVBible.org, we’ve added a landing page introducing many of the Bible resources and tools within, including the new GreekTools. If you’re logged-in to your account, you’ll automatically bypass this page and go directly to the ESVBible.org platform.
Thanks for using ESVBible.org! We look forward to adding more features and content to assist you in your study of God’s Word.
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