LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Personal Restoration
The restoration of all things, as Acts 3:21 tells us, God will surely bring to pass, for to this end heaven received our Lord Jesus, which was spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets from the beginning. And it will be fulfilled, because it was God who spoke it. But the restoration includes all things, including our personal life. Jesus began this work on the cross of Calvary, where He became the last Adam, crucifying with Him our old man (Rom. 6:6). He forgave our sins by His blood and raised us up with Him, causing us to be born again to a living hope (Eph. 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3).
Drawing a parallel, we see that our personal life accompanies the restoration from the time of the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther to the present day. This work of restoration, consummated by Christ on the cross, begins in us through justification by faith (Rom. 5:1-2).
After Luther we see John Calvin, who brought the Church of our Lord back to the theocentric and Christocentric vision. It is necessary that our vision be changed from man to God; for everything comes from God, from our Father (John 6:44-45).
After John Calvin, in the middle of the 19th century we see the clamor of the church seeking a personal revival for a holy life. And the church was awakened to sanctification by faith. Justification by faith leads to regeneration, and sanctification by faith to a transformation, a renewal by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:11-14).
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, without naming names, we see the Spirit of God now restoring the testimony of glorification by faith, revealing that the work of our Lord, in addition to a personal glory, also brings a collective glory. We were justified, sanctified and glorified in our Lord Jesus Christ on that cross, and now, from faith to faith, the righteousness of God has been revealed to us through the gospel.
Justification by faith brings regeneration; sanctification, transformation; and glorification by faith, transfiguration (2 Cor. 3.18). This is the complete salvation that the Lord accomplished on that cross, comprising our spirit, soul and body.
Glorification by faith culminates our personal glorification with the collective glorification. Christ in us is the hope of glory, but the glory given to us is that we may be one (John 17:22).
If the restoration of the testimony of the Lord through the church has not been a reality in us, we must return to justification by faith, so that from there, our vision may be sanctified. May we advance in our walk and attain by faith the renewal by the Holy Spirit, for a life truly free from sin; serving the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life (Luke 1:74-75).
Glorification by faith, living by faith and in love to grow as a church, will only be possible if our personal life is a reality in regard to justification and sanctification by faith.