Because of man’s sin-nature, we could never be in the company of a perfect God. How could a chosen humanity overcome this flaw? There is no possible way, unless God could somehow make believers pure and holy. Here is where belief and grace become inseparable partners. Since belief is the most valuable commodity to God, He figured out a way before time began to use belief to overcome our sin-nature. If a person wholeheartedly believes in God’s plan to make him or her perfect, then God would count that belief as righteousness—that is grace at its highest level.
That plan was to give His only perfect son (God with a human nature) in marriage (figuratively speaking: the closest bond possible where all parties become one) to a believing humanity. It certainly would be a disgrace if God allowed His son into His presence but rejected His bride. In return, through belief, the bride (genuine Christian) must promise to continually aim in the direction of living up to the status of her bridegroom, even though the complete transformation will not take place in this life.
That transformation is the Christian life which God will bring to completion in His presence. It is not merely the transformation process in this life that is of value to God, but one’s coinciding belief in God’s ability to perform what He has said. Though this principle is simple in theory, it is extremely challenging, to say the least, to believe and especially implement.
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