And, this is also the way I believe-------though I’m definitely not trying to “indoctrinate” anyone.

I believe God’s plan for us has three stages.

And, in my life, it took a long time before this was “explained” and I could therefore research it scripturally, and understand it. But, it is “so liberating” for me personally, to know my eternal position in Him is secure---that I wish to share it with you, because I continue to sin,----though I strive against it,------and so many denominations or sects then indicate that “our salvation” is in jeopardy---thus keeping us in bondage to our sins, and our flesh. (And thus, totally insecure as to our eternal state or position in Him, which is not God’s plan or will for His children and heirs.) Hopefully, as in anything I write as this, it will stimulate your own thoughts and study----and give you more peace and security, and that will motivate you to strive to walk closer to Him more, and thus reflect His Son in our life.

First, God has a plan for each of us.

But when we are “saved” as in my own case, no one ever explained it in a way that I could understand-----“the stages” of His plan, and in a way that really allowed me to understand my own life “positionally as well as practically.”

Hopefully this will also illuminate something for you.

First, that God has a plan for us: Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” ****an expected end, means there is a plan.

NAS version states the same verse: “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

And in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) Paul says: “And the very peace of God sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

To me, that means “His plan” is to “sanctify us.”

Then, what is “sanctification?”

Sanctification means to be “set aside” or “set apart.” (Those called for a “special purpose.” We become “saints” in Him.)

Now the fact that everyone who receives God’s salvation through the grace of Jesus Christ, by faith, becomes a “saint” to some is “confusing.” And the reason for that may mean because we “think of a saint” by the “a church’s, or a denomination’s “worldly definition”----of “how we perceive someone lives their life”------instead of “the scripture’s definition.” (And we must be very careful to not let “tradition” over ride the “word of God as found in the Bible.)

So, lets look at just a couple of verses on this: Romans 1:7 wherein Paul was writing to the Christian brothers and sisters in Rome: “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Isn’t that clear to you, that if you are a “believer” then you are also a saint!)

And, lets look at 1 Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:” (Again, now written to a different locale, but to everyone “called by the Lord to believe in Jesus Christ.)

Sainthood does not imply sinless! It is a “state of grace” positionally of us being “in Christ.” If we are “sanctified” then we are “saints of God” positionally.

Now to the “meat” of this: There are 3 stages of “sanctification:”

1. Our salvation,

2. Our Progression,

3. Our Glorification

Stages of Sanctification

1. Our salvation, which is “all of God, and nothing of us.” In that I mean God does the “calling,” “the convicting” and the “redeeming” to “reconcile us to Himself, and the “giving of His salvation” through the “completed work” of our Lord Jesus Christ who paid our “sin debt” in full at the Cross. Nothing we do, or can do is of any merit in this. It is all of Him, therefore, it is called “being saved by grace.” (And, no one “seeks God,” therefore it must be “all of Him.” Romans 3:10-11 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.)

He initiates it----He convicts us of our lost position, and of our sins against Him, We repent and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He gives us His salvation. Then, we are “reborn” a new creature in Him spiritually. (And once saved we are always saved!)

Now, lets briefly look at our life before “salvation.” Positionally, Ephesians 2:1-3 (KJV) “And you he hath quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (That was or is all of us who have not been saved!)

Romans 5:10 says it: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (So, before we accepted His Salvation, we were “enemies of God!”)

NOW------ONCE SAVED-----AND RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST------POSITIONALLY, WE ARE: First and foremost, we are “no longer condemned” and “under judgment for our sins: Romans 8:1 There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (This is huge, we are no longer slaves to our sins. He has freed us-----He redeemed us from our sins, and reconciled us to the Father forever!)

Next, positionally, we are set apart as saints. Romans 1:7 wherein Paul was writing to the Christian brothers and sisters in Rome: “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” And: 1 Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:” (enlarged and made bold by me)

We are now “saints” positionally in Christ. God looks upon us a “saints” sanctified and set apart to Him. That is “instantaneous” when we “receive our salvation by and from Christ!

Does that mean we no longer sin, or that we “lead a totally holy life? NO!

2. Our Progression Stage (in Him.) This is “our walk,” our daily life here on earth after we are saved. (And in this stage, it is “me with Him.” Stage one was “all Him.” This stage is “together with Him.”)

We instantly become a “work in progress!”-----until the day we die, or the day He comes again to call us to Himself in the clouds----which I believe is the “rapture of the saints.” But, we will still sin. Look at 1 John 1:8-10: (KJV) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

So, it is a “progressive stage” our life here on earth: I can “backslide” or sin, or fall back in my life, but I cannot lose the salvation given to me by Him. Now, by “experience, I should learn, and strive to walk closer with Him, and in Him. I am not to take any of this as a “license to sin against Him.” He is our role model, and we are to “reflect Him in us.”

To support this, look at Romans 12:1-2 (KJV) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (See, “by the renewing of your mind”-----that is an ongoing process that calls for us to “renew our minds” as we “walk and grow” in Him.)

He wants us to “strive to be obedient to Him.” Lets look at 1 Peter 1:14 (KJV): “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according the former lusts in your ignorance.” (See, a progressive stage---beginning like children.)

He wants us to “desire” the milk of the word-----where we learn about Him and about “our relationship to and with Him” as revealed by Him to His creation. 1 Peter 2:2 (KJV) “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (Growth also indicates a progression.)

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in your will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (A progression until Christ comes for us.)

Philippians 2:12 (KJV) and to some, this is a confusing passage: “Whereby, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Herein “salvation with fear and trembling” is not referring to “Our Salvation” as we stated in Stage 1. Our “salvation” eternally is decided the minute we accept Jesus Christ, and cannot be undone. Here, our “salvation” is “our walk,” our “communion, ” our daily life in Him. Here Paul was referring to “the salvation of a problem that had broken out in the church at Philippi.” And to “work it out with all the stress it presented.” So, again, showing that there will be tough times in our walk and our communion with the Lord, as we “learn obedience” and come to “know Him better” and as “He fashions us in the fires of life” to be closer to Christ in spirit and action.”)

Ephesians 4:1 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (He wants us to strive to be worthy, a reflection of Christ.”)

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed until the day of redemption.” (First and foremost, by God’s Holy Spirit, which indwelled us the instant we were saved, we are “sealed until the day of redemption!” Second, you cannot “grieve” someone who does not love you!!)

II Peter 3:18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen. (Growth is progressive.)

I Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and please God, so ye would abound more and more.

So, we are a “progressive work in Christ” for all our life here on earth.

3. Our Glorification Stage: This will happen at our death here on earth, or the “rapture” whichever comes first. This again is all done “by Him” and we have nothing to do with it.

I Thessalonians 4:13-17: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

WOW, That says it all!

I Corinthians 15:52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (We must all be glorified, and given an immortal body. Praise the Lord!)

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it stimulates your thoughts and study.

Bill Watts

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GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

There are a few things that those who have recently come to our country,and apparently some native Americans, need to understand.

First of all, it is not our responsibility to continually try not to offend you in any way.This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.

As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language, and our own lifestyle. This culture, called the "American Way" has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

Our forefathers fought, bled, and died at places such as Bunker Hill, Antietam, San Juan, Iwo Jima, Normandy, Korea, Vietnam...

We speak English, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language.

Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society - learn our language!"

In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some off-the-wall, Christian, Right Wing, political slogan - it is our national motto. It is engraved in stone in the House of Representatives in our Capitol and it is printed on our currency. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation and this is clearly documented throughout our history.

If it is appropriate for our motto to be inscribed in the halls of our highest level of Government, then it is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.

God is in our pledge, our National Anthem, nearly every patriotic song, and in our founding documents. We honor His birth, death, and resurrection as holidays, and we turn to Him in prayer in times of crisis. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture and we are proud to have Him.

We are proud of our heritage and those who have so honorably defended our freedoms. We celebrate Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Flag Day. We have parades, picnics, and barbecues where we proudly wave our flag.

As an American, I have the right to wave my flag, sing my national anthem, quote my national motto, and cite my pledge whenever and wherever I choose.

If the Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.

The American culture is our way of life, our heritage, and we are proud of it.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. Like it or not, this is our country, our land, and our lifestyle.

Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion about our government, culture, or society, and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom: THE RIGHT TO LEAVE!

Another thing: To those who do complain about the usage of words like 'God' and 'American' and speaking the language of our great nation, TRY GOING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AND SPEAK AGAINST WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE. YOU WILL MORE THAN LIKELY END UP JAILED OR EVEN KILLED.

In America, you take your right to complain for granted.

The more patriotism that is removed from where our children are taught, the less our children will learn about what it is to be an American and our nation's spirit will slowly be killed.

Keep patriotism alive.

It is time to take a stand!! God Bless America and our Military and Veterans!!!