Having discovered the transformative power of the Gospel and the path to salvation, you may now be wondering, 'What comes next?' Embracing the Gospel is just the beginning of a remarkable journey with Christ. This journey unfolds through three profound stages that deepen your relationship with God and reshape your life: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.

Justification is the first step where you experience deliverance from the penalty of sin. It's where God, in His infinite grace, declares you righteous through faith in Christ as your atoning sacrifice. This is not just a legal declaration but a profound transformation of your status before God.

Sanctification follows. When you rely on Christ as your Savior, God puts your sin to His account, and His righteousness to your account (2 Corinthians 5:21). In Christ, you have a standing of sinless perfection with God. You are clothed in His righteousness. This is your position of sanctification "in Christ".

In your daily experience, sanctification is a lifelong process where  God calls on you to walk worthy of your position in Christ (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; Philippians 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:12).  At the moment you trust Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells and seals you (Ephesians 1:13). He places you into Christ's death to sin and resurrection to newness of life (Romans 6:1-4). This frees you from the obligation to sin (Romans 7:1-6), and empowers you to yield your members as instruments of righteousness to God. You're progressively delivered from the power of sin, as you know your position in Christ's death to sin and resurrection to newness of life, count it to be true, and then yield yourself to God by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's in this stage that your daily life is continuously transformed, growing in holiness and becoming more like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2).

In the fullness of God's redemptive plan, the believer is promised a glorious future, a culmination of faith and hope in the presence of the Lord Himself. This future, often referred to as glorification, encompasses the total redemption of our beings—body, soul, and spirit. At the heart of this promise is the transformation of our mortal bodies into glorified ones, mirroring the resurrection body of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20-21). This isn't merely an upgrade of our physical selves but a profound change, where the perishable dons imperishability, and the mortal puts on immortality, fully liberated from sin and its consequences (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 52-54). Imagine stepping into eternity free from pain, suffering, and the very concept of death, fully embodying the life Jesus secured for us through His resurrection. Beyond this physical transformation, there's the indescribable joy of dwelling with Christ in the Father's house, as promised in John 14:2-3. This isn't just a future hope but a guaranteed inheritance, where each believer is welcomed into a place prepared specifically for them, an eternal home marked by intimacy with God and unbroken fellowship with Him.

Moreover, the Scriptures paint a vivid picture of the eternal state in Revelation 21-22, where the believer's experience in glory is detailed with breathtaking imagery. Here, we find a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, making way for the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God (Revelation 21:1-2). This place is characterized by the direct presence of God, where He dwells with His people, wiping away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more (Revelation 21:3-4). There will be no more mourning, crying, or pain, for the former things have passed away. The river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the city, and the tree of life yields its fruit each month, its leaves serving for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:1-2). Here, the curse is no more; the throne of God and of the Lamb is in the city, and His servants will worship Him, seeing His face, and His name will be on their foreheads, forever reigning with Him (Revelation 22:3-5). This eternal state is not just a promise of a place but of a new reality—where the fullness of God's glory is revealed and experienced, where we are fully known and fully love, eternally enjoying and glorifying God in perfect harmony.

Each of these stages is a vital part of your walk with Christ and holds deep significance in understanding the full scope of what it means to be saved. To explore these concepts further and to understand how each uniquely contributes to your spiritual growth, please follow the links below. They will guide you into a deeper understanding of the extraordinary benefits that come with being united with Christ in salvation.

To learn more about justification, sanctification, and glorification, see the links below.