Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Salvation is a journey, and in preparing for a journey, the traveler must be aware of two things. The starting point of the journey and the destination. Knowing the starting point gives you an idea of how long the journey would last. Knowing the destination helps you measure where you are at every point in time.
Based on the opening scripture, we can see that the glory of God is the standard place every human being must be. If the Bible says we have fallen short of God’s glory, it means we used to be at that place but ended up in another place of lower ranking. As a result, we can conclude that the destination point we ought to arrive at when it comes to the salvation journey, is the place of the glory of God.
In Genesis 1:26, we can attest to the fact that we were created in the image of God to reflect His glory upon the earth. God’s glory is the essence of who He is. It’s the beauty of His nature and character and that nature of God was what man originally had before sin corrupted the image to make us fall short of that glory. Jesus came purposely to restore us to that image, thus the glory of the Lord. So we can now reflect on God’s glory because of what Jesus did. 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Therefore, we can also say that the starting point of the journey of salvation is when Jesus resurrected from death.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. I emboldened verse two because it encapsulates the journey of salvation from starting point to destination. The journey of salvation begins at the point of grace, which we have through Jesus. 2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Grace came through Jesus, not the Father or the Holy Spirit. John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Then the next point in the salvation journey is faith. And faith is what makes us gain access to the grace made available to us by Jesus, according to Romans 5:2. This shows us that even though Jesus died for all, not everyone would enjoy the grace because each person would have to accept what He did through faith. Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So, one must have faith in the fact that He resurrected because that is where grace began.
Then the final point or destination is the glory. The author in Romans 5:2 again, mentions that we can boast in hope of God’s glory as a result of the grace and faith we have. This is the progression of the salvation journey: Grace < Faith < Glory.
What does this mean to us? Grace is a supernatural enablement, so we have been endued with power, capacity, and ability to become or do something but it doesn’t end there. Grace is a gift to us. Remember the scripture which says we’ve been saved by grace through faith and that it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 Now even though we have that gift, God still expects that we value the gift by working with it. No wonder we are told to work out our salvation and that faith without works is dead. Yes, grace is available but to see it manifest in our lives, there is the need for faith, which involves work. Then from there, the glory of God is expressed through our lives.
In conclusion, let’s look at Titus 2: 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Verse 11 tackles the grace, 12 looks into the faith aspect. It said that grace teaches us to do certain things and this is faith because faith must go with actions. 13 mentions the glory that awaits us based on the application of grace and faith.
The Word In Clarity 