The Blessings of Salvation
Discipleship Lesson 3: The Blessings of Salvation
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Once you are saved, what are some of the blessings, benefits, and gifts that God has given you? The following is a list of blessings that are yours in Christ.
1. You are a child of God.
This means that God accepts you as one of His. You are adopted into His family. He loves you and will never disown you.
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Colossians 1:13
2. You have received the Holy Spirit.
When you receive Christ, you receive the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is why every Christian is called a temple of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirits lives inside of everyone who has received Christ. (See lesson on “Holy Spirit”).
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 1:13
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” 1 Corinthians 6:19
3. You are forgiven of all your sins.
Christ forgives all of our sins when we receive Him. This means our past, present and future sins. If He forgives even our future sins, why do we need to confess those sins to Him? We confess our sins so that our fellowship with God stays strong and to keep a pure heart. But even when we confess, we are thanking Him that our forgiveness was accomplished when Christ died on the cross.
“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” Colossians 2:13
4. You have a new nature, and that nature is holy and righteous.
Our old nature was sinful, separated from God, and under the control of the evil one. When we accept Christ into our lives, we are forgiven, given a new nature, and empowered by the Spirit to please God. All Christians are called saints because our new nature is one of righteousness and holiness. When God looks at you, He sees the righteousness of Jesus.
“ Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 1:1
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” 1 Peter 2:9
5. You are a part of the church, the body of Christ.
Every Christian is a special part in the body of Christ. Though we are each unique, we make up the one body of Christ. We are unified in Christ with every believer in the world.
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
6. You have been given gifts that can be used to serve God and others.
Though we don’t all have the same gifts, God gives gifts to everyone of His children so that they might bless others and advance the kingdom of God.
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
7. You have a new identity.
You are not defined by your age, occupation, or human accomplishments. Instead, you are defined by who you are in Christ. We need to learn to see ourselves the way God does. He loves, accepts, and values everyone of His children.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” 1 Peter 2:9-11
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
8. You are given God’s Word to help you grow.
The Bible is God’s Word. We have His word in order to get to know Him better, learn His will, and be instructed in truth. Once you have His Holy Sprit living in you, you can understand His Word more clearly.
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16
9. Your relationship with God can never be taken away.
Jesus promises to never leave you. If you sin and get out of His will, then your fellowship with God is damaged, but your relationship with God can never be taken away.
“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:29
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5
10. You are promised eternal life.
Our relationship with God is so important that it will last forever. God promises heaven to all who are in Christ.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“And this is what he promised us — even eternal life.” 1 John 2:25
Thank the Lord everyday for the many blessings you have in Him!