Ekklesia Renaissant Consulting.Com

13/02/2023

BY GRACE WE HAVE BEEN SAVED?

Ephesians 2:8 (Greek Interlinear)
For by grace you are saved [Greek present tense] through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

In many English translations (including NASB, ESV, NKJV, and NIV), the Greek present tense "you are saved" has been translated to the English present perfect tense "you have been saved", which expresses that an action has been completed (or perfected) in the past and its outcome continues or persists to the present and possibly into the future.

Here, the present perfect tense suggests that the action, event, or outcome (vis-à-vis being saved) in the past precludes any discontinuation of the action, event, and outcome for the present, and likely for the future as well. In other words, it suggests that once the action was done and dusted in the past, it continues to be done and dusted today, and possibly remains done and dusted tomorrow.

However, this is not the case in the Greek present tense, which is used to describe an action that is currently going on or being performed repeatedly in real-time. In other words, present tense describes an event or outcome happening right now and which may happen again and again if action is applied from moment to moment in the future.

Yet, in present tense, as it is a moment to moment application, an action in the past does not rule out the possibility that the action might not have been performed yesterday, may not be effected today, or cease to continue tomorrow (thereby resulting in not being saved). In other words, present tense suggests that an action, event, or outcome occurs or exists only when it is applied in the present or at that moment, and it does not preclude any discontinuation of the action, event, or outcome after that moment.

So, this moment-to-moment action, which is the act of saving within the context that Apostle Paul intended in Ephesians 2:8, is only applied by the grace of God through our consistent application of faithful faith towards Christ.

However, if we do not persistently apply faithful faith towards Christ moment-by-moment, the action of saving may not be applied by God according to His sovereign judgment at that moment (unless His mercy prevails for that moment, which is more likely than not), despite His grace being freely available to us to appropriate at any moment in time through faithful faith. This is how Christians fall away from God, or are spewed out by God, when their hearts grow cold or their worship becomes lukewarm.

Thus, we are saved by the grace and power of God on a moment-by-moment basis through our constant application of true sanctifying faith in Christ and undivided faithfulness towards Christ.

Therefore, to be assuredly saved at the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us stay true to the sanctifying faith that Jesus is looking for, and to the faithful worship that the Father is seeking from His true worshippers.

Post-Script:

KJV, AMP (Classic Edition), LEB, CSB, and Darby's Translation 1890 rightly translated the Greek present tense into the English present tense.

05/05/2020

Further to my previous post, “Whose Slaves Are We?”, let me present a framework for us to reconsider the doctrine of penal substitution, for this has eternal consequences for many Chris…

22/02/2020

Because God is progressively restoring 'all the truth' encapsulated within the written Word in many portions and in many ways over many days, we are constantly in need of reforming the Reformed in the light of the progressive revelations and illuminations; yet not forward as cultural progressives assert, but "back to the Source" (ad fontes), or back to the ancient pathways, as the Ancient of Days revealed through His eternal Spirit.

We have come to the appointed time of the final reformation for consummation of the ages.

This is the purpose and mission of "Poiēma, God's Workmanship" and the "Finishing School For SAINT".

28/06/2019

An official introduction to Manna Bookstore by Ekklesia.

Please "LIKE" our 'Manna Books by Ekklesia' page on Facebook () for bookstore details, news updates, book reviews, and community engagements. This will go a long way to help us fulfil our mission.

Thank you and see you soon. Shalom.

I am pleased to announce the official launch of Manna Bookstore by Ekklesia. Manna Bookstore is a boutique bookstore whose ministry is to publish, distribute, and retail books and spiritual develop…

14/06/2019

SACRIFICE & OFFERING

Psalms 40:6
Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.

If God does not desire or require sacrifices and offerings according to the Law, even in the days of David when the Law was in force, then what is God looking for? In other words, God is looking for something more than atoning confessions, religious sacrifices, and temple offerings. In fact, God is looking something that negates the need for these things.

Psalms 40:8-9
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, You know.

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

God is looking for a person who keeps His truth in his heart and who delights to do His will; God is looking for a people who proclaim great tidings of righteousness, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him; for when a person or a people abide by His nature and will, it sets aside the requirements for atoning confessions, religious sacrifices, and temple offerings, even during the days of David.

Thus, true sacrifice is dying to self and presenting our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship; and true offering is to pour out our lives as libations to God, and partake (eat) of the bread of His good, perfect, and acceptable will; just as Jesus, the Son of David, did.

May His lovingkindness and truth continually preserve us, as we faithfully abide in Him and His works amongst the people.

03/05/2019

Grace does not contradict doing righteousness; it contradicts earning righteousness.
In fact, grace enables doing righteousness.

20/03/2019

TRUE REVIVAL

Revival that is motivated and sustained externally is not true revival; it is merely externalism. Revival must be inspired and sustained from within.

In other words, true revival is intrinsic, not extrinsic.

Therefore, true revival is more than prayer meetings and revival conferences. True revival is the igniting of the all-consuming Refiner-fire in the inner man; it is the expression of the all-prevailing Christ-life in the soul; and it is the manifestation of the all-conquering Spirit-power through the body.

When true revival embodies every member of the church in oneness, its holy fire will intensify and spread across every strata of society without bounds; it will burn up every work of the evil ones and bring transformation to the land.

Acts 2:40-47; Acts 19:9-20

Let true revival begin.

08/03/2019

Are we men and women of esteemed regard by God?

Daniel was a man of high esteem through whom God influenced the kingdoms of Babylon, Medes, and Persia; and through whom prophetic decrees were revealed for the rise and fall of nations, even to th…

08/02/2019

Do we keep ourselves in the love of God, or does God keep us in His abiding love?

Hmmm… do we keep ourselves in the love of God, or does God keep us in His abiding love? Well, both are correct, but there is an order to them. Jude 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anx…

16/01/2019

It is always a privilege and honour to be an instrument in the hands of God for His work in the nations.

Here is an overview on how Ekklesia Renaissant can partner with churches, ministries, NGOs, and individuals to strategise and execute their missional endeavours in the nations, especially those within the "10/40 Window", through our Holistic Mission Spectrum (HMS); so that all the families and nations of the earth will be blessed in us, to the praise of the glory of His grace.

If we look at the “10/40 Window”, not only do two-thirds of the world’s population live within this area, it is also characterised by extreme poverty owing to socioeconomic under-…

30/12/2018

Have a blessed 2019.

As the New Year beckons, we make new resolutions, hope for new things, and aim for a new level of self-actualisation in a new cycle of twelve months. But what’s new in this new orbital cycle …

04/07/2018

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Shalom.

Ekklesia Renaissant is a glocal community that seeks to create a world where all the families and na