Conscious Christianity

Jude, like all of the apostolic writers, divides his letter into two general sections – what we are in Christ and what we need to do as a result, - the indicatives and the imperatives of the gospel. In other words the apostles speak of a consciousness of salvation and then appeal for a conscientious response. These two areas of the Christian experience are distinct and inseparable; conscious of the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and conscientious in the practice of the gospel (Romans 12:1). When I speak of conscious Christianity I mean of the individual being aware of the reality of a work of God in the heart. There is a spiritual awareness, a renewed conscience.

The Common Salvation is Powerful. The true Christian is one who has been changed from the inside out and the change is so radical that the Bible speaks of it in terms of a “new birth,” a “new creation,” a “new life.” This is the power of the gospel in the life of a believer, the miracle of conversion.

The Common Salvation is Personal. The power of the Christian experience is in the person of the Christian experience – it is Jesus. Salvation is the acceptance of a person, it is the entering into the life of Jesus and Jesus into my life. Salvation is the gracious interlocking of two lives in an eternal embrace. Jesus takes the hold of me and he causes me to take the hold of him (“I love him because he first loved me”)

The Common Salvation is Perpetual. The words used to describe this experience show that it is permanent; a life, birth, creation.