But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Encouraging Words...
I have become an heir in the family and kingdom of God through His kindness and love. This was not because of anything that I have done or prayer that I have breathed, but through the work of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon me. Jesus saved me from eternal death and when I was baptized in Him and chrismated for Him I entered into the eschatological community of the Church. This baptism and chrismation are the beginning, the rite of passage toward a progressive life of renewal in Christ (Orthodox Study Bible notes). My journey into the eternal family of God did not end when I came to know Christ...it just got started.
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