Disciples Digital Library

Just as sinners await the future judgment of God, so believers wait to receive their full salvation at the resurrection  –  Romans 1:16-23 .  In  Romans , Paul introduced the “ gospel ” that he was proclaiming to the Christians residing in the city of Rome. This “ glad message ” was promised centuries earlier in the Hebrew scriptures, a message concerning the Messiah, the Son of God, which has now been revealed to all the nations in Jesus Christ - both to “ Jew and Greek. ”

In the opening thanksgiving of his  Letter to the Philippians , Paul prepares his readers for one of its key themes:  Going on to perfection in Jesus . The promised bodily resurrection is necessary for the consummation of this process - It is an integral part of the future salvation that believers will receive when Jesus appears “ on the clouds of Heaven .” What God began in the Philippians at their conversion He will continue to perform until that day, “ the Day of Christ .”