The things which accompany salvation are not that salvation.
The caterpillar does not fly so that it can turn into a butterfly. It follows it's instint, a sort of self surrendor to death, to be reformed into a thing that can fly. If it is not a butterfly, it has not been transformed. If it is transformed, it is a butterfly, even before that first flight, while it's wings are drying.
It does not have to fly to be a butterfly. It is a butterfly. But it will never fulfill it's purpose unless it does in fact fly.
Much love!
Your analogy suggests a 'cocoon time' in salvation? That time and event of salvation
apart from the accompanying things of salvation?
A better analogy is the one Scripture uses:
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered...And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Rev 12)
There is no 'fetus time'
in salvation of God. The seed may be planted in the field, and they know Jesus is Lord, but salvation is when it takes root and brings forth the child of faith, and that is a man-child caught up immediately by God to sit in the heavenly places of His throne room.
We are born in Christ, clothed in white linen of
imputed righteousness, and
with the commandment to do His works of faith. There are no things 'following', nor works 'following' salvation: there are the things that accompany salvation by commandment of God.
Separating that salvation from the things that accompany it, is to separate that salvation from the commandment of God: repent and be ye converted (Acts 3:19): Repentance does not
follow salvation, but comes
with it. Repentance is not doing good works, therefore we are not saved by works, but without repentance there is no salvation at all.
With
that salvation of God and being born again of His Spirit, is the instant things that accompany: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, which are by grace, both to be planted, and to take root in repentance, and to be caught up in faith toward God: both salvation and justification in Christ.
And so, trying to separate that salvation of God, standing still and alone without those things necessary to salvation by grace, is to try and separate that salvation of God from the grace of God, that giveth the increase
immediately.
That is the power and grace of God's salvation, that brings with it the righteousness and the peace and the joy in the Holy Ghost. No peace to the wicked, no joy in dead works: the righteousness of Jesus comes with salvation
first:
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.
The things that accompany salvation are the white horses and white linen of the saints following Him to war. Salvation is when we are caught up to God to sit thereon, clothed in white linen (Rev 19).
Without these things of salvation, that come with salvation, there is no salvation at all, at any time, in no way separate from them.
There is no 'cocoon' time of salvation, and there is no sitting on a white horse clothed in white linen in a cocoon.
Being born again, being saved is neither in the womb nor the cocoon. The fetus and the seed and the larva are there, but not the babe in Christ.
Seed planted and conception is one thing, but salvation taking root and becoming new born is another thing altogether.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (John 3)
We can be born again, but not in a womb. There is no cocoon nor womb of God. There is ground He plants His seed in, but until it takes root and is born, it is not salvation of God, with things that accompany it: being openly dressed in white linen for starters.