What does your salvation mean to you? Have you ever pondered that question? Do you spend time thinking through what you have been saved from?
Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
May I suggest to you that because Christian Salvation is free and we cannot work for it (do good deeds to touch the heart of God), and because we cannot buy it (by giving money to the church or clergyman), and because we cannot do any religious ritual to obtain it (such as baptism, confirmation, church attendance, etc.) … we have a tendency of being “entitled” in that we expect it and desire all the benefits yet seldom thank God for our salvation. It’s like we take it for granted.
I’m sure this attitude we have must displease our Lord because salvation came at the greatest possible price. The Father gave up His Son to die so that we might live. The separation that took place had never happened in all eternity past … not will it ever happen again in all eternity future. Allow me to attempt explaining the gravity of what happened to bring about salvation.
As you are aware, the Bible teaches that God is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three persons, yet one God, one substance … one being. The intricacies of the Godhead are far too complicated for us mere humans to understand, but we know from Scripture God is Trinity, and in Trinity He is in Unity and in Unity He is One.
Within this Trinity and Unity and Oneness, He exists from eternity and throughout all eternity He has enjoyed the sweetest, loving, unseparated union within these three persons of the Godhead. The love, fellowship, togetherness, harmony, ministry, sharing and caring has been consistent, as in forever.
Then, in eternity past, the Godhead counsels, deciding to create with the pinnacle of creation being the human being. In some mysterious way, God knew what would happen in Genesis 3 … yet He chose a people from the race (from the start of creation to its end) … to be adopted as His precious possession … to be sons and daughters. This in itself is mind-boggling because the Divine (who is Spirit) choses that which is material (substance) to be His family that would in a mysterious way, by His power, change their human, material bodies into spirit bodies so that they might live forever with Him in His glory.
In that same counsel God the Son offers to come to our planet as the Godhead’s rescue plan to secure salvation for all who were chosen to be saved. Genesis 3:15 is the first Messianic Promise, and God made many promises throughout the Old Testament, giving more information each time until He stepped into our world, taking on the human nature, yet remaining sinless; born of a virgin, growing into a man who turns the tide on history and religion as it was known; not only preaching the Word as no one before, but healing the sick, raising the dead, exorcising demons … showing Lordship over death, nature, sickness, the spiritual realm … and going to the Cross to be executed in the most brutal way, shedding His sinless blood to cleanse the sin and guilt of all those chosen for salvation.
Then, according to Scripture and His promise, He took back His life on the third day, rising from the dead. Both His death and resurrection were substitutional, securing and guaranteeing purification from sin and eternal life for every believer. He returned to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father from where He reigns.
But let’s stop and backtrack a little. When God the Son dies on the Cross, the suffering is not just human suffering, the pain and agony of being brutalized as He was … the greater pain was the wrath poured out for our sin. Jesus stood in our place for our sin. He suffered in our place, but there is more … coupled to the wrath being poured out, there was separation … the union between the Father and the Son was severed. The love and tenderness and oneness and togetherness and union was broken, and remained so until Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!
Then to fast track forward … God the Holy Spirit causes the Gospel message to be heard by those chosen. He allows them to hear deep in the heart and soul. He causes them to understand, believe, confess sin, repent … and He births them into God’s Eternal Family. Why did God do this for you? To save you from eternal damnation where the people burn in agonizing pain yet never burn up. Such is the fate of all who refuse this free salvation.
Have you ever thought of your salvation in these terms? Do you see how great your salvation is? Do you understand why there ought to be daily and continual thanks to God for this great salvation you enjoy? Yet there ought to be a huge tension … joy because of grace and sorrow because of wrath. You’re on your way to glory, yet so many multitudes are on their way to experience wrath … damnation!
Ro 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
The doing good or the doing evil amounts to good as in turning to Jesus through faith or evil as in refusing Jesus and His salvation. We ought to have joy because of grace, but sorrow for those heading towards wrath. This is the reason for making the Gospel known! This is the reason for evangelism on our doorstep and missions into countries where Jesus is unknown.
Dear Sovereign Lord, our glorious God who only does good for us Your people. Help us to be grateful for the salvation we enjoy, yet help us to be eager and ready to seek the lost through us sharing the Gospel far and wide. Please make us fearless in evangelism, for You say “all who believe shall be saved.” In Jesus’ Name, amen.