“Salvation is not just rescue from peril but it is equally our entry into paradise.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 1, 2022
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV
Saved is a well-known and deeply Christian word, for it lies at the very heart of our faith. In many circles, “getting saved” is the principle way in which the Christian life is envisioned, speaking both to your own eternal security, as well as your evangelistic call to invite others into the saving life you have experienced. This vision lies at the heart of the biblical witness, with St. Timothy reminding us “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Similarly, St. Paul in Ephesians 2:8 says that we “have been saved through faith.” Yet here in today’s passage from 1 Corinthians 1:18, this same Paul declares that we are being saved in and through the power of God shown in the cross of Jesus Christ.
Christ came to save, you are saved through faith, and you are being saved by the power of God.
One of the challenges with how we speak of salvation within the Christian family is found in our inability to hold together the past, present, and future realities of our salvation. Especially in our missionary zeal, we often invite people to “be saved” as a singular act of faith, a momentary “yes” to Jesus that moves someone from darkness into light. And as true and glorious as this moment of conversion undoubtedly is, how can we also cling to Paul’s vision of a lifelong process of salvation?
Since the earliest days of the Church, drawing on the biblical story of Noah, the community of faith has often been referred to as a “ship of salvation.” In the midst of the chaotic storm of evil and brokenness that swirls about, Christ pulls us from the sea and places us within the safety of the ark. This “snatching from the sea” is itself a moment of salvation, yet once we are in the ship our work is not done! Salvation is not just rescue from peril but it is equally our entry into paradise. We sail with the family of God toward a great and glorious destination.
If you are in Christ, you are saved and are daily being saved as you follow him deeper into the perfect and eternal love that he shares with the Father and the Spirit.
Prayer
Father, help us to see our salvation as both a moment and a journey, both of which are only possible through the mercy and compassion of Christ, seen most perfectly in his Cross and Resurrection. Amen.
Application
Take time today to give thanks to God for your salvation, while also reflecting on the ongoing nature of this work of grace and the ways you can continue to journey with the Lord in the Ark of Salvation.
Related Reading
Isaiah 12:2; Acts 4:12; Jude 1:21
Worship Resource
Hillsong UNITED: Mighty to Save
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