For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people" (Luke 2:31)
Luke
2: 26 tells us that Simeon spoke these words “Moved by the Spirit”.
What did Simeon speak when he was moved by the Spirit? He said – “my
eyes have seen your salvation”! In yesterday’s message we’ve learnt that
we have to actually see what the salvation of God involves and
contains.
It
is very important for us to understand the Biblical concept of
salvation. As we have observed the salvation offered by Christ is not a
one time experience. The salvation according to the Holy Bible is a very
lengthy process. It actually takes a whole life time. Let us see what
the Bible actually teaches us about our salvation.
Ephesians
2:8 tells us that we have been saved by God’s grace through faith. This
happens to us when we trust in Jesus Christ as our personal savior and
Lord and be baptized in the water. This is our salvation in the past
tense. We hear many people testifying that they have been saved on such
and such occasion and under certain circumstances. We believe those
testimonies and we praise God for those testimonies. But the fact
remains that there is much more to be understood about their salvation.
If
you carefully read 1 Peter 1: 9 we’ll see that we are still being
saved. Here the scripture says “you are receiving the goal of your
faith, the salvation of your souls.” Please note that we ARE RECEIVING
the salvation of our souls. This is the salvation in the present
continuous tense.
Then
Romans 13:11 gives us another dimension of our salvation which is our
salvation in the future tense. Here the Bible tells us that “our
salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
What
do those words mean? Let us use our common sense and think! The words
“our salvation is nearer now” mean that we have not yet reached our
salvation. That means we are yet to arrive at our salvation. That is the
reason we have to believe that we have been saved and we must be saved
everyday so that we can be saved when Christ comes for the second time.
When
we first believed on Christ and obeyed Him in the waters of Baptism we
were “provisionally saved” from the horrible punishment brought upon us
by the original sin of Adam and Eve.
Though
we have been provisionally saved from God’s wrath, we still live in the
same old body of sin and death. This body always desires and works
against the Spirit. That is the reason we see so many believers and even
great saints falling into sin and loosing their testimony. We need the
power of God to keep us from such temptations. Our gracious Savior has
promised even to save us from day to day from sin and temptation. This
is what we call “salvation from the power of sin”.
Then
when Christ comes we will be saved even from the very presence of sin.
At the second coming of Christ we all will receive glorified bodies in
which there will not be any law of sin and death. Praise God for this
wonderful salvation! How unfortunate are the people who reject this
great salvation!
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