God's Extraordinary Grace!
By Rev. William Dohle
If someone was to walk up to you and ask: "Are you saved?" What would you think they meant? Would you think they meant...
A: Are you safe? Are you free from danger?
B: Are you protected from your enemies?
C: Are you going to heaven when you die?
I would imagine most of us would assume that, whomever is asking us "Are you saved?" is really asking us "Are you sure you're going to heaven when you die?"
Salvation in normal Christian-speak is another way of speaking of the after-life. It's after death that salvation is given. Salvation doesn't apply to now. It's not from our enemies that we are saved, unless our enemy is the devil. It's not from danger that we are saved...unless it's the danger of going to hell.
But when most of Scripture speaks of salvation, it's speaking of a real event taking place in the present. Now...God is saving us. Now...God has given us his salvation. When the Bible speaks of salvation...it's a present reality.
Take the salvation God gave baby Moses. Moses, born of a Levite mother and a Levite father, both Hebrews, should have been killed when all the other Hebrew baby boys were being killed. But Moses' mother, loving him, decided to save Moses. Moses' mother built for him an ark(yes, it's the same word that's used for the famous ark Noah builds too!). Moses builds him an ark and sets him a float, hoping beyond hope, that someone else will find her little baby boy.
Moses' mother takes a leap of faith! And that faith pays off.
Because God ordained to save little Moses...and Pharaoh's daughter just happened to be playing in the reeds when Moses' ark comes floating by, salvation is given to Moses. Salvation from danger and death. Salvation from Pharaoh's hand. Salvation in all of it's glory.
Is this the salvation that we speak of most Sundays? No. Is it the salvation so often questioned by well-meaning Christians? No. Does it involve heaven and eternity, with bright lights and all the rest? No. But is it salvation nevertheless. Absolutely!
You see, we seem to forget sometimes that God is alive and among us TODAY working his salvation TODAY in the lives of others. Salvation isn't just about heaven. That's a piece of it sure, but there is more. Far more actually. When the Bible speaks of salvation, it's not thinking of the afterlife. It's thinking of the here and now. Salvation is God's saving act here among us today.
This salvation takes on a variety of different forms. Everything from...
Salvation from disease, when the doctors find and remove the cancer.
To salvation from our enemies... when bullies are caught and dealt with.
To salvation from poverty...when work is found for us and our families.
Salvation comes in the form of others. A simple handshake. A hug on Sunday morning. A kind word spoken by a stranger. All of these can be saving acts by God in our lives.
I heard a story once of a man who had suffered from depression. He had planned on committing suicide one day and had said his goodbyes. That was, until another individual spoke kindness into his life. A few simple words of grace. Some kind words shared by a neighbor. That was all it took to save that man's life. He didn't commit suicide. He got help. And it was all thanks to the salvation God gave him, not at death, but here in this life.
So, open your eyes. Keep an open mind. God will save us when we die...that is true. But God's salvation is much larger than just death. It's not just about heaven, my friends. It's about life. Life everlasting that starts today with God's ordinary saving actions in our lives.
God, your salvation in Jesus Christ is for today and for eternity. Help me live today saved and freed by Christ, freed to love and serve my neighbor. Amen.
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