Salvation
God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9
When Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus, everything changed. He moved from darkness to light. He experienced the forgiveness of his sins and entered into a new life with God which would never end. His whole life changed direction and he became an enthusiastic champion of the Christian faith, encouraging everyone to discover this salvation for themselves. In this verse, he reminds Timothy that salvation is not the end of the process. God saves us for a purpose, so that we will live a transformed life of holiness.
Holiness is the kind of word from which we all naturally shrink. Like Isaiah long ago, we are more than aware of how unholy we are, and how unholy our society is. However, holiness is God’s intention for us because that is life at its best.
Let me illustrate this by sharing the experience of living with hard water. My wife and I have spent much of our married life living in chalky areas and, as you probably know, chalk tends to fur up water pipes. It does it very gradually but, as time passes, the pipes get so clogged up that water can no longer pass through them.
If sin is like the chalky deposits which restrict the water flow, holiness is like having totally clear pipes. So when we live holy lives, we are able to live life to the full. Seeking to be holy is the same as seeking to be fully alive. That’s why salvation is so important. God has saved us so that we can live a holy life.
Paul often reminded his readers that salvation is a gift, and it’s vital that we remember that. We possess many things that are ours because we worked hard for them. Our educational and sporting achievements are the result of our effort, and our possessions are often the reward of years of work. But salvation is different. It’s entirely a gift. However much effort we put into it, we cannot achieve salvation. All we can do is open our hands and receive the gift. That’s amazing grace.
QUESTION
How would you describe salvation to somebody who is not a Christian?
PRAYER
Loving God, I thank you for the gift of salvation. I pray that you will teach me more each day how to live a holy life. Amen