That Day
for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— 2 Corinthians 6:2 NASB
Now – When are you saved? Oh, sorry. Most of us would have expected the question, “When were you saved?” But the question in the past tense inclines us to think that salvation is a fixed event, once found never lost. So we point to some decision we made years ago and claim, “I was saved on that day.” But “that day” doesn’t exist anymore. The only day you have is today, now, this day. Now is the day of salvation!
I know this is a bit hard to grasp, and probably discomforting as well. But suppose just for a moment that today determines your salvation. Today you are righteous or sinful. Today you establish trust of lack thereof. Today you obey His commandments or you don’t. Salvation is a relationship, not a certificate, and a relationship is only real when both parties are connected. A marriage certificate doesn’t make a marriage. What makes a marriage is unity now! Together now! Holding hands now! Everyone who is married knows this. The certificate is worthless when it comes to the relationship. So what makes us think that our salvation is any different?
Suppose for just a moment that you get it. Now you can make sense of David’s statement about having clean hands and pure heart. Or Paul’s statement that he is blameless before the Lord. If we think of salvation as a summary of our whole lives, then no one is clean. No one is pure. If salvation is a static concept equal to a certificate of merit, then (quite frankly) no one is saved. Theologians realize this, so they postulate that salvation is entirely a work of God. We have nothing to do with it. God elects. God saves. Deed done. And, of course, since it is done in the past, salvation does not depend on what my relationship is like today. Now is not the day of salvation. The day of salvation was whenever God decided in my favor.
But that isn’t what the text says (and it doesn’t make any sense of David and Paul either). Hebrew views salvation as relationship—a relationship that is operating now! I am saved today because I am cooperating with the Spirit of the Lord and desiring to be His follower. He grants me time to repent, to restore, to return and in so doing, extends the relationship opportunity to me. There is a mutual engagement. I am saved today.
This also implies that I can be lost today. YHVH doesn’t withdraw the opportunity to be connected to Him, but I might withdraw. I might dismiss my salvation and trample on His grace today. Of course, if I don’t die in the process, then His grace comes rushing back to me. He shows mercy by giving me time to correct the situation and when I do, I discover that now is the day of salvation.
Topical Index: salvation, day, now, 2 Corinthians 6:2
We are told to forget those things that were before, and push on. Repentance is the only mechanism by which I CAN forget, and salvation is the only thing that can uncouple me from those things: sin chains me to them. Yesterday only counts if I am still holding the bag – if I am still in denial of it, making excuses for it, or referencing it for my identity today. If I am doing those things, I am dead: chained to the past. I am invited to live NOW. Today. Not at the end of time, but today, the invitation to live comes to me. Salvation puts me back into the land of the living, and gives me the reason to praise Him. Right now. Halleluah! I need to be saved from my wrong choices of three minutes ago; not thirty years ago. Every time I repent, I am saved again. I am sure glad I didn’t get only one chance to be saved from my sins. I need saving from myself right now! This is good news!
The Day I Was Born
Have you ever been born? Was there a time when you, leaving the portals and comfort of your mother’s womb, entered in to this world and became a living, breathing soul?
That is the day a relationship began. You became a son or daughter to your mother and father. And from THAT day on.. – a relationship began. You began to grow, and will continue to do so until THAT day the breathing stops. Birth is a crisis, followed by a process.That process is Life. Anything organic that is not growing is dead. Christianity is not (merely) a religion ( a way of life), it is a relationship. A relationship of Father to son, of son or daughter to Father. My brothers, my sisters, — we are part of a huge and wonderful family, the family of God.
As newborn babes, we are to desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby. No one is born, “full-grown.” We start out as infants, and then, day-by-day, precept upon precept, line upon line, by God’s grace and for His glory- we grow. We grow up into Him* and we are now because of the new birth, members of a Heavenly household, complete with brothers and sisters *in the Messiah, *in Christ, who are also members of His body and of His family and ours.
Salvation is followed by sanctification. Holiness is not only imputed, it is also imparted. We [are to] daily grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our LORD and Savior, Jesus (who is the) Christ.
~ Be followers of God as dearly beloved children.. – and walk in love ~ *In Christ, in the Beloved, all of our needs are met, and are exceeded! Our need to love and to be loved are found *in Him. I am my Beloved’s and He is mine! ~ My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me ~ Can you understand or comprehend, the relationship of sheep to Shepherd? Friend, ~ the LORD is MY Shepherd! ~ and because HE IS.. – I shall not want! [ever!]
“The Lamb…will lead them to springs of living water.” (Revelation 7:1) Friend, – Who is the Lamb? Who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? Who is the Lamb who was slain? Is He worthy? What do the Scriptures say? ~Worthy(!) is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in Heaven and on the Earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”… (Revelation 5.12-13)
~ My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise His holy Name for ever and ever! ~ (Psalm 145:21)
Let every creature, every tribe
on this terrestrial ball
To Him* all majesty ascribe
– and crown Him.. — LORD of all!
Wonderfully said!
Absolutely. Positively.
Amen, Skip!
I was raised a Catholic and so I had to (supposedly) worry every hour of my life whether, should I die that moment, I would go into everlasting hell fire, or into heaven. If I had just gone to confession that morning, I was safe till my next sin, which would not be too long after. It wasn’t unusual for Catholics to go to confession every Saturday to keep themselves safe from hell.
Then I came to the eternal security belief held by many Protestants whereby if you are once saved you are always saved. That assured me total peace of mind. Did it then give me a license to sin? Certainly not, but it diminish any initiative to do good works, and so I see where today’s post is coming from.
I understand that keeping Torah every day of my life is to be my goal, but it is something I will never know, for sure, if I am keeping it well enough. Certainly, no one can keep it perfectly, so how good is good enough? Who can tell me? I’m sure no one can. So, where am I left? Am I just supposed to do my best? And HOPE for the best? But my best is sometimes horrible. So I’m back to my state of worrying every day about my eternal destiny.
Do the Scriptures offer me no assurance of anything? Was not Abraham’s seed assured of nothing?
The Israelites were redeemed out of Egypt without doing anything. In fact, YHVH did it almost against their will. Being led out of bondage was God’s gift, but what their life in the Promised Land would be like depended on their keeping Torah.
I see our situation much the same. My belief will get me into the Kingdom but my works will determine my position.
Hebrews 9:28 Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.