Salvation

December 31, 2024

It seems to me that most of the time when we think of what Jesus does for us, we think in solely temporal terms; he is our healer, our guide, our comfort and strength, etc. We often forget that his purpose in coming to us was far more than that. Before he made his appearance in Bethlehem that night so long ago, It was foretold that 

“she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”” —Matthew 1:21 

He will save us from our sins. Not just the consequences of them, but from the very sins themselves. Jesus came to set us free from the hold sin has upon us by not only forgiving us, but by changing our thinking. When we change how we think, we change the whole trajectory of our lives, but even that isn’t Jesus’ ultimate goal.

Someone once said it like this: “By his death and resurrection, Jesus saved us from the penalty of sin, is saving us from the power of sin, and one day will save us from the very presence of sin.” That is his ultimate goal; to eternally rescue us from that which is destroying us, even if we don’t recognize it as sin. The best thing we can do then, is to agree with Jesus’ perspective on sin and salvation so we don’t lose out on the present benefits of salvation: freedom from guilt and shame, joy-filled life, the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of the saints…to name just a few. Ultimately however, his goal is to eternally separate us from our sins.