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Aug. 20, 2006 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:2-3 Three time in these two verses the Prophet mentions “salvation” in a present tense. Salvation is present tense for those of us who have called upon the Name of the Lord. The scripture is specific in that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved.” The Apostles wrote on numerous occasions that our home is not this present world but is assured to be erected in the heavens. As “new creations” the believers was despised by the world as something foreign and unfathomable. This assessment of the world is wholly truthful. No true Christian can call the present, sin-infected world his homeland. The Christian can ever trust the Lord God who remains true to his promises. Jehovah becomes “strength”, “song” and “salvation” to the one so trusting. There is strength to ignore insult and direct assault. Many of the early Christian martyrs endured great physical pain; knowing their assurance of salvation. The Apostle Paul endured shipwreck and stoning and continual physical distress from those who rejected his revelation; yet he considered all of that part of his “race” for the “prize” of the high calling in Christ. Salvation is not some abstract ideal. Salvation is a tangible gift from God. It is a known and substantive point of faith. A Christian does not “feel” he is saved. He “knows” he is saved. This knowledge extends from knowing that God is completely true to his promises for those who call upon the Name of the Lord. The “song” of salvation is that song of the heart that is completely and fully pointed toward worship of the Savior. All praise and glory belong to God. God gave us life and he has given us life eternal. All men will live eternally and this is an inner knowledge that is difficult to ignore. Once aware of the eternality of the soul then it is up to the individual to seek his eternity. The scriptures tell men to “seek the Lord where he may be found” and that is not a statement of hardship. The Lord does not hide himself from men. Every civilization that has ever been formed was aware of a creative presence. Each civilization found their own name and formed their own legends, but they also had the inbred knowledge of the true God. When they recognized the true God they walked in assurance. When they failed to see the true God then they created their own gods resembling beasts of the field and creeping things. God had no choice but to give these civilizations up to their lusts. Men are responsible to see the truth. Scripture tells us that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever would believe on him would not perish, but have everlasting life.” “Have” is that present tense salvation shared by those who understand a loving and forgiving God. Christians understand they “have” life everlasting and that eternal position will never change. We are adopted into the family of God and God will not throw away our adoption papers. God is not arbitrary with his gift of salvation nor does he take salvation away once he has bestowed his gift upon the recipient. There is a humorous email being passed around concerning a soul that reaches heaven and discovers a bunch of people there he personally judged unworthy of such honor. His questions to Peter were along the lines of “How did these never-do-wells’s get here?” And “Why are they so quiet?” To which Peter replies: “The same mercy God granted to you.” And “Their silence is due to the shock of seeing YOU here.” Many Christians have already been judged by the world as unworthy of any special favor or notice. The judgments of the world are meaningless. It is the judgment of God that determines the worth of the individual and since “God is not a respecter” of individuals, all men are judged equally. All men have the same chance and opportunity for “grace”. “Salvation is by grace through faith…” and that is never of self. It is a gift from God so we cannot brag about how “special” we are. Too, remember that salvation is present tense. We already share in God’s inheritance. That is Gospel. ------------ Email Skip: skiptoomaloo@hotmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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