The Joy of Salvation

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalms 51:12)

So often we can get bogged down in state of darkness our world is enveloped in. Our thoughts can be dominated by negativity and disappointment at how "lawlessness will increase, and love of many will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12). And yet even the ill and bad that is taking place is fulfilling the prophecies that most take place before the Prince of Peace, The King of Kings and Lord of Lord, Jesus Christ returns. As Christians we must remind ourselves of the Joy of our salvation. I strikes me that so many people are lost and they think we are fundamentalists with dogmatic ideals, and yet we have the greatest relief, solace, and satisfying peace of all, salvation. While the unbelievers rail at us and call us self righteous and judgmental, all we can do is smile in return, for their vitriol is no different than what Jesus Christ received on the cross (Matthew 27:31, Mark 15:20). It is fascinating that we, God's People, chosen by Christ Jesus before foundations of the earth have in our being and possession the cure for all of man's insecurities and itching soul; surety of eternal life (Romans 10:9, Acts 16:31). Ironic that what other religions and atheists want, the fountain of youth, actually lives within us (John 4:14), and they persecute us who offer them not a sword, but the soothing save of salvation in Jesus Christ that could put their restless souls to rest and relief (Matthew 11:28-30, John 11:25-26).

We offer salvation without works and wheels, and endless "treadmills." For Jesus Christ has accomplished all that was necessary to save us, "But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins--and not only our sins but the sins of all the world." (1 John 2:1-2). We are required to believe it and believe in Him (John 3:16), and live for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15). This living for him is not asceticism, and pious works of self abasement, but rather to live in Freedom of Christ, which includes freedom from vices that destroy us, other, and get in way of our relationship with God. It is my belief that people reject us for this reason, jealousy (Romans 10:19, Romans 11:14), they cannot stand our freedom in Christ and so seek to enslave us (Romans 11:11, Galatians 4:9, Galatians 6:12-13, 2 Corinthians 5:15), for "misery likes company." There certainly are other reasons, but those who refuse the Gospel of Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) are people who cannot cope with idea of free redemption, without a cost and works. When we tell people Jesus Christ paid it all on the cross (), there is two responses, jubilation for those who are called (2 Timothy 1:9), but frustration for those who stumble, and consider it foolishness, "Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Paul uses this language often, making a point that the Gospel isn't actually complicated, but rather straightforward, but those who want signs stumble and those who want intellectual exegesis think it foolish because it isn't as complicated as they want it to be (so they can have new thing to be an expert in and require people to come to them). Paul said, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). The Apostle Paul goes further when he states his ultimate disposition, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." (Phillippians 3:8).

I often think about the Old Testament heroes, David, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, and more; all of which knew of the Coming of Christ, but had to live under the Law, and no promise of salvation yet made, for in their day Christ had not died yet. We live in privilege of the age of salvation, and what joy we should have that Jesus Christ has come and died on cross, and risen from dead, thus putting death to death, "but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:10). We have been born in a time chosen and set apart, that we have access to salvation, when those forruners of the Old Covenant only saw the shadow of the Savior, we have the joy of the Savior living within us! (Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 2;20,  John 14:20, John 17:21-23). How often this glorious gift is missed in our churches. We forget that once there was a time when the Holy Spirit only came upon prophets and kings, but now lives in every believer (1 Corinthians 6:19). There was a time when God had to speak through prophets, now anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and is Baptized in Holy Spirit can be a prophet (Ephensians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Acts 2:17). Even the priesthood has changed. Once there was a need for priests, Levites to make sacrficies, but Jesus Christ became the ultimate High Priest of Order of Mechelzedek (Hebrews 8, Hebrews 9, Hebrews 10) and He lives in us (Galatians 2:20), and so we are now a "royal priesthood." (1 Peter 2:9).

Do not loose the Joy of your Salvation. For there were generaitons that longed to see the day of Christ's coming, and to have salvation (Matthew 13:17, John 8:56, Hebrews 11:13). Never lose sight of the joy that Jesus Christ lives in you who believe in Him! O that we have freedom in Christ, that we are assured of our salvation (John 3:16, Romans 10:9, 1 John 2:1-2). Bask in this joy until Jesus Comes Again, "so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him," (Hebrews 9:28), "Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely," (1 Corinthians 13:12), and "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him--even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen." (Revelation 1:7). For then at Christ's Second Coming we shall be changed, "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:18).