EPHESIANS 2:11-16 – Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

THEME OF THE DAY. THE BLESSINGS OF OUR SALVATION. The greatest thing ever to happen to a person is becoming a Christian. To be drawn by God, awakened by God, given the gift of faith, repentance, and believing on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God is the most important experience someone will have in this life. Yet, there is so much more involved in a person’s salvation. The Apostle Peter writes, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word that by it you may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3). Christians must not remain spiritual infants with a shallow view of salvation. It goes far beyond forgiveness, gaining heaven and missing hell. And unless we “grow up into salvation”, we will remain spiritual infants and not grasp the many blessings of our salvation. But let’s not remain in a “spiritual nursery” by looking at three blessings that come from salvation.

First, salvation opens the door to know God. Think about this privilege. We are given the capacity and ability to know God because of His work of salvation in us. And God, Himself, considers this a very significant issue. Through the prophet Jeremiah, “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). The question we must ask is, “Are growing in our knowledge of God?” It is the main reason behind God’s saving us.

A second blessing in salvation is the privilege to love God. This is the natural progress from knowing Him. The more we grow in our knowledge of His Person, the more we are drawn to love Him out of pure delight. Nothing is more satisfying to the human soul than loving God. And it is through salvation, God has enabled us to obey the Greatest Command – “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:36-38). This, too, demands a self-examination question, “Are we loving God more today than last week, last month, last year?” This is what salvation equips us to do.

Finally, salvation blesses us with the certain hope of someday seeing our salvation, our Lord Jesus, face-to-face. This is called the believer’s “blessed hope” and what keeps us fighting the good fight of faith. Think about that day when we see Jesus. We will be face-to-face with the One we grasped by faith in this life. And such a thought changes us in this life; changes us to be like the One we will see – “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3). May the Lord help us to see the treasure chest of riches in our salvation beyond forgiveness of our sins.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to understand that salvation is far more than just forgiveness of my sins.”

QUOTE: “Don’t be satisfied with a shallow view of being a Christian. Study the Word to see what salvation really means.”