The Salvation of God

"Sing to the LORD a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
   have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
   and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
   and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
   the salvation of our God."

Psalm 98:1-3

As I sat in the dentist chair enduring my 6-month cleaning, the hygienist chattered about the possible reasons for the pain and sensitivity in one of my molars.  "It could be the filling.  You might want to get that redone because they don't last forever.  I don't see a fracture in any of those teeth which would explain the pain.  Even your x-rays look good."  She spent 35 minutes cleaning my teeth and performing her duties, becoming pretty well acquainted with my teeth.  Still, she could not see any problems that could be responsible for the pain I'd been experiencing.  Then the dentist entered the exam room.  He spent a total of 10 seconds looking at the the x-rays, peered into my mouth and proclaimed, "Tooth number 31 is fractured.  You need a crown to protect it from splitting all the way in two." 

To the untrained eye, my tooth looked fine, but for the more experienced expert, it only took a glance to see the trouble.  This is like my sin.  To my human way of thinking, I look pretty good.  But God's ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9), and he sees how far I fall short.  Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus, but why did Jesus come?

Redeem us  Before we can be saved, we have to know and recognize our need for a Savior.  Sin, simply put, is how we fall short of God's standard.  God expects perfect adherence to his law, which includes the ten commandments.  But none of us are perfect!  (Romans 3:23)  When we realize this, Jesus can save us from our state of sinfulness and the consequences that God requires for breaking His commandments, which is death!  (Romans 6:23)  "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17)  Jesus paid the price we were meant to pay!

Cleanse us  The sin which is in us makes us unholy before a holy God.  "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 3:8-9)  This does not mean confession is necessary for forgiveness.  Forgiveness was already given when Jesus died on the cross and He said, "it is finished."  But in order to receive that forgiveness, we must admit our guilt.  Then He cleanses us.  From then on,  instead of seeing an unholy sinner, God looks at us and sees the perfection of Jesus!  Jesus makes us holy!

Give us Hope  When our four daughters were younger, I remember saving for a trip to Disney World.  During that year, we often talked about the upcoming trip with excited anticipation, looking forward to the appointed day when we would visit the so-called  "Happiest Place on Earth."  We looked forward to this trip because we were certain it would come to pass and we knew a little something about the destination.  It is the same with us and heaven.  Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and made us perfect so we can look forward to an eternity in a place Jesus has prepared for us.  It will be much better than anything we can imagine and this gives us hope.  ". . .having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7)  Jesus gives us the hope of heaven!

This Christmas, I resolve to celebrate all that Jesus has done for me.  He has redeemed me, cleansed me from my sin, and given me the hope of heaven!  Have you asked Him to do the same for you?  That gives us all reason to rejoice!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that my thoughts will be centered on Jesus.

How do I live my life in a way that shows gratitude to God for this gift of salvation?

Do I fail to extend this gift to others?