Wednesday, March 26, 2014

29

How can we be saved?
Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him. (Ephesians 2:8-9) (from here)

I never got to this point. I think I simply saw that you were Lord and began to follow you, learning more of you and your ways as I went along. I never asked this question - I was absolutely looking for help, but help in earthly things, never help in the face of death.

But I shudder at the thought of not being saved - that that's what I once was, that it's what my friends are. I see the awful danger of it. I see the futility of trying to right things ourselves and I see that our only hope is to humble ourselves and throw ourselves on your mercy. That it is every bit a saving or a rescue as when someone's drowing in the shallows or on an organ waiting list or in the darkness of a paedophile's brothel.

How then can we be saved? By jumping into your arms. By believing that you will catch us. By believing that you can catch us.

You are better than a lifeguard, better than an organ donor, than a policeman, than an ordinary citizen picking through rubble in the hope of hearing someone's voice or a boyfriend lying in front of his girl so his body might take the bullets meant for her. These beautiful deeds are but pale shadows of you. You saved us from horror when there was no injustice in it. You secured heaven for us for all eternity and in the face of all threat. And you did it at such cost.

Thank you that when we ask about salvation, there is something to be said.

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