Salvation Summaries

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ² For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

There’s not a month that goes by when I don’t read an article about the sudden death of a person in the investment industry where I work, or someone outside the industry according to some of the websites I view. What catches your attention is the relatively young age of many, and the likely normal to good health they were in. The cause of death is generally not provided, but when it is, it is usually cardiac arrest. I personally know of two people who died suddenly and unexpectedly. One was a physician’s assistant that I had seen off and on for years when I had health problems. He was in his late 30’s, a little on the heavy side but appeared to be in good health, and then he died, leaving behind a wife and two young kids. The other was a dermatologist I had seen a year ago. He was in his late 50’s and no mention of any prior health issues in his obituary.

If you do a search on Google for excess deaths or excess mortality, you’ll see that it has significantly risen since 2020, and in many countries throughout the world. As such, this is a global phenomenon, so there must be a global cause. The most likely cause would seem to be severe and long-lasting complications from the covid virus, the covid vaccine, or both; however, that’s not the point of this post.

The point of this post is that you never know when your time will be up on this earth. Yes, it’s a cliche we’ve all heard and maybe even said before, but it could well be sooner than you think based upon recent trends and events. So, what does this mean?

There should be a sense of urgency now.

Urgency for what? To earn that last dollar? To gain one more recognition at work? To complete one more item on your bucket list? No. None of that matters.

What matters is the security of your salvation, and that of those you love.

If you are not a Christian but toyed with the idea of becoming one when you were old and near death, then don’t delay, for that day may never come.

If you profess to be a believer but are not entirely sure you are based upon how you are living your life, then you too need to get right with God, right now.

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he begged them not to accept God’s grace of salvation in vain. Per Strong’s Concordance and Peter Pett’s commentary, vain means “to achieve nothing, empty, useless.” There were people who had heard the gospel message of grace and salvation, but didn’t act upon it. And, there were people who had acted upon it to become saved, but were not living like a Christian should; they were squandering God’s grace. Paul was telling them to “stop it,” and to get reconciled with God now, for today is the day of their salvation.

Friend, Paul’s urgent message applies to you now just as much as it did to his audience back then. If you are not saved, then get saved now. If you are saved, then live like a Christian should so you can influence the unsaved to turn to their Creator for forgiveness and reconciliation.