According to the Bible in 2 Corinthians 6:2's "behold, now is the day of salvation”, when is the day of salvation?
2 Corinthians
6:
“1
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the
grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:
“In
an acceptable time I have heard you,
And
in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold,
now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
"Salvation"
above is not just being saved to go to heaven upon the visible return of Christ
for His saints. Salvation is also deliverance from the molestation of enemies
and redemption from all earthly ills including lack, sickness, demonic
oppression, etc. It is being saved from the power, pleasure and penalty of sin.
The word used in the original Greek text of the New Testament is Swthria (pronounced Soteria)
and it encompasses all these meanings. Here's a screenshot of the KJV New
Testament Greek Lexicon:
The
NIRV is more expressive: “He says, “When I had mercy on you, I heard you. On
the day I saved you, I helped you.” (Isaiah 49:8) I tell you, now is the time
God has mercy. Now is the day He saves.”
The
MSG version says- “Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be
helped. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late,
throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing.”
In
essence, don't delay coming under God's Grace to experience His salvation from
sins, earthly ills and death.
Even
now, Christ is saving His people (who utterly look to Him for salvation as
the Israelites that were bitten by snakes looked to the bronze serpent that
Moses lifted up in the wilderness) from sins and every earthly ill. See
Christ's typology in John 3:14-17. No rushing off to do things by human
strength (law-keeping) in order to be made whole and “not perish but have
eternal life.” Dependence on human strength would only cause
the snake sting (sin/old nature inherited from Adam) to work faster and
produce symptoms that lead to death (acts of sin their deathly effects.)
See this reflected in Romans 7:5-
“When
we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us,
and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds,
resulting in death.”
Just
as the Israelites would have perished had they divided their attention between
the bronze serpent and what they could do by their own power in order to be
saved, proclaiming Jesus while trying to keep the law (human
striving at being godly like God) in order to “not perish but have
eternal life" only causes sin and death to reign as it did with
Adam. Only by utter dependence on Christ alone can we be free from sin and
death. Matthew 1:21 says of the Giver of our “now" salvation:
"She
will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people
from their sins.”
Also
Titus 2:14 says of Him: "He gave His life to free us from every
kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally
committed to doing good deeds.”
And
hear the ongoing work of Christ's now salvation from our
Saviour Jesus Christ Himself as we await the final delivery in the package of
His salvation at the End - our bodily redemption:
"Jesus
said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The
Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way
you’ll ever come. Only then do I do My work, putting people together,
setting them on their feet, ready for the End." John 6:43-46
(MSG)
Now is the day of
salvation, but many are not taking advantage of God's wonderful Grace and so
are not experiencing salvation from sickness, lack, stupid mistakes and earthly
ills in general. This is why Paul admonished the Corinthians in verse 1 of 2
Corinthians 6-
“1
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the
grace of God in vain.”
Understand
that God's Grace is a Person. HIs name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of
Him: "God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing
salvation for everyone."
Grace-
Christ Himself - is the One that brings salvation, even now, for
everyone. We see how God's Grace can be in vain in the life of man in Galatians
2:21, written by the same Paul:
“21
I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the
law, then Christ died in vain.”
See
the NIRV- “I do not get rid of the grace of God. What if a person could become
right with God by obeying the law? Then Christ died for nothing!”
Trying
to obey the law in order to notch up points of righteousness in God's sight or
for whatever reason after God gave us His own Son for this purpose is throwing
God's Grace in the trash and eschewing His now Salvation.
Recall “God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation
for everyone." So no “now” salvation for any who depends on his
human striving at keeping the law in order to get right with God. Such are cut
off from Christ who is Grace-personified-
“For
if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have
been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's Grace.” Galatians 5:4.
Some
churchgoers try to compartmentalize the law into moral law/oral law/ceremonial
law and say that we who believe are still subject to some of these compartments
of the law. What a horrid antichrist teaching! The law is a whole and just like
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (a picture of the law - see this
in Romans 7:8-12) which
has many parts, eating of any part of the law (letter) kills,
whether moral, oral, ceremonial or the one with which man privately judges
himself in his heart (see Romans 2:12-15.)
Romans
5:9 says of how God sees all who believe in Jesus-
“And
there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the
blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous
in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience
the wrath of God."
Anything
that one believes he has to do/not do
by his own will-power/ human effort (arm of flesh) in order to be right with or
“okay with” God is law.
“The
letter (law) kills but the Spirit gives life" is a very popular Bible verse.
With the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by might nor by power. It
is impossible for doers of works of the Law that kills to deceive themselves in
this matter: if you knew and believed that it is Christ in you doing your works
and not your own might and power; if you believed that Christ is Saviour from
sins, it would be difficult for you to point accusing fingers at others who are
still held captive by sin or threaten them with judgment if they don't change.
Rather, you would see how helpless man is to overcome sins and produce good
works by himself and point such to Christ who saves from sins and transforms
the sinner who truly believes to live right as He is doing for you.
Romans
7 also shows us that the law that we who believe are dead to includes the Ten
Commandments; Paul used the 10th Commandments (You shall not covet) as an
example in this chapter.
Antichrist
pastors and unbelieving churchgoers are always quick to imply that God's Grace
(undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour) is a blank cheque
for committing sins and living recklessly, as if everyone but them is just
itching to commit sins. But God's word says differently. His word says when we
receive the truth of His Grace and His gift of everlasting righteousness, we
get to live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ our now Salvation
from sin and death:
"And
the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one
man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our
being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the
sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is
God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it
will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus
Christ." Romans
5:17-18.
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