Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. (Rom 13:11)That sounds a bit odd at first. I thought we who believe are already saved. And it is true that we are, but Scripture lists all three tenses -- "were saved," "are being saved," and "will be saved." So this one would be the ultimate "salvation" -- that final point at which we are no longer subjected to pain or sin. Free at last. Then there's the almost silly nature of it. Anything future tense can be spoken of as being "nearer to us now than when we first believed." Tomorrow is nearer to us now than it was yesterday. Christmas is nearer to us now than it was in January. Jesus's return is "nearer to us now than when we first believed." So is that significant? It is.
To me, it is an incredibly comforting thought. This life is joy and pain, struggle and rest, suffering and comfort. It is a dark tunnel, but for us there is a light at the end and we can see it. Paul wrote:
We do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:16-18)Everyone suffers in some sense. There is all kinds of pain in the world. No one gets through without it. We comfort ourselves with phrases like "No pain, no gain," and there is truth in it. Biblical truth (e.g., Rom 5:3-5; James 1:2-4). But this text adds another level of comfort. It is "momentary." It is "transient." Salvation -- our escape from all that hurts and harms -- is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Relief -- ultimate relief -- is on the way. And that relief is eternal. I find great comfort in that.
No comments:
Post a Comment