Salvation Is For Today: Why Following Jesus Matters Right Now
Have you ever noticed how often we live our lives with the end in mind? We're just trying to get through the day, the week, or maybe even waiting for our kids to move out. Perhaps you're counting down to retirement or the end of a disappointing baseball season. We focus so much on what's coming that we miss what's happening right now.
I love Christmas, but my favorite thing isn't actually Christmas Day. It's everything we enjoy along the way – the hot chocolate, Christmas lights, gatherings, and (of course) Hallmark Christmas movies. Each of these experiences makes the season what it can be.
Too often, we approach our spiritual lives the same way – thinking about faith primarily as preparation for what comes after death rather than something that transforms our present reality. But what if I told you that salvation isn't just a "get out of hell free" card? What if it's actually about today?
Salvation: God's Comprehensive Rescue Plan
If there's one thing I want you to take away from this message, it's this: Salvation is for today. Salvation is as much about today and the way you live moving forward as it is about what happens to you when you die.
In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul unpacks what it means to have a relationship with Jesus – an idea far bigger and greater than just escaping a place we hope not to go when we die. Everyone everywhere wonders, "How do I have peace with God?" Today, I want to answer that question by sharing three things about having a relationship with God that makes it worth it both now and in the future.
You Have Been Saved: Peace with God Today
When you say yes to Jesus, you have been saved. Romans 5:1 tells us, "Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ, our Lord has done for us."
Notice the phrase "have been made right" – that's past tense. It's something that happened once upon a time. There's nothing we can do to add to it or subtract from it. As Pastor Jim mentioned in part one of this series, Ephesians 2 reminds us that salvation is a gift of God. It's not ours to add to; it has been accomplished.
What do we get? "We have peace with God." The kind of peace Paul writes about isn't just a temporary ceasefire; it means living in harmony. It goes beyond being okay with each other to having a close relationship. When you say yes to Jesus, you don't just escape punishment – you gain God's presence.
A few weeks ago, I had lunch with my friend Dr. Israel Kamedandu, a brilliant Bible scholar. We discussed the original Greek text of Romans 5, and something powerful emerged. The phrase translated as "has brought us into" in Romans 5:2 comes from the Greek word "prosagōgē." A person in the first century would have immediately thought about the opening to a harbor that welcomes ships from the open sea.
This word paints a beautiful picture: when life gets crazy, when the waves are crashing around you and the winds are whipping, Jesus invites you into the harbor of safety. He says, "Welcome home. You are safe here."
You Are Being Saved: Transformation in Progress
When you say yes to Jesus, you have been saved, but you are also being saved. Salvation is an ongoing process.
Romans 5:3-4 says, "We can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation."
Paul tells us that the difficulties in our lives can help us become a better approximation of who Jesus wants us to be. When we orient our hearts toward God during challenges, it changes who we are and how people interact with us.
Now, I'm not talking about being one of those annoying people who's always positive about everything. Sometimes it's okay to acknowledge that things aren't what we hoped. (I notice less red in this room today than the past several Sundays – some of you have acknowledged that the game didn't go as we hoped!)
When you're rooted in God's love, even the difficult stuff in your life – job stress, difficult relationships, middle-of-the-night anxiety – can become tools in God's hands to orient your life toward Him. That means you're not stuck being the same person you were yesterday. The anxiety that controls your thoughts, God can help you capture those thoughts and make them obedient to His truth. The way you compare yourself to others on social media, God can help you see yourself as fearfully and wonderfully made.
This transformation happens through what John Wesley calls "the means of grace" – prayer, reading scripture, authentic community, serving others, and fasting. These aren't just religious activities; they're conduits through which God's grace changes our lives from the inside out.
You Will Be Saved: A Hope That Doesn't Disappoint
Finally, when you say yes to Jesus, you will be saved. This is where most people start their faith journey – thinking about the afterlife – but it's actually where we should end up, not where we begin.
Romans 5:5 promises, "And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."
The world is full of disappointments and letdowns. Dreams get built up only to come crashing down. But what sets followers of Jesus apart is that our hope does not lead to disappointment. It takes us somewhere we want to go.
Paul doubles down on this idea in Romans 5:10: "For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son, Jesus."
Why will we be saved? Because Jesus is trustworthy. Because God did what He said He would do. Because Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected. That gives us certainty about our future.
Putting It Into Practice: Living in Today's Salvation
If salvation is for today, how do we live that out? Here are some practical steps:
Start each day with gratitude – Be thankful that you have an opportunity to know and interact with a God who loved you so much that 2,000 years ago, He did something to give you peace.
Remember the harbor – When life gets crazy, when our culture seems off the rails, remember you've been invited into the safety of God's harbor where Jesus says, "Welcome home."
Embrace transformation – Allow the difficulties in your life to become tools in God's hands. Your anxiety, perfectionism, or people-pleasing tendencies don't have to be hardwired into your personality.
Engage with the means of grace – Prayer, scripture, community, and service aren't just religious activities; they're channels through which God transforms you.
Live with unshakable hope – In a world full of disappointments, stand firm in the hope that doesn't disappoint – the certainty that God keeps His promises.
Remember, God's love for you isn't based on anything you will ever do, but on what He has already done. There's nothing you can do to make God love you more. There's nothing you can do to make God love you less. Salvation isn't just about the future – salvation is for today.
