There is a brief phrase in verse 5 of our reading today which explains what has happened to us. It is the phrase "He saved us". Each word is full of meaning. "He" of course refers to Jesus Christ and to no one else. Christ the Son of God alone can be our Saviour. Then "saved" is so often used in referring to what Christ has done. It means to be kept from what otherwise would have happened to us and also to be kept for what God has planned for us. And the word "us" covers the great crowd of men and women who will all meet in heaven some day. It includes the New Testament saints and all who have believed in Christ since then. What has Christ saved us from? Paul spells it all out in verse 3. It is not a nice picture but then that is what we were before Christ came in. Some people lived better lives than others but we were all sinners bound for a lost eternity until Christ stepped in and saved us. Christ saved us and in doing so He gave us new life in Himself. We were born again and we received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Then in verse 7 Paul tells us of our new standing before God. We were justified - that means that in God's sight He sees us in Christ as being perfect. It means we can stand before Him and have fellowship with Him. And He has made us joint heirs with Christ (v.7) Think of all the changes that have come into our lives, from what we were as described in verse 3 and our position now in Christ as seen in verses 4-7. It is not because of what we have done but because of what Christ has done for us in the mercy and goodness of God. Why not take time to think back over your life and see what God has done, and what changes He has made in your life? Then of course, take time to praise Him for all of these. |
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