Salvation

FOCUS READING

Revelation 7:10-12 (NRSV)

They cried out in a loud voice, saying,‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing,‘Amen! blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’

DAILY BYTE

Today, notice a 2nd thing about the passage from Revelation for this week.

When the huge crowd of people we talked about yesterday cry out in one voice together, notice what they are saying: “Salvation belongs to our God!”

In other words, the power and decision to save people belongs to God. Not to us. Not to our judgment – not to our timing. But to God’s judgment and God’s timing.

And thank God. Because with all of our tendencies toward racism and prejudice and greed – whether we claim these things for ourselves or not - I’m not so sure we’d be up to the task.

The fact that salvation belongs to God might be a relief for you, or it might make you a bit nervous...

Because if salvation belongs to God and not to us, that means there may be a possibility that we might find people who proclaim themselves to be atheists on earth, singing praises in heaven – that we might find people in heaven who profess on earth to be Hindu, like Ghandi, or any other religion.

It means that we may not find some other people who profess to be Christians – if, as Christians, we choose to hold on to attitudes like racism, sexism, and poor environmental stewardship.

I believe that these and many other ways of living based on hatred and injustice will not be tolerated in the fullness of the kingdom of heaven. God is clear in the Word that there will be things in our lives that he judges unacceptable for heaven.

And so our job as people who follow Jesus is to try and allow as much of heaven into our present life as possible. But, should we be so confident that other people who may not profess to have a personal relationship with Jesus – but who through their actions and love bring more of Jesus’ way into the world – are not a part of this multitude singing ‘Salvation belongs to our God’?

Is it possible for everyone that we love and agree with to get into heaven, but others we struggle to love, who may even have sinned against us, and others who don’t share our exact same beliefs, won’t be there? What if the person you’re thinking of as someone who’s on the ‘out list’ is the same person that someone else has definitely on their ‘in list’? How can someone be in their heaven but not in yours? If there is one true God, then surely there can only be one kingdom of heaven that includes everyone together that God desires.

It may have sounded from some of the things I’ve been saying like I believe there is room for more than one religion’s God. Let’s be clear – I believe the scripture we’ve read is talking about the one true God, known to us through Jesus Christ.

I’m not saying that Jesus is not the way, the truth, and the life.
That is, in fact, exactly what I’m saying.

That Jesus is the one who saves. And he decides how and when it’s done.
And Jesus is clear in his teachings that it is often the unexpected people – the sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes that are told – the kingdom of heaven belongs to you.

Do you believe that salvation belongs to our God?

PRAY AS YOU GO

As you contemplate today the mystery and enormity of God’s saving power and grace, meditate on the prayer, popularly known as the Jesus Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.