Saved? From what?

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Jeremiah 12:1–14:10 
1 Thessalonians 1:1–2:8 
Psalm 79:1-13 
Proverbs 24:30-34

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (ESV) "For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In our Verses for Today, the Apostle Paul is bragging on the church at Thessalonica. They received the Gospel even though they were being persecuted for it. As a result, their example was being talked about in areas well beyond their city.

But, I want us to focus on the last phrase of today's verses...

"Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

If you want to ask someone if they are a Jesus-follower, you might ask the question: "Are you saved?"

As Christians, we have come to use that biblical word a lot. When we say "saved," we understand that it refers to the person who has trusted in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross on their behalf to forgive them, cleanse them, and make them God's child.

But, "saved" is one of those words that is used so often that we may not realize what it is actually talking about.

What does it mean to be "saved?"

If I told you that someone was drowning in a lake but I saved them, what would that mean? Simply that they were going to die but I took action and spared them of that tragic end.

If I told you that I came upon a car wreck and saved someone whose vehicle was engulfed in flames, what would that mean? Simply that they were going to die but I took action and spared them of that tragic end.

So, when Christians say that we are "saved," what does that mean? It simply means that we were headed for something utterly horrific but God took action and spared us of that tragic end.

What did God save us from?

"Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

Friend, God is a loving God (1 John 4:8,16) but He is also a just God (Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18). He has set a day upon which He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31). And as a good, righteous Judge, He has no choice but to send sinful lawbreakers to a fiery Hell (Revelation 20:11-15). 

This is the "wrath to come," friend. This is where we are all headed unless God steps in to save us from this tragic end.

But God did step in to save us. He took drastic measures that enabled Him to maintain His holiness (our sin had to be paid for) and reveal His love (Jesus willingly offered His life as the payment for our sins - Romans 5:8).

So, all that is left is for us to receive that free gift. We do so by repenting (turning from sin and self-rule) and trusting in Jesus (resting in what He did to make us right in God's eyes). And when we do this, we are once and for all time "saved from the wrath to come."

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."