Jesus Can Save You to the Uttermost
We were making tacos for dinner one
day when I opened the package of shells to place them in the oven to be warmed
up. Normally I have to carefully situate those hardened tortillas in two slightly
overlapping rows in order to get them to fit in this particular pan. However, on
this occasion I quickly noticed that those taco shells slid into place with
room to spare. There was no doubt about it – they were smaller than they used
to be. The price wasn’t less. There was no announcement on the package label
that those shells had shrunk in size. Like so many products and services in our
society today, we are now paying more and getting less.
Aren’t you thankful that the Lord
doesn’t treat us that way? What if we suddenly discovered that the benefits of the
salvation Jesus purchased for us had been reduced? What if this salvation quit covering
certain sins? What if it only got us peace and hope, but no longer offered us
joy and love? What if it only got us a few hundred years in heaven rather than
an eternity there? Thankfully God doesn’t shortchange us or alter our blessings
due to inflation or any other factors. Jesus paid the price for our receiving a
full and complete salvation. And that price He paid through His sacrificial
death on the cross is still sufficient to cover those needs. We still receive
everything the Bible promises to those who put their faith in Jesus as their
Lord and Savior.
Let’s be careful that we don’t
shortchange ourselves when it comes to receiving the benefits of salvation. God’s
Word declares that Jesus “is also able to save to the uttermost those who come
to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). It also declares, “Now may the God of peace
sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:23). God
offers us more than a salvation that lets us narrowly avoid the fires of hell and
lets us barely squeeze into heaven’s gates. He provides more than a way for us to
continue partaking in the pleasures of sin while having an assurance that He’s
going to overlook whatever we do since we said a prayer one time or got dunked
in a baptismal pool. The salvation Jesus died to provide for us is a means for
us to find both forgiveness and cleansing, to forsake sin and become a holy
person, and to be an overcomer in this life who marches into heaven
victoriously, not having to sneak in through a back door.
Don’t misunderstand. This has
nothing to do with our goodness or our works. It has everything to do with the value
of the blood Jesus shed for us and its power to save us completely. God is able
to do more in our lives than some of us think or more than we’re willing to let
Him do. After the Bible declares how God can sanctify us, or make us holy,
completely, it adds, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (I
Thessalonians 5:24). Do we believe that? God is faithful and able to do what He
says He can do in people’s lives. And He can even do it in your life and mine.
You can be delivered from sin. You can be holy in heart and conduct. You can be
more like Jesus. You can be more than a conqueror through Christ.
God won’t ever shortchange us when
it comes to salvation. Let’s not shortchange ourselves. Let Him save you to the
uttermost.