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.