So Great a Salvation
August 29, 2002 • By Ed Wrather
08.29.02
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds…. - Hebrews 1:1-2.
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…. - Hebrews 2:1-3a.
In Istanbul, Turkey a ship drifting out of control rammed into a well-known Bosphorus-shore restaurant causing much damage to the building. Thankfully, no one was injured and the ship has been pulled away by tugboats. It is uncertain what caused the ship to drift out of control. To reduce the hazards of the Bosphorus, which is one of the busiest waterways in the world, Turkey has installed a new radar system to help guide vessels through the treacherous currents.
People who neglect the things of God become much like that ship drifting uncontrollably. When we neglect the things of God, we may not even be aware ourselves that we are out of control, and if we are not aware most others are not aware either. What gets our attention is when we suddenly come to a crashing halt. The sudden unexpected crash may come through decisions made without seeking the direction of God. The crash may come through our succumbing to temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. But the cause of the crash occurred long before the crash when we began to stop praying, stop reading God’s Word, stop assembling with other believers, stop serving and reaching out to others. The cause that resulted in the crash occurred long before when we began to neglect our great salvation.
Our salvation is so great and should not be neglected because of several things:
Our salvation is eternal (John 10:28).
Our salvation was costly (Philippians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Our salvation is complete (Hebrews 9:28).
Our salvation is exclusive (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
Have you been neglecting your salvation? Why would we ever neglect something so good, so wondrous, and so amazing? Before the crash comes let us stop our drifting and turn back to the safety of the salvation of God. Let us mine that salvation, dive into that salvation, grab hold of that salvation, learn of that salvation, and breathe of that salvation. Let us never, ever neglect “so great a salvation.”