Read 2 Corinthians 5:15

15 And he died for all,so that those who live might live no longer for themselves,but for him who died and was raised for them. (NRSV)

When we think of ‘salvation’,we often see it in terms of being rescued from an eternity away from God and being given eternal life with God. We are saved ‘from’ a destiny we find repellent. We are delivered from God’s just condemnation of our human wrongdoing.

And yet we are saved ‘for’ another destiny: that called heaven. Life forever with God in the new heavens and the new earth. We dare not focus on the horrors of hell at the expense of the delights of heaven.

But there is another dimension to our salvation,and Paul highlights it in our text today. Being ‘saved’ is meant to make a difference here and now. We are not just waiting to enjoy real life in the new age. We are meant to make a difference right now. And we make that difference by living for Jesus. He didn’t save us in order to secure entry to heaven in the future: he saved us to start extending his rule on earth in the present.

Jesus died and rose again to show us the way back to God had opened up. His resurrection establishes his authority over all things and all people. Our new life begins now,not at our death. For all his followers,Jesus promises new life before death not just new life after death.

Blessings
David Reay