“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his blessings…” – Psalm 103:2
Our salvation in Jesus Christ does more than just give us entrance to heaven after the end of this life. It’s so much more than having our names put on the Lamb’s Book of Life. It’s more than just feeling a nice, fuzzy feeling.
It’s so much more than that.
The truth is that the salvation we receive in Christ is the ticket to just about anything we could dream of, work for, and ask of God. This is the key to unlimited blessings. It’s the doorway to a whole new world where we find ourselves loved, cherished, and endowed with a future, no matter who we are.
All of these things are given to us in Christ, because he has done for us what we could not do: the will of God. He took the beatings because of us (Isaiah 53:4-6), was separated from God for a time because of us (see Matthew 27:46) and died on this cross because of us (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 4:25). At the end, we read him say,
“It’s finish!” (see John 19:30)
Christ’s atoning sacrifice does more for us than we can ever imagine or think. It does more for us than our hearts and minds can ever comprehend. And it does so much more for us than we can ever do for ourselves, no matter how hard we try.
To help you live in the fullness of Christ’s salvation, here are some benefits that only his atoning death and resurrection can provide us.
1) He gives us access to the Father
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” (John 14:6)
Christ gives us access to the Father. While sin separated us from our holy and loving Creator, Christ’s atoning sacrifice frees us from the grip of sin and allows us to be reconciled to the Father. Through Christ we can now call God our “Father” and be assured of his love for us. (see Romans 8:31-39)
2) He gives us the privilege of being adopted as sons of God
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither man nor woman; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you’re Christ’s, then you’re Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)
More than just being able to call God our Father, we are now legally His children through Christ. And think of the benefits it brings!
Through Christ we enjoy the benefits of God’s goodness. We are guaranteed to have open arms and open ears whenever we come (see Hebrews 4:16). We are assured of all heavenly blessings in Christ (see Ephesians 1:3). These and many more are attributed to us.
3) It gives us an ever-present, inner hope for this life and beyond.
“In him also you trusted, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in him also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the possessions acquired, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
More than just being assured of eternal life after we die on earth, we are also assured of abundant life on earth (see John 10:10). God gives us His Holy Spirit – the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead – as a guarantee of His love for us. The Holy Spirit enables us to live confident that God will never leave us or forsake us, let alone empower us to live a life of holiness and godliness.
