76. Salvation is Near
Romans 13:11 For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Salvation is near whenever and wherever we need it, and we need it all the time and everywhere; it is near in time and near in place.There is no place or time or situation that we do not need salvation since we are always in sin and always in danger. Our enemies are always present around us wherever we are; at certain times and places we can sense a clear and present danger. But we can be assured that salvation is also present. Both Friend and Enemy are ever present, and we are able to jump into one or the other. We have a safe place to go; salvation is near. Jesus invites continually: “Come unto Me!”
Salvation is nearer in time than when we first believed: as day passes into another day we grow older and at the same time closer to God, His love, and His salvation. Finally, the Day will come when Full and Permanent Salvation is ours forever. Once we were baptized and believed and we are saved from sin and shame, death and hell, the Devil and his demons. This is Good News; but even Better News for us is that salvation gets progressively nearer, closer, surer, more meaningful, more enjoyable, and even more peaceful.
Salvation is nearer in space than when we first believed; as each day passes by faith in Christ we become more and more aware of the presence and closeness of Jesus in our life. We can be as close to Jesus as we want to be. He is always close by, as close as our mouth and our heart, but we do not always avail ourselves of that close by presence. We may confess the Lord and believe in Him; when we do we draw near. He never leaves us, but we drift away from Him. But wherever we are we can come back by hearing the Gospel, repenting and believing.
Salvation is nearer in prayer than when we first believed: we gradually become more and more aware of the need and power of prayer. The more we live the more we realize the promise and the availability of prayer. The Holy Spirit uses the experiences of life and the experiences of prayer to prompt us to pray more often and about more things than maybe we once did. We become more and more certain that God hears us and yearns to hear us. When He hears He saves; He saves from whatever problems we get ourselves into. Salvation is nearer.