The Power of the GospelExemplo

The Gospel Truth About Salvation

I live in a town on a lake. Our lake can get as deep as eighteen meters, but it remains shallow a long way from the shoreline. I can walk a couple hundred meters into the water and still be only waist-deep. And when I am standing in one meter of water, I have no fear of drowning.

I have had the fear of drowning before, though. I tried swimming across a different lake once and only got halfway before realizing that I didn’t have the energy to finish. Those were terrifying moments before someone came and rescued me.

Sometimes, we mistakenly think we are “only up to our waist” in trouble with sin. We know we do bad things, but nothing really terrible. We don’t murder. We don’t rob banks. We don’t burn down buildings. Because of that, we don’t think that we are in any need of help.

The reality is that we are in deep, deep water, and we don’t have the energy to get across. We are drowning. On our own, we are headed for damnation.

Hell is real. It is horrific, it is final, it is terrifying. It is eternal separation from the love and presence of God.

Some people have had “near-death experiences.” Though most are pleasant, some are absolutely horrible; people seem to be catching glimpses of hell. These experiences include being torn apart, absolute darkness, indescribable stench, desolation, and the absence of anything beautiful or pleasant.

Scripture pulls no punches on the horror of hell.

Apart from Jesus’ sacrifice, that is our destiny.

The good news is that salvation has been made available to us!

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, apart from You, my destiny was one of misery. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Keep me from flirting with hellish things. Turn my heart towards You at all times, and help me live my eternal life even now. Amen.

Reflection: What are some descriptions you have heard about Heaven? Are there any of them that seem somewhat dull and undesirable to you? What do you think Heaven will be like? What do you think hell will be like? How important is it for you to know about Heaven and hell? Why?