CELEBRATION OF SALVATION

 The Monthly Devotional E-magazine for December titled "CELEBRATION OF 

SALVATION" by their Excellency, Apostle Winston Joseph and Sister Parveen Winston 

is now available for all Partners of AWJM. 

Many a man has been looking for salvation. They assume that they would receive salvation through some knowledgeable person or through some religious performance that is like saying that their act would take them through. Of course, we honour them those knowledgeable and wise men who have done well for the country today and are gone There are some exemplary in whose honour we have names of roads, flyovers, towns, railway stations, airports, colleges, universities etc. However, redemption is impossible through knowledgeable or wise men or through religious performance because to redeem men is not in the hands of men. In reality, it is only the Bible that says, ‘Every human must attain salvation’ but the question remains how?

Salvation is the Precious Gift!

God sent His only son on the earth. Do you know the most valuable gift God sent through his only son? Of course yes, God sent His only son with the treasured gift of salvation to the earth so that humanity can be redeemed. The good news is we receive salvation for free and we do not have to pay any price to receive this prized gift. This is most likely the reason the believers fail to understand salvation and take it lightly. From now onwards as you understand the sanctity of the word you will hold on to it till your last breath and you will never lose this cherished gift as the gift we have received is not from humans but the Father God himself given it to us through His son.

Majority of the believers celebrate important days and people in the world but would take the gift of salvation very lightly. In reality, no human have the audacity to buy the gift. If someone is a billionaire and may think that it can be bought but it is impossible for human to buy the gift of salvation.

The reason being that God the Father has given it free to humanity through His son Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly we do not need any human mediation who would give us the gift. No human on this earth would dare to say that they can redeem someone or save them from their sin, inequities and transgression. There is only one in history that delivers us from sin, inequity and salvation and that is Jesus Christ. Yes, the one and only Jesus who is eternal and the one who gives us the free gift of salvation. To receive this gift we ourselves have to seek after it and hang on to it.

When did humanity receive the salvation?

Matthew 18:21

The word is loud and clear that Mary conceived not through human but through the Holy Spirit. And he was told to call him with the name Jesus who would redeem people from their sin. This is enough reason for us to celebrate salvation. Have no doubt that the world is looking for salvation and they are ready to pay any price to receive it but the believers have received it effortlessly and that to absolutely free without any price tag to it.

What is the meaning of salvation?

Redemption means being set free forever by someone. Salvation in common lingua is also known as redemption, conservation, deliverance from destruction, to be transferred from darkness to light, so and so forth. Salvation is a stage where a person is set free from the bondage of sin to liberty from the power of sin and the presence of sin. Undoubtedly, before coming into faith the name written on our forehead was child of wrath but when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour the name on our forehead changes to child of God. Yes, now that we have become the children of God there is no decree of punishment against us because we have received salvation and Jesus himself has compensated for our wrongdoing. Today we ought to know consequential salvation and how it is a cardinal key for the believers; and believers must not be airily dismissive. Is salvation just an emotion that can be felt?  Salvation is not an emotion rather it is to know the person Jesus Christ, knowing his deeds and his teachings. Today revelation would open your eyes to see and would enable you to never take your salvation lightly.

When we were bound by the shackles of sin that drowned us underneath its power and we were under the heavy weight of sin. We were constantly reminded of our sins that would bring us down to a place of inferiority complex. However, the moment we found ourselves in Christ Jesus we had liberty. Yes, when we accepted Jesus as Lord in our life then we received salvation and we were liberated from the bounding shackles of sin. Let us try to understand the inferiority complex through an example. Many a times when a person commits a mistake in our family, neighbour or among relatives, we would not give up rather would go to length to make sure to remind of the mistakes done by that person. As for example if a husband had done something wrong then the wife would make sure that he would not only realise his mistake but also apologise to her. In reality, the person who commits blunders does not receive forgiveness easily. Although we were sinners but Lord Jesus Christ paid for our sins and liberated us completely. It is the good news that we celebrate as a priceless gift of salvation.

Is salvation mandatory for each and every person?

Yes as the bible says that salvation is for everyone. Salvation is only through Lord Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, salvation is possible only through Lord Jesus Christ. It is through His shed blood for us that we receive salvation.

When a person approaches God in the state of sin then the person eternally dies in the same state of sin. However when a person receives salvation in the name of Lord Jesus Christ then one would be set free from one’s own sinful works; and when the person approaches God through Christ then the person would glorify God and receive eternal life. This is the reason why each and every person need salvation. The apostle always reminds us that many in this world are looking for salvation and they must not be denied precious salvation and this is the reason why the believers ought to open their mouth to share the good news of salvation. So that as we have received our salvation that others may also receive their salvation and that they may be saved from eternal death and enter eternal life as we have entered it. As we have received the gift of salvation for free there are others who need this free gift of salvation. Because there are many who are wandering with their sin or they are looking for their redemption from sin who are those unaware of salvation by the living Lord Jesus Christ. It is true that many believers do not communicate the salvation by living Lord Jesus Christ sitting tight with their mouth shut thinking that I have already received salvation then what relation do I have with the unsaved one! However, this approach is not right and as a believer, we must propagate the good news so that no one would be denied of the valuable gift of salvation.

Do people doing good work also need salvation?

Romans 3:23

The word clearly tells us that humans are sinners and therefore denied of the glory of God. Many think that those who sin require salvation and those who do good works in our society do not require salvation. In the world today many film stars live a sinful life and at the same time engage themselves in charitable works. But this is a wrong approach. The worldly mindset is that good works cover up for your wrongdoing. Is it for real that their charitable works have earned salvation for them? This is a complicated question but its answer is really simple.

Isaiah 64:06

The scripture answers that charitable works are like dirty linen. Let us say for example that today a person commits sin and then realises it and so in order to erase that sin, he or she engages in charitable works that is to say that those charitable works in their eyes then becomes price or reason for their redemption. However, it is an absolutely wrong approach in the eyes of God as no amount of charity can cover your sin. It can be compared with cloth with which cleans our floor and no matter how much we clean it always remains dirty.

And if we cannot wear our clothes of daily use after mopping the floor even after thorough wash as the stains remain so is charitable works of a person become null and void and sin remains uncovered. So if a person does not accept to wear mopped clothes then how God would accept charitable works for the atonement of sin. So God clearly looks at the works of charity as dirty linen and the balance sheet of sin is not justified. The works of inequity have been compared to wind meaning thereby that nobody can count it, hence it has no value to it or its value is zero. Salvation cannot be attained through charities. Undoubtedly, Salvation can only be received through the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ who is the one who can redeem us from sin.