Behold, now is the accepted time
This sounds a bit peremptory, what? No lattitude at all…..like tomorrow, the day after.
Who is it that is speaking in such an authoritative tone?
For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor. 6:2
Who? He……. God.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise…the Creator of the whole universe. Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient……the Alpha and the Omega.
If it is God who made you speaking, shouldn’t you pay heed?
Of course you should, unless you care a fig for your soul.
Talking about the soul, let us see what the Bible has to say:
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Matthew 16:26
Looks like the soul is all important, brother.
Don’t miss the bus.
It is hard not to recall in this context Jesus’s parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins narrated in Matthew 25. Both groups are waiting for the bridegroom. One is all set and ready for the time of the groom’s arrival and the other is not taking things with the seriousness they deserve. Rather casual, let’s see, laissez faire, lackadaisical attitude. And they pay the price. For when they come back after buying oil for their lamps, it is too late.
The door is SHUT.
Wouldn’t you rather be inside along with the bridegroom, participating in the joyous wedding celebration? Outside in the agnostic world, there is no sense of belongingness, no sense of identity; just you and your convoluted thinking leading to despair.
The Bible also gives us a different analogy to mull over. See Revelations 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
If you knew it was Jesus wanting to come into your heart, will you be stationary? Won’t you get up, move and unlock the door and open it for Him to enter?
Salvation is the key word in the matter of relationship with God. Not Religion. Contrary to popular understanding, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
You shouldn’t miss the word “world“! That means all of us. No categorization on the basis of religion.
“To have eternal life” one needs to be “saved”, i.e., that is redeemed from the consequences of sin by the vicarious death of Jesus Christ on the cross. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him“ Isaiah 53:5
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 19:9
That is not too much to ask for eternal life, is it?
Admittedly, it looks like we are going round and round the mulberry bush, saying the same thing over and over again. I should take comfort in Paul’s statement in his letter to the Philippians (3:1) that “ For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.” The man who learnt theology and philosophy at the feet of Dr. Gamaliel nails the notion of new age wisdom in one stroke when he says, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise” 1 Cor.1:27
Yes, it may seem foolish to believe that The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin 1 John 1:7.
Do you want to enter the Kingdom of God? But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles………only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life Rev. 21:27
Are you ready for imputed holiness?