With the message from Easter Sunday still fresh in our hearts, I feel compelled to post this today. Although we all recognize that the gift of Jesus’ blood shed for us rescued us from hell, the truth is his death purchased even more than that. Although that is more than enough and much more than we deserved, Jesus loves us so much that he desires more for us. So, what else did Jesus purchase for us at Calvary? Abundant life.
According to Wikipedia, abundant life refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy for spirit, soul, and body. Jesus came so we could live a full life in this world, not just the next. Unfortunately, Christians are not living out of this abundance and are instead living just as defeated as non-Christians. I doubt if many Christians could honestly say they live an abundant life.
We as Christians must begin to understand what was purchased for us so we can protect it against the devil and become better witnesses for the gospel. The Greek word for Salvation, Soteria, points to this abundant life and everything that Jesus purchased for us on the cross.
Soteria is a broad term that includes restoration to a state of safety, soundness, health, well-being, and preservation from the danger of destruction. Today I want to go over the first definition.
State of Safety
The definition of a state of safety is freedom from the occurrence of risk of injury, danger, or loss. I do not believe this means that Christians will face no problems in this world; in fact, Jesus promises us just that, but it does mean we should not live a life of fear and expect harm.
The reality is that we have an active enemy who fights against the promises of God. But the good news is we have authority over all his powers (Luke 10:19)! We are not humans who are defeated and must merely struggle through this life. Instead, we have the same power that raised Christ from the dead, living inside us. To put it simply, if Jesus wouldn’t put up with something, then neither should we.
Mark 16:18 describes one of the traits of a follower of Christ as someone who will not be harmed by picking up snakes and drinking deadly poisons. Luke 10:19, which I referred to earlier, Jesus ends his instruction to the 72 by telling them that nothing will harm them.
This verse does not mean that we should unnecessarily place ourselves in harm’s way by drinking poison or doing dangerous things. Instead, we should not expect harm should we be forced into that position.
Paul’s Snake Bite
We can see an example of the protection of God in Acts 28:3-6, where a snake bites Paul. The people around him watched and waited for Paul to die, but he had no ill effects from the bite. There is nothing about Paul that was more special than there is about you and me. We have the same resurrection power and the same promise of protection from harm.
Paul’s reaction to the snake bite, however, I believe is what was key here. When the snake bit Paul, he did not react in fear. Instead, Paul shook the snake off into the fire and moved on with his task. Paul didn’t expect harm from that bite. You may have harm latch itself to you like the teeth of a snake, but you do not have to submit to it; you can shake it into the fire of the Holy Spirit and move forward.
Perhaps you are thinking, um wasn’t Paul beaten numerous times and eventually martyred? Yup, he was, but I believe Paul had to decide to submit to these things. Being imprisoned and beaten for Jesus spread the gospel and strengthened the story of the resurrection. Paul knew this and put the gospel above his comfort and well-being.
Protect the Promises
I want to note that I’m not saying our lives as Christians should be perfect and trial free, but they should be victorious. We must quit submitting to the devil’s attacks and stand firmly on the promises of protection from harm.
Take a minute today and examine your current situation; is there anything in your life that Jesus wouldn’t put up with? If the answer is yes, I say this with love; to myself and you, why are you putting up with it?
Referenced Verses: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A19&version=ESVhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+16%3A18&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+28%3A3-6&version=ESV