Eye on Eternity

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  Romans 13:11-12a

From Guest Blogger Dan Thews:

St. Paul is referring, of course, to the climactic event to which all Christians eagerly look forward — the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. To Paul this event was going to be as dramatic as the daily coming of dawn and the resultant banishment of darkness. When Christ returns, as He promised He would, the night will give way to day and darkness will be lost in the light of His presence. It is to this overwhelming event that all believers look forward. It is to the dawn of the new day that we are orientated.

The return of Jesus will signal the finalization of our salvation. That is what St. Paul means when he says, “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). At the moment of justification, we are introduced to salvation that is far from complete — it is initial. At that same moment we also become an heir to salvation that is potential, but we must wait until we meet Christ face-to-face to experience salvation that in the fullest sense is actual.

Our initial salvation delivers us from the penalty of sin; we are heirs to the salvation that gives us the promise of ultimate freedom from sin’s power and presence. And one day when Christ takes us to glory, our salvation from sin’s penalty, power, and presence, which were potentially ours from the moment of justification, will be ours in actuality! To this great day we look forward with great joy!

The problem with living on earth is that the things of earth, which clamor for so much attention, can become totally absorbing.  The believer can begin to think like everyone else in the world, believe the world’s philosophies, adopt its attitudes and even emulate the lifestyle we see all around. We must remember that our reality is not “down here” — it is “up there.” We are citizens of heaven and merely resident aliens here on earth. As Paul tells us, it is the reminder of Christ’s return and the resultant consummation of earth’s history that is the stimulus to us with regard to our lifestyle on earth.  It is our eternal orientation.

Prayer: Lord, keep our eternal orientation on You and You alone, until you come again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


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