Evening Prayer 1-18-11

Reading for Evening Prayer 1-18-11:
Romans 8:18-39

Is it wrong to speak of salvation as something that is hoped for?

     When reading through tonight's reading St. Paul states that "For in this hope we were saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we for it with patience."  (Romans 8:24-25)  Our salvation is totally accomplished, finished and completed by the perfect life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That is why He said from the cross, "It is finished."  He offered Himself freely as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.  That means all of your sins and all of my sins.  It was personal when He died on the cross.

     However, as we read yesterday, our lives are a dichotomy, we are sinner and saint at the same time.  We do not fully perceive all that our salvation is to be.  We still struggle in the flesh, we are tempted, we suffer, we complain, and ultimately we die.  We die because of our sin, but we have hope.  For the Scriptures state that "I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor power, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8:38-39)  We have hope that Jesus Christ who died in our place and rose again has defeated the grave.  We have hope that as we profess in the great Creeds of the faith in the "resurrection of the body and life everlasting."  Do you hear that though our bodies may decay and die there is coming a day, when our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will return?  When that occurs our bodies will be resurrected, just like His.  This is when we realize the full effect of the salvation that He has obtained for us. 

     In this life, though we will suffer, but as the reading states this present suffering are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.  This glory is when Christ returns and we join Him in our resurrected bodies.  This is when as Revelation teaches us that "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."  (Revelation 21:4)  When we are glorified with Christ we will no longer be tempted and tried.  We will be able see our God face to face.  We will be forever in His presence to sing the eternal praises to the Lamb upon the Throne, who died for us and obtained eternal life for us.  This is our hope that we look forward, this is our eternal reward because of Jesus Christ.  To Him be the Glory!  Amen.