As I have asked before, (and will again just one more time) do you have peace and contentment in your life? Are you living a John 10:10 kind of life? Do you believe Ephesians 3:20 can be a reality for you? Are you experiencing the transforming growth described in 2 Corinthians 3:18? As I have said before, the ability to live this type of life can be found in this verse:

So get rid of all uncleanness and all that remains of wickedness, and with a humble spirit receive the word [of God] which is implanted [actually rooted in your heart], which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21 Amplified)

We have already unpacked the following concepts, uncleanness, wickedness, humble, receive and implant. Today we will look at the concept of save. One of my favorite hoodie sweatshirts which I purchased at Edisto Beach a few years back says, “No Lifeguard on duty, save yourself.” Even just typing that brings a smile to my face because it is impossible to save one’s self if they do not know how to swim.

And oh how does this apply to the concept of save from this verse. As human beings, we are born with a need that we cannot fulfill. The need is to satisfy a just God and His demand to live a life of perfection to enter into eternal bliss rather than wrath. We must live a life that is holy and righteous. He demands nothing less than perfection. But our problem is that no effect or hard work will allow us to do this…to save ourselves. No amount of piousness will fulfill the commandment to live a sinless life. We simply cannot do it because of the sin nature in us. As we all know, we do not need to teach a toddler to be mean or selfish…we must teach her to be kind and to share.

It is only when the Word of God that we received is rooted in us, that we can be saved. Rescued. Delivered. Kept from harm.

I believe this salvation is a process. We are created in the image of God and are therefore triune beings – spirit, soul and body. Immediately upon believing the Gospel, our spirit is made new and is saved – this is justification. Our soul (mind, will and emotions) is saved through the process of sanctification (which we will talk about more next time) and our body is saved through glorification upon the return of Jesus or when we die and meet Him face to face.

So the question for you today is, “Are you saved by God’s grace?” or are you still trying to save yourself?