So Great A Salvation

Lately I have been pondering, again, the miraculous nature of our faith. I see that God did not come to us with rational ideas and appeal to our reason. Rather, He revealed Himself supernaturally in many ways, and continues to do so to the present day. In this regard, I was reminded of what is written in the letter to the Hebrews: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world," (Heb. 1:1,2). Then, going further we read, "Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will," (Heb. 2:1-4).

All of that to say that God has chosen to communicate to us by the miraculous revelation of Himself. He did this first through the prophets. But the fullness of His revelation came through His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Since that time, this Gospel has been preached and accompanied by many signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. God continues to reveal Himself supernaturally to the world.

This is not to say that faith and reason are opposed. They are not. But God reveals Himself by faith and expects us to respond by reason. If so many wonderful and miraculous things are happening, then we should reasonably conclude that it is God speaking to us and respond in obedience. This is what it means to believe in Jesus. How can we believe in Him apart from reasonably reflecting on the revelation of Himself? Here is a man who in His life fulfilled numerous prophecies. He worked countless miracles. Finally, He Himself rose from the dead and ascended into heaven after His crucifixion. One cannot deal with Christ without considering the miraculous element of His life. As we do give this consideration, it is reasonable to respond in faith. If these things are true, then He must be the Christ- the Son of God, that is, God incarnate.

But God has not finished with His revelation. He continues to come to individuals every day and reveal Himself in miraculous ways. He still speaks through dreams, visions, and the voice of prophecy. He continues to show Himself to those who will believe. He heals the sick, delivers the oppressed, and even raises the dead on some occasions. But most of all, He comes to us in the quiet and shows Himself real to those who will diligently seek Him.

God does not do miracles as a way of entertaining, or impressing us. Rather, He does them, as He chooses, to show that He is real and that He is interested in revealing Himself to us. He uses these things to call us to Himself. With so great a revelation, how can we refuse Him? Yet, if we do refuse Him, then there remains the ominous warning given in the passage from Hebrews: how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

God is not interested in our destruction, but, rather, our salvation. Yet if we reject it after all He has done, there is no alternate plan. May we who have seen this great revelation embrace it with all our hearts. Be diligent to seek Him and not allow yourself to drift away into apathy or unbelief. Our loving God waits, but He will not wait forever. Respond with reasonable faith today!