The Day Salvation Began
I remember the day I got saved. It was as ordinary as any other day, except that I stepped into a life I was not really ready for: the Christian life.
As I matured in faith—a process that took time, and one in which I am still growing—I came to realize the price I must pay if I am to keep this Christlike life for a lifetime. Yes, my life was the price. It is the same price every true Christian must pay: to die to the world and live for Christ.
A Harder Price in This Era
That would not have been such a problem, but the present age has made paying that price much harder than before. We live in a time when being a Christian is laughed at. It is a time when those who live perversely are treated as the cool ones. And those who live like Christ are called narrow-minded. For some, even identifying as a Christian feels like a shame.
Yet if you identify as a follower of Christ, this is only the beginning. For what did Christ tell His disciples about the last days?
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
A Hidden Lamp Is of Little Use
We are in a time when even Christians are afraid to tell others they are Christians. We cannot even preach to our own siblings, let alone our neighbors. Yet we see them toiling daily to make ends meet, often in vain. People around us are going through deep pain, and still we cannot bring ourselves to preach to them and offer hope through Christ Jesus. If you cannot even light the candle of Christ within you, what good are you as a Christian?
Is a lamp lit to be put under the bed, or on top so that everyone can see?
Are you under the bed, or on top?
Those Who Endure Will Be Saved
Look again at verses 12–13:
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
These are the kind of Christians who will survive. Not those who flee after the first step of opposition. Not those who find every excuse not to obey the voice of God. No—it is those who will not let their love for Christ grow cold, nor give in to the perversions of this age. These are the ones who will be saved.You who claim to be saved: will you really be saved on judgment day?
Do not forget: many are called, but few are chosen. Make sure you are one of the few Christians who will be saved.
