2 Cor. 6-8 CSB
Working together with him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive the grace of God in vain.” For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation! (6:1-2)
I don’t know how many of you have seen “The Chosen” series, but it is very well done. You can see it on YouTube or get their App. Not only do they try to illustrate the diversity of races present in the days of Jesus, but they also try to be as authentic as possible when it comes to the text. Additionally, they have some really good writing and some interesting ideas on filling in the blanks of the details that the gospels do not clearly illustrate. While it is not perfect, and I sometimes compare it too much to other works in the same genre, I have found the dialogue to be captivating and there are many times I am moved to tears by the simplest things.
One of my favorite quotes in the series is when Mary Magdalene is trying to describe her deliverance from demon possession and her changed life. She simply says, “I was one way, and now I am completely different and the thing that happened in between… was Him.” What better words could there be to describe what Jesus did in my life and in yours. There was a time when I had no thought of God and no desire for the things of God. And then, totally by grace and completely unexpected, I met Jesus and everything changed. I went from heading one direction to another; I became a completely different person with different goals, different dreams, and a new purpose.
This is what Paul is referring to in this text when He talks about the “Day of Salvation.” That day was a different day for all of us, but it was made possible by what Jesus did on that specific day when He laid down His life to satisfy the wrath of God and redeem the world. There is a specific day… a day when God broke through all of the noise of this world and your life… a day when He revealed the truth of your sin and the grace of God to you… a day that was “the day of salvation!” You were one way; now you are different, and the thing that happened in between was Him. Will you thank God today for that day He changed everything for you? If that day has not yet come for you would you repent and respond to Him today? As Paul said, “Now is the day of salvation!”
