Daily Verse: 2 Timothy 1:9

He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

When I was a young child, I recall going to confession at our church…I revealed my mistakes, expressed my sorrow, and left feeling refreshed and renewed. I was clean…white as snow. It was my understanding that my sins had to be forgiven, through a formal act, in order to get into heaven…and that got me thinking. What happens if I die unexpectedly, say in a car wreck, and I have not confessed the sins of that day and asked for forgiveness? What then…will I be excluded from heaven…because I have sins that I have yet to confess? Seems logical, especially for a young child. When we profess faith in Christ Jesus, we acknowledge that we are sinful…we acknowledge that we fall short of God’s expectations and no amount of good deeds, rituals, or activities can get us into heaven. The ticket into heaven comes from one single source…faith in Jesus Christ. The sacrifice he made on the cross paid the price for our past, present, and future sins. We are completely helpless when it comes to “earning” or way into heaven…we simply cannot do it. Thankfully there is grace…there is mercy…and there is sacrifice. Through the blood of Christ…through the bruises, the cuts, the insults, and the eventual death and resurrection…our sins are washed away. We are clean…white as snow. So, if the price has been paid…for past, present, and future transgressions…then I can pretty much live any way I choose, right? Wrong. While it simply takes faith in the Lord to achieve salvation, God knows if our faith is genuine or not…there is no fooling him. And true faith requires more than just lip service…it should be overflowing and obvious in every way that we live our daily lives. Just see 2 Timothy 2:19, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness”. Genuine faith is the only way to go. So if our final breath is foreseen and deliberate or sudden and unexpected, we can rest assured that we are forgiven through faith in the Savior…and that we are saved from sin and death. To God be the glory!