April 23, 2023 | by Pastor Peter

Christians often talk about salvation as primarily a benefit we will enjoy after we have died. We don’t always look at it as something that bestows benefits on people in the here and now, but it does. When we encounter Jesus, his salvation changes our lives.

We see this sort of transformation in the individual stories of people who encounter Jesus during his earthly ministry. Zacchaeus is liberated from the control of his possessions. The woman at the well finally finds a love that won’t disappoint her. The demoniac is restored to a life of sanity and witness to what God has done. If we hope for heavenly blessing, but not for freedom from the corruption of sin, then we are not seeking the fullness of God’s intended blessing.

Peter urges us to give up on the empty way of life we had before, and instead to become new creation, that looks like Jesus. So we should seek to become like him as Salvation Changes our Lives.