And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. - Romans 5:9 NLT
Growing up, I’ve often heard that, as Christians, God protects us. But I often wondered what exactly we are saved from?
When we gave our lives to Jesus, we became children of God. This means we entered the family of God. The Bible calls this “adoption.” After joining God’s family, protection comes with being in the family. As children of God, we are protected from the righteous punishment for our sins and eternal separation from God.
This means that when we stand before Jesus, we can be sure He will receive us into heaven. Not because of what we’ve done but because of the work Jesus did for us on the cross.
We can be sure eternal life is ours. That’s good news! See, for the Christian, the victory is already ours, but this doesn’t mean we do not fight.
We are still in a spiritual war, but we are fighting from a place of victory, not for victory.
The good news is that we know the result. We win in the end. Death is defeated, Satan is defeated, and we are guaranteed eternal life. But since we are still in a fight, what exactly are we fighting for?
The fight begins in our minds. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” The obstacles this verse refers to have to do with negative thinking patterns, corrupt beliefs about God, and a worldview that does not line up with the Bible. We are in a battle for truth.
The enemy wants to flood our minds with lies about who God is. The weapons we use to fight the enemy are God’s Word and the gospel. Remember, the enemy cannot take away our salvation, but he attacks our minds and cause us to doubt it. Therefore, we must be on guard and fight with truth. The war is all about replacing lies with truth.
It’s important to remember that eternal life is ours. However, while on earth, we will face discouragement and battle for truth in our minds. The enemy will do his best to prevent us from finishing our Christian race. No matter what happens, we are spiritually safe, but we are called to fight.
Ephesians 1:14 says, “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased to be His own people.” The great news is that we are in God’s hands, and nothing can snatch us away. May we rest in knowing God protects us.
Dig Deeper
1. As Christians, what are we ultimately protected from?
2. How do we fight the war in our minds?
