Rick Warren writes: ‘If you’ve ever spent time in church, you’ve likely heard the word “salvation” many times. But do you know what that Bible means by salvation? The word is like a diamond; you can look at it from several different angles. Here’s what salvation means:

• Jesus came to rescue us. We can’t solve all of our problems on our own. Without Jesus we’re trapped in the expectations of others. We’re trapped in living for the approval of our peers. We’re trapped in addictions [or bad habits]. We’ve tried to change over and over again, but we don’t have the necessary power to escape. Jesus came to give us that power.
• Jesus came to recover us. We all long to recover parts of our lives that have been lost. Without Christ, we long to recover our strength, our confidence, our reputations, our innocence, and our relationship with God. Only Jesus can do that.
• Jesus came to reconnect us. Many people think that God will scold them if they come back to him… But God isn’t mad at you. He’s mad about you. Jesus came to Earth on the first Christmas to reconcile us to God, to give us harmony with him again.
• Jesus came to Earth to give us the gift of himself. Too many of us celebrate his birthday without accepting this free gift of salvation. It goes unwrapped year after year after year. That’s not smart. You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense.’

Rick Warren, Daily Hope, 01/12/2017