The Jesus Bible Reading PlanSample

SALVATION IS A MIRACULOUS ACT

Salvation is a miracle. Scripture paints a bleak picture of humanity’s spiritual condition. The problem is not just that people are bad. The problem is that people are spiritually dead. Every person needs a spiritual resurrection to be able to know God and live for him. The good news is that Jesus Christ provides spiritual resurrection.

In the Bible, circumcision usually refers to the practice of cutting away the foreskin of males on the eighth day after birth, signifying the child’s entrance into the Old Testament community of faith. Paul picked up on this well-known imagery when he wrote, “you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands” to describe the miraculous act of being made alive spiritually in Christ (v. 11). This echoes the promise made by God in Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

It is only because Jesus died and rose again that people can experience life today, and the resurrection of their bodies in the future. Anyone can experience spiritual resurrection by placing their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus does not just help people become better people; he raises people from spiritual death to new life. Salvation is at the hands of God alone. Mankind cannot do any level of work that would bring approval in the sight of God. No ritual, whether ancient or modern, can replace the gracious work of God in the salvation of humanity.

Jesus, I was spiritually dead, and you brought my spirit to life. Thank you for this miracle. Thank you for my new spirit and my new heart. Amen.