Daily Devotional

Do You Neglect Your Salvation?

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)

John Piper

Is there a sense of greatness in your mind about your salvation? Or do you neglect it?

Do you respond to the greatness of your salvation? Or do you treat it the way you treat your will or the title to your car or the deed on your house? You signed it once and it is in a file drawer somewhere, but it is not a really great thing. It has no daily effect on you. Basically you neglect it.

Only what is it really — this great salvation? What he's really saying is:

• Don't neglect being loved by God.
• Don't neglect being forgiven and accepted and protected and strengthened and guided by Almighty God.
• Don't neglect the sacrifice of Christ's life on the cross.
• Don't neglect the free gift of righteousness imputed by faith.
• Don't neglect the removal of God's wrath and the reconciled smile of God.
• Don't neglect the indwelling Holy Spirit and the fellowship and friendship of the living Christ.
• Don't neglect the radiance of God's glory in the face of Jesus.
• Don't neglect the free access to the throne of grace.
• Don't neglect the inexhaustible treasure of God's promises.

This is a great salvation. Neglecting it is very evil. Don't neglect so great a salvation. Because if you do, you will perish without escape.

So being a Christian is a very serious business — not a sour business, but a serious business. We are simply blood-earnest about being happy in our great salvation.

We will not be deflected by this world into the fleeting and suicidal pleasures of sin. We will not neglect our eternal joy in God — which is what salvation is. We will gouge out our eyes rather than be lured away from eternal life.

For more about John Piper's ministry and writing, see DesiringGod.org.