Every now and again, we hear about rescue missions. Brave soldiers are put down behind enemy lines, often in a low flying helicopter, and set some prisoners free. It’s all very exciting and impressive. Here, the apostle Paul talks about us being rescued, and it sounds as if God is coming to transport us out of this world, but that isn’t his purpose. His desire is to leave us in this world to do his work.

What we need to understand is that the Jews thought in terms of two ages. There was this present evil age and then there was the age to come. This present age is dominated by the devil and is characterised by sin, death and brokenness, and the age to come is marked out by love, harmony and life. The age to come is what the New Testament writers refer to as eternal life. Because it has its roots in God, it cannot and will not come to an end. When Paul talks about the rescue mission that Jesus brings about through his death on the cross, he is saying that we are transported from one world to another, but for the time being, we stay exactly where we are! Our calling is to experience eternal life and to live for God amid all the challenges and difficulties of a world that is firmly opposed to him.

We might often wish that God would relieve us from all the pressures and brokenness of our sinful world. Having met Christ, we know that the world doesn’t need to be like this. However, for now, our calling is to stay where we are and to serve God faithfully, encouraging and helping other people to have the experience of being rescued by Jesus.

In what ways have you experienced God’s rescue through what Christ did for you on the cross?

Loving God, thank you for rescuing me. Help me to become increasingly eager to help others to find the eternal life which you offer. Amen