We see it all the time on our social media feeds. “Marked safe” from the LA fires, Hurricane so and so, the presidential election, etc. I suppose this might be the only value of our social media platforms. Otherwise, they damage civilization far more than any national disaster.
Still, it’s nice to know a friend is safe. I remember sitting in an Easter service in 1988 while the preacher talked about how Jesus broke open the grave, died for our sins, and generally rocks! The trumpets triumphantly shook the trusses. The choir shouted the verses.
But as I looked up at the corpus on the cross or the statue of our hero lifting up his arms, I had an existential crisis. How do I know that I will rise again? How do I know that I am forgiven? How do I know that I’m safe?
Some may direct you to your faith. But how can you measure your faith? How do you know if you have enough faith? Nowhere does God tell us to have faith in our faith. Others may direct you to your life. Your good works confirm you are a believer and, therefore, must be saved or elected. But how do you measure good work? I mean truly good works. We might do a good work, but so do non-believers. My good works are certainly not pure. So many different motivations lie behind a good deed.
How do I know I’m safe? Jesus says so. Have you heard Him say it to you? No, I’m not talking about some fuzzy experience you had while walking down Michigan Ave. Jesus speaks very clearly and directly to us today through His church.
He speaks to you in baptism and puts His salvation upon you specifically as He marks you safe in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He forgives your sins directly and tangibly when He gives you His body and blood and says, “Take and eat, take and drink.”
To believe in Jesus means to believe in His words. If He says baptism makes you a disciple and unites you to His death and resurrection, so it does. If He says this is the cup of the New Testament shed for the forgiveness of your sins, so it is.
You are safe in Him. And if you doubt it, listen to Him say it again and again every Sunday.
