Would your answer primarily be about you? …about getting to go to heaven? …about being forgiven from your sin?
Would any part of your answer be about others?
I think I am guilty. If I were to tell you about salvation, I would have a tendency to hit the highlights about forgiveness, Jesus’ blood, and ultimately heaven. However, I do not think I would say anything about other people. This is where I have a problem.
You have been saved to love others.
Think through my paraphrase of Peter’s words:
22 Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit for sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 for you have been born again, not of perishable (corruptible) seed but imperishable (incorruptible), by means of the word of God which lives and abides forever, (1 Peter 1:22-23)
In these two verses, the command is to love one another fervently with a pure heart. The reasons for the command: because you have been saved for sincere love of the brethren, and because you have been born again of imperishable seed.
How is salvation and loving others connected?
Peter says that 1) because you were saved for sincere love of others and 2) because you are God’s child, which means you are going to act like your Father (like father, like son), you must love others fervently with a pure heart. In other words, your responsibility to love others in inextricably connected to your salvation.
Therefore, when you think of being saved, you must also think of its purpose – in order to love others fervently from the heart.
Today, as you interact with people, remember: since I am saved, it is my responsibility to love those I am around fervently because God has changed my heart. Don’t forget, Jesus said they will know you are a believer by your love (John 13:35). Furthermore, to not fervently love others is to be selfish with your love.
