Has Been, Is Being And Will Be - Saved

The Christian is one who has been saved, is being saved and will be saved.
The Gospel message is not an image of a drowning humanity being thrown a rope of salvation. To try to understand what the Bible is saying to each of us, as if we are being cast a lifeline we must either choose to grab hold of and cling to or ignore, is to misunderstand completely the nature of our condition. We are not rational survivors in a calm warm ocean able to see and understand the rope cast to us for our salvation. Far from it.
Imagine instead that an aeroplane lands on its belly in a winter sea. The craft begins to break up and the survivors are foundering in the icy water. Worse still, jet fuel has entered into the eyes of the survivors and they can no longer see. The cold water is making their muscles weak and their brains are showing the early signs of hypothermia. They are no longer rational and panic, anger and drowsiness add to the peril of their condition. They have screamed themselves hoarse and are now deaf to all but their own pitiful cries. Now fortunately a rescue boat has drawn up among them and a strong man begins to cast out lines to the helpless victims. Though their salvation is within their grasp they can neither see the rope nor have the capacity to understand what they need to do, nor even hear the shouted advice of their rescuer. If one of the people in the water do by chance manage to grab a line they will not have the strength to hold on to it as their muscles cramp and weaken in the cold. The rescuer understands the problem and knows that the only way to draw the dying people from the water is to jump in after them and hold onto them until they are safely in the boat. This puts the rescuer himself in extreme danger but he boldly risks his life for the unfortunate victims all the same. This scenario is more like the Gospel message than is often supposed in Christian and worldly circles today. We - all humanity -  are deaf, blind, helpless, weak, irrational and dying. We need a saviour who will come into this deadly place and hold us until we are healed and safe. We cannot save ourselves nor even hold on to the salvation if it comes to us. We need a saviour who is prepared to die to save us and finish the work of saving right to the end. One who will pull us out of the water, who will wrap us in blankets and give us hot drinks, who will rub life back into stiff limbs and speak encourgement to the listless and hopeless. One who gives medicine and monitors health as the storm-tossed vessel is firmly steered to the far distant shore. Yes, we may still suffer in the boat, the sea is now more volently throwing us against its hard sides and the misery of the journey may be keenly felt. The wind now snatches at our coverings and the panic of being so close to land yet still being in seeming peril may overwhelm us (oh that we might trust in the wisdom and strength of our saviour). When we were in the water we moved with the water and back then we had no hope, but now that the shore is near we need encouragement until we are safely forever on the firm land of the kingdom of Heaven. Our saviour has his hand on the tiller and his eye on our flagging hope and health and he will save us all the way because he has paid such a price for us and he loves us who are in his boat more than we can ever imagine. All glory to our God who is able to save us in the past, in the present and ultimately in the future. Amen.