Salvation Too Great To Ignore Series

In 1888, Alfred Nobel the inventor of dynamite awoke to read his own obituary in the newspaper. Actually Nobel’s brother Ludvig had died from a heart attack, but there was mistaken identity and the obituary was written about him instead.

“Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.

He was appalled that he would be remembered this way. Nobel is credited for saying, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.”

The newspaper incident is often cited as the driving force behind Nobel’s philanthropy, but historians have yet to find an original copy of the “Merchant of Death” obituary. No one argues that something drastically changed the life course of Alfred Nobel now known for establishing the Nobel Peace Prize, one of five Nobel prizes.

We have a chance now to correct the path of ignoring a great salvation. How could we neglect or ignore so great a salvation?

How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. (Hebrews 2:3)

I would imagine that everyone can think of examples of ignoring salvation. What comes to mind is someone who was walking with the Lord, serving the Lord in the past and now they are spiritually cold. They are lukewarm in their walk with Christ.

When someone is neglecting their salvation, they are not motivated by Bible study, active in prayer or concerned for the lost. Suddenly other pursuits are more important to them than their faith in Christ.

This is tragic when someone receives the most gracious gift of all, their salvation in Christ, and then they neglect it. The tragedy becomes so vivid when you see a man who comes to the realization of his neglect at the end of his life. They see the wasted years and the damage their spiritual neglect caused.

They can never turn back the clock on time and relive their lives. Those words, “if only” are there. If only I continued to walk with Christ. If only I continued to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, not a carnal worldly lifestyle.

How can we escape? That is the question asked in the verse. There is not good answer that can be given. We will never escape the outcome if we ignore our salvation and live complacently.

In Amos Chapter 9 we see what happens when disobedient Israel ignores their salvation

Though they dig down to the depths below,

from there my hand will take them. (Amos 9:2)

Though they climb up to the heavens above,

from there I will bring them down. (Amos 9:2)

Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,

there I will hunt them down and seize them. (Amos 9:3)

Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,

there I will command the serpent to bite them. (Amos 9:3)

Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,

there I will command the sword to slay them. (Amos 9:3)

There is no escape.

When you begin your Christian life, your salvation, it is like entering a river current. But if you are negligent, you can drift away. But if you drift away there are consequences. When you wreak havoc by neglect there is tragedy brought by your negligence.

In some areas you see the countryside littered with abandoned cars. There is just a rusted-out shell left of a vehicle that will most likely never be functional again. The neglect has gone too far to practically be reversed.

The spiritual countryside is littered by the wrecks of Christians who neglected their salvation. They ruined their lives and their testimony by the damage done by hiding their light under a basket. The consequence of neglect is tragic. We have a salvation too great to ignore.

Most people do not neglect other areas of their life in the same way they neglect the spiritual. In the car example people change the oil in their car and get their car serviced. When they drive to a new place, they do not ignore the directions on the GPS. They would surely get lost and be in a bad situation.

But why neglect your salvation? It is too great to ignore. It is not right to dishonor God in this way. Consider what God did to pay the price of your salvation. The precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross when he died for you, the just for the unjust to bring you back to God.

There are even more consequences to ignoring your salvation in Christ. That is because you have influence over other people in your life. The way you walk with Christ or ignore your walk with Christ influences those who are most important in your life.