It is hard for the righteous to be saved. 1 Peter 4:18 (NIV)
The Bible speaks about salvation in three tenses—a completed transaction, a continuing process, and a future hope.
1. We HAVE BEEN SAVED from sin’s PENALTY.
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Eph. 2:8).
A transaction takes place when you come to faith in Jesus in which the power of his shed blood is applied to your life. Your sins are forgiven, your judgment is taken, your condemnation is gone, and the deal is done. It is by grace that you have been saved.
2. We WILL BE SAVED from sin’s PRESENCE (one day).
In chapter 1, Peter spoke about: “The salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1:5). When Christ returns, He will take you into his presence where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.
3. We ARE BEING SAVED from sin’s POWER.
Until that day, we are in the process of being saved from sin’s power: “To us who are being saved [the cross] is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). That’s what Peter is talking about here. “It is hard for the righteous to be saved.”
Do you see how the three tenses of salvation relate to your own life? Are you aware of (and cooperating with) the ongoing work of salvation in your life?