August 2 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

In days of old, God spoke from Mount Sinai through Moses. God did not just tell the people what they had to do; he also set down the penalties for those who refused to obey his voice. Every transgression received its just retribution.

The New Testament does not have a criminal code. But this does not mean that those who disregard the "last word" of God will escape without penalty. For those who neglect Jesus, the punishment will be beyond description: "How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?"

The contrast is between then and now, between they and we. If they could not escape the penalty for every breach of the law, how shall we escape if we neglect the gospel of the Son of God? After all, we are living in the last days and have received God's last word.

Note that the Bible does not say, "If we reject salvation." It says, "How shall we escape if we ignore salvation—such a great salvation?"

The majority of those who are not saved will be lost "simply" because they have not paid attention to the gospel of the Son of God. They have not openly rejected God's last and loving word, but they have shamefully ignored it and neglected it. More people perish by disregarding the gospel than by opposing God's Word.

The Bible has answers to our most perplexing problems. If a person has committed such a vile sin that even his or her friends have turned away, the Bible still shows a way out and Christ is still a healer. If a person has degenerated so far that even his or her mother despairs, God can open a whole new perspective of regeneration.

But there is one question that remains, even in the Bible. No one knows the answer, and even God is silent: "How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?"

REFLECTIONS

How can apathy toward Christ and our salvation creep into a Christian's life? What might "ignoring" our salvation look like?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.