"For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

There are many wonderful things that we as Christians are looking forward to in the ages to come, when the earth and our bodies are made new and the entire beautiful creation of God is open to us for all eternity. But there are also many wonderful privileges that belong to us right now as well.

First of all, our eternal salvation is here and now, for this is the time acceptable to God in which to receive His great salvation through faith in Christ. No one will ever be saved in the ages of eternity, for all who enjoy His salvation then will have received it now.

Those who have salvation now also have been set free from condemnation (or "judgment") now. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9). "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight" (Colossians 1:21-22).

Not only do we now have the assurance of eternal salvation, but we also have all necessary provisions for a happy, fruitful, victorious life in this present age. "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20).

Now, because all these doctrines are present realities, we have full confidence that all God’s yet-to-be-realized promises are also true. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God . . . but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). HMM