I was studying Hebrews 9, and have a question about verse 28: "So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." The first time Jesus appeared He appeared to deal with sin; the second time He will appear for salvation, right? Does verse 28 mean we receive our salvation at Judgment day -- and thus that we really will not know whether we are saved until that time? -- Guillermo Amezaga
Not at all. The Bible insists repeatedly we can know we are saved (1 John 5:13, for example). Yet salvation has three aspects: past, present, and future. It is past (Jesus procured it on the cross, and we were forgiven of our sins when we shared in Jesus' death and resurrection, Romans 6:3-4). It is present (we experience it now, and benefit daily from the blood of Jesus). And it is future (2 Timothy 4:18, 2 Peter 1:10-11, Hebrews 9:28); it will be fully consummated only when the Lord returns.
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