What does "now is the day of salvation" mean in 2 Corinthians 6:2? Canonical Citation “For He says: ‘In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is the time of favor; behold, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2) Immediate Literary Setting Paul has just celebrated the accomplished work of Christ (5:14-21), declaring that God “has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” Chapter 6 opens with an urgent plea not to “receive God’s grace in vain.” The statement “now is the day of salvation” functions as the climactic motivation for that plea. Old Testament Background Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 (LXX). In Isaiah, Yahweh promises the Servant that the acceptable season for restoring Israel and blessing the nations has arrived. Paul sees Jesus as the Servant who has inaugurated that promised era through His death and resurrection (Luke 4:19; Acts 13:47). The continuity underscores Scripture’s coherence from prophecy to fulfillment. Theological Significance 1. Inaugurated Eschatology: The cross/resurrection mark the transition from promise to fulfillment (Hebrews 1:1-2). Salvation is both a present possession (Ephesians 2:8) and a future consummation (Romans 13:11), but the critical threshold for entering it is “now.” 2. Exclusive Mediatorship: Only in Christ is the acceptable time realized (Acts 4:12). The Greek perfect tense of “helped” in Isaiah points to a completed act, paralleling Christ’s finished work (John 19:30). Historical Verification of Paul’s Authority The Gallio Inscription (Delphi, AD 51-52) affirms the timeframe of Acts 18, overlapping the composition window of 2 Corinthians. Archaeological confirmation of Paul’s milieu strengthens confidence that the epistle represents authentic apostolic teaching, not later fabrication. Salvation and the Resurrection Paul’s credibility rests on the historical resurrection he catalogues in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Minimal-facts scholarship notes the empty tomb, post-mortem appearances, and origin of Christian belief, all supported by early creedal material (v. 3-5, dated within five years of the event). Because the resurrection occurred in real history, the offer of salvation is likewise real and immediate. Practical Outworking 1. Evangelism: Believers are ambassadors entrusted with beseeching others “on Christ’s behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:20). 2. Personal Sanctification: To “receive grace in vain” would be to delay obedience, mirroring Israel’s wilderness unbelief (1 Corinthians 10:6-11). 3. Worship: Recognizing the immediacy of grace fosters continual gratitude and God-glorifying living. Common Objections Answered • “I’ll decide later.” —Future opportunity is uncertain (James 4:14). Hardening increases with delay (Romans 2:5). • “All religions lead to God.” —Only Christ fulfills Isaiah 49:8 and rises bodily from the dead; no parallel claim is historically substantiated. • “The text is corrupted.” —Early, multiple, geographically diverse manuscripts preserve the verse with negligible variation, making doctrinal distortion implausible. Illustrative Anecdote Cardiologist Maurice Rawlings documented patients who, revived after clinical death, reported distressing visions and instantly sought Christ. Their urgency mirrors Paul’s insistence that mortality renders every heartbeat a potential “now.” Conclusion “Now is the day of salvation” affirms that the prophesied era of divine favor has dawned through the historical, resurrected Christ. Because the offer is globally proclaimed yet individually appropriated, Scripture exhorts every hearer to respond this very moment, trusting the Savior, glorifying God, and entering the covenant blessings foretold since Isaiah. |
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