day no. 16,140: all the amusement without the park

“The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness.” – A.W. Pink

Unbelief wants to be saved from the consequences of sin without being parted from the presence of sin. There are those who want to avoid hell while pursuing sin. They want to walk all the way down that road without having to walk through the door at the end of it. But salvation is not merely about locking the gate so that you don't have to walk into the hell you've aimed your life at, salvation is about saving you from wanting to walk down that path in the first place. 

Our biggest problem is not hell. Hell is the consequence of serving sin. Our problem is sin. Hell is the effect, not the cause. So to be saved is to be free from sin and hell along with it, but there is not a salvation from hell that permits one to continue to purchase tickets without requiring you to go on the rides. You cannot keep the amusement without going to the park. Salvation is finding satisfaction somewhere else and abandoning petty carnival prizes.

1 John 3:4-10

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.