. Very well, we shall find out the
consequences.

SALVATION WHEREVER THE GOSPEL IS SENT.

"Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of
salvation."

5. These words portray the richness of the salvation wherever the
Gospel goes: nothing but grace and help; no wrath or punishment.
Indeed, these are words of unutterable meaning the apostle here
employs.

First, he tells us that it is an "acceptable time," as the Hebrew
expresses it. Our own way of putting it would be: "This is a gracious
time, a time when God turns away his wrath and is moved only by love
and benevolence toward us and is pleased to do us good." All our sins
are forgotten; he takes no note of the sins of the past nor of those
of the present. In short, we are in a realm of mercy, where are only
forgiveness and reconciliation. The heavens are now open. This is the
true golden year when man is denied nothing. So Paul says, "At an
acceptable time I hearkened unto thee"; that is: "I am kindly disposed
toward thee. Whatsoever thou shalt even desire and ask for, thou shalt
surely receive. Be not neglectful, therefore, and ask while the
acceptable time continues."

6. Second, Paul declares that it is a day of blessing, "a day of
salvation." It is a day of help, wherein we are not only acceptable
and assured of God's favor and good will toward us, but we experience
even as we have been assured--that God really does help us. He
verifies his assurance, for his beneficence gives testimony that our
prayers are heard. We call it a happy day, a blessed day, a day of
abundance; for these two truths are inseparably related--that God is
favorable toward us, and that his kindness is the proof of his favor.
God's favor toward us is revealed in the first clause, which speaks of
an acceptable time; that he extends help to us is revealed in the
second clause, telling of a blessed day of succor. Both these facts
are to be apprehended by faith and in good conscience; for a
superficial judgment would lead to the view that this period of
blessing is rather an accursed period of wrath and disfavor. Words
like these, of spiritual meaning, must be understood in the light of
the Holy Spirit; thus shall we find that these two glorious, beautiful
expressions refer to the Gospel dispensation and are intended to
magnify all the treasures and the riches of the kingdom of Christ.

"Giving no occasion of stumbling [no offense] in anything."

7. Since this is a time