The scarlet cord that saved Rahab’s life became a symbol of God’s complete acceptance. She wasn’t rescued just to live on the margins of Israelite society. She wasn’t given a probationary status or treated as a second-class citizen because of her background. Instead, she was fully welcomed into the community of God’s people.
But God’s acceptance of Rahab went far beyond even that. She married into the tribe of Judah, became the mother of Boaz, the great-grandmother of King David, and ultimately became an ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself. The pagan prostitute from Jericho is listed in the genealogy of the Messiah. This is scandalous grace at its finest.
Too many believers struggle with feelings of spiritual inadequacy because of their past. They think God might love them, but surely He couldn’t use them significantly. They imagine themselves as permanently marked by their former life, destined for spiritual mediocrity. But Rahab’s story demolishes that lie.
When God saves us, He doesn’t just rescue us from judgment; He adopts us into His family with full privileges. We don’t earn our way up from second-class status. We are immediately and completely accepted as beloved children with full inheritance rights.