Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them,
I shall give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to You,
for You have heard and answered me;
And You have become my salvation [my Rescuer, my Savior].
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.
This is from the Lord and is His doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PSALM 118:19‭-‬24 AMP

Salvation isn’t man’s choice; it’s God’s. Look at the above passage from Psalm 118. The gates are to God’s temple. The gates of righteousness are God’s gates. God is the One who opens them. God is the One who foreknew and answered our need of a Savior. God is our Rescuer. God is our Healer. God is the Cornerstone.

Salvation is from the Lord and is His doing.

We must remember this today. Salvation is God’s idea, God’s plan, God’s doing. The gospel is “the power of God” (Romans 1:16). Man could never save himself. All our righteousness is as filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). This is what makes salvation marvelous: God loved us first (1 John 4:19). And because God loved us first, God sent a Savior before we realized we needed one; God redeemed us knowing we could never redeem ourselves.

The reason we can celebrate this day is because this day is one of salvation–salvation brought about by God through God.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.