God's Salvation
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
God's Salvation
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The word “salvation” has been stereotyped and clothed with religious garb for a very long time. It has taken a place in the halls of piety and sanctimony that makes it difficult for us to grasp its larger significance. Salvation has been cast in a particular role for so long that its true nature is largely overlooked.
Consider an actress who emerges in the theatrical world. Her performances of the great tragedies found in literature are testimony of her training, talent, and technique. She is such a masterful performer of the tragedies of classical drama that it would be almost unthinkable to cast her in other roles. In short, her true capability and power as an actress are overshadowed by the general public view that her greatness lies in only one area. She is typecast. Henceforth, she is perceived and evaluated only as a performer of tragedies, not as a consummate actress.
Salvation has suffered the same way because it has been typecast. It is confined to the sacred corner of our world. We dress it up and take it into our stained glass sanctuaries. Salvation is usually spoken of with passion in decibels significantly higher than the mainstream homily in which it occurs. Salvation, like the actress described above, has been artificially restricted to a preconceived role. It is reverently kept in its holy box and opened on Sunday to be displayed and admired.
As a result of this tunnel-vision understanding, salvation is robbed of its vitality, stripped of its relevancy, and used as a crutch for practicing compartmentalized religion. It is not at all surprising that these superficial treatments, along with restricted concepts of salvation, have resulted in some unfortunate and perhaps inevitable negative reaction from many observers. The following remarks illustrate some of these assorted consequences.
Negative Observations about Salvation: First, salvation seems unreal to countless millions of people. Let’s face it. What can salvation possibly mean to one who sees it only in the typecast role described above? When salvation is deliberately restricted to some kind of ethereal, otherworldly realm, it loses its practicality for those whose concept of reality is limited to this world. If salvation is only that which enables one to navigate the chilly waters of death to reach a harbor of safety in a never-never land, what significance can it hold for one who does not look beyond death or see an ultimate, conscious, destination beyond the graveyard?
The answer is obvious for a two-fold reason. First, the worldview that deliberately rejects a reality that is out of sight cannot find a place for salvation in a non-existent realm. Second, if salvation is pushed forward to the last time, even by those who believe in it, the unbeliever sees an erosion of reality in the lives of many who do not seem conscious of immediate salvation. So, when salvation is almost exclusively wrapped in eschatology, it is difficult for many to find it relevant in their day-by-day existence.
Second, the very idea of salvation seems naïveto many. This may be for reasons we have already stated. However, observing the way salvation is often presented may bring about this view. It is not uncommon to hear a sermon on radio or television during which an evangelist makes a long and passionate plea for money. This is often followed by a brief reference to some tragic end of a Bible character and a solemn warning that one may escape a similar fate by sending in a generous contribution. Almost as an after-thought, the speaker may urge the generous contributor to kneel and pray to be saved. This thinly veiled commercialism and trivializing of salvation congers up visions of Elmer Gantry, and reinforces the belief of many people that salvation is, indeed, a naïve remnant of an age gone by.
Third, to insist that salvation is a vital part of one’s religious experience seems to many to be a superstition expressed under the guise of faith. Although this stance may seem ridiculous at first glance, one does not need to look very far to see some reasons for it. Consider the following.
A young couple, with their small son and daughter, are on the second day of a vacation they have been anticipating for a long time. The day is nearly gone. They are now looking forward to their motel stop, a good dinner, and perhaps a swim in the pool. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an eighteen-wheeler sideswipes their car. Instantly, it spins out of control, plunges over an embankment, and comes to rest on its top at the bottom of a deep ditch. Surprisingly, they are all alive. The father has a broken leg. The mother has multiple face lacerations. The son seems to have only minor cuts and bruises. However, the seven-year old daughter is bleeding profusely from a deep wound in her left side.
An ambulance arrives in a short time. Two medics examine each member of the family. They quickly determine that their wounds, though serious, are not life threatening, except those sustained by the little girl. By the time they reach the hospital the daughter is in deep shock. As they are carrying the family into the emergency room all the personnel see that the bedding on the girl’s stretcher is soaked with blood.
The staff physician scarcely pauses. He orders the girl to be taken to the operating room. The surgeon is back within five minutes with a clipboard and forms attached. He speaks to the father, “Sir, your daughter has lost all the blood she can lose without serious consequences. We must give her transfusions to sustain her and allow us time to do an exploratory probe to determine the nature and extent of her wounds. Please sign these forms giving us permission to do this.” The father turns pale. His hands shake. In anguish he looks at his wife. She tearfully responds with a slow negative shake of her head.
The father lays the pen on the clipboard and says, “Doctor, I can’t sign these papers. Our daughter must not receive a blood transfusion.” “But,” the doctor replies, “She will die unless she receives blood.” “No,” the father answers calmly, “Our faith assures us she will live. Do not give her a blood transfusion.” Within ten minutes death overcomes life. The little girl never regains consciousness.
Such an event does not enhance the concept of salvation. Rather, it shatters it. It leaves in the minds of many people the conviction that salvation is indeed a superstition dressed up in religious garb.
Fourth, to some people salvation not only seems unreal, naïve, and superstitious. It actually appears absurd. Therefore, any consideration or pursuit of it is believed to be a waste of time. Why get involved in a quest the outcome of which is illusive, even unseen? Why are those who claim to have it constantly pleading for others to accept it? It should be irresistible if it is as wonderful as many claim. How can those who suffer, sin, live, and die like everyone else claim to have that “something” called salvation? If the advantages of salvation are not patently obvious, why expend energy, time, and effort looking for salvation? Those who claim to live in the real world are usually pragmatic enough to exert their efforts in projects that will produce tangible results. Circumscribing themselves by a view that equates reality with materialism, they leave no room for what they believe to be absurd yearnings for salvation.
Fifth, a persistent emphasis on salvation implies an alternative that is unacceptable to those whose telescopes are out of focus. If our vision of the future is focused on a material world and our place in it, we tend to get impatient with those who tell us our telescope is not powerful enough to see beyond physical things. Any suggestion that we are not sufficiently equipped to see the ultimate truth, the spiritual world, leaves us uneasy and defensive. We want to place complete confidence in ourselves. We want to believe we are fully equipped to fulfill our personal destiny. Anything short of this seems unacceptable. To believe otherwise is to concede that we may be on a voyage with an unreliable compass, inaccurate navigational charts, and broken sextant; and that to many folks, is the unacceptable alternative. To admit the possibility of such a voyage is to confess that we may not be saved.
Once the seemingly unacceptable possibility of a salvation alternative has, in fact, been accepted, one stands vulnerable and exposed. The self-assurance is gone. The trust and confidence one has in the devices and equipment used to direct one’s life and accomplishments are now merely extra baggage. Even goals and dreams now lie in disarray.
Salvation seems hauntingly attractive, but alarmingly distant. Consider a novice mountain climber contemplating the scaling of Mount Everest. He camps at the base of the mountain. He observes the rugged seasoned climbers as they come and go. He studies their camp and is impressed by the amount and variety of their equipment and supplies. He is invited to sit at their campfire and listen to stories of heroism, triumph, and tragedy that have happened to them and their colleagues through the years they have climbed the mountains together. He sees in their demeanor and hears in their conversation a singular commitment and total involvement in the task at hand. He realizes that a large portion of their lives has been dedicated to the specific task of conquering Mount Everest.
He goes to his tent and settles into his sleeping bag. He can see the stars through the open tent flap. They seem so close, so inviting; yet, he can’t reach them. At early sunrise, he is out of his tent and gazing at the slopes of Mount Everest. The snow on the towering summit glistens in the morning light. It all seems so near, like a painting held at arms length. Yet, he can’t reach out and touch Everest’s summit from the base camp. The summit, like the stars, is hauntingly attractive, but alarmingly distant.
This illustrates the panorama of one who has come to see salvation in a new dimension. It is no longer unreal. It is no longer naive to consider it. It is no longer a superstition but a towering peak of reality. It is no longer an absurd obsession that captivates the unwary; rather, it has an alluring prospect that invites and challenges.
Positive Observations about Salvation: Salvation is germane to our earthly existence. Once we accept the fact that salvation is not restricted to outer space, we can examine its pervasive presence in this world.
No doubt all of us have heard people express their thanks for their many blessings. This is as it should be. Gratitude is one of the most commendable attitudes we can show as human beings. It is intriguing to consider the possibility of offering thanks for our blessings in a way that enhances the practical reality of salvation in our everyday lives. Note examples.
When we give thanks for a bountiful table, we should remember that we have been saved from the absence of food. When we give thanks for the shelter of our homes, is this not a confession of being saved from the elements? Our delight in our automobile should be heightened by our sense of being saved from having to walk everywhere we go. Our appreciation for friends and family is partly the result of being saved from isolation and loneliness. The blessing of employment means we are saved from the pain of poverty.
Examples could continue page after page. But the point is clear. When we have the blessing of a blessing we are always saved from the absence of that blessing. Thus, the more our lives overflow with that which is good, precious, and bountiful, we more we become a living example of salvation. Thus, salvation proves itself to be germane to our lives.
We are now able to realize the presence of salvation in our daily lives. We are made aware that if salvation were removed from us we would be completely devastated. This new discernment opens up vistas we have never seen before. Instead of being unreal and absurd, salvation becomes that upon which our very lives depend. Furthermore, we begin to understand that salvation not only sustains our lives – it gives richness and meaning to them. What a rescue that is! It means we are not roaming aimlessly about. We are not dismayed in our search for security. We are not anxious about tomorrow. We are not hopeless even in the throes of pain. Our lives are not consumed by the use of escapes such as drug addiction or alcoholism; we begin to appreciate that because of salvation in our lives, we are enabled to really live with purpose, optimism, confidence, assurance, and stability. This new stance helps us to re-focus our telescopes. Much of the ambiguity of life fades away. Now we can project our lives into the future. We can lay plans, establish goals, and make commitments. Hopelessness and despair are now recognized for what they actually are – snares that sap our strength and shrivel our personalities.
We can now start cultivating a climate of realism in our lives. We can walk our path. We can follow our map. We can imagine our dream, lay our plans, and accept the challenge of meaningful living. We also find that when we take those bold steps we are accepting with zest the responsibility we formerly denied or carried as a dreaded burden.
We are now ready to make a positive affirmation of life. We can say with each passing day, “It is good to be alive.” This is the natural consequence of living with an acute sense of salvation. Life can now be cherished optimistically. We learn to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. We may actually ward off various ailments and stress when we think positively. If we eliminate the negative thinking that may have enslaved us previously, we can create opportunities for action, not merely see them. This reversal of attitudes, thoughts, and actions is evidence of a new sense of appreciation for salvation in our lives. Serendipity engulfs us. A sense of well-being pervades us. We develop a conviction that life is well worth living after all.
What seemed unreal before has actually materialized in our lives. What previously was considered a naïve view of life has now become a beacon light. What was at one time contemptuously dismissed as superstition is now reevaluated. What was once believed to be absurd is now embraced as basic for effective living. Amazingly, what was once considered unattainable is now enjoyed as a precious gift. We have also come to realize that this state of living is available for all who seek it.
More on God’s Providential Salvation: Hopefully, the preceding observations about salvation have established the following facts: All people actually experience a certain degree, or amount, of salvation. As described earlier, the more our blessings accumulate the more we become living evidence of the reality of salvation. If all receive this kind of salvation, we understand that it is indiscriminately experienced.
This is what one may refer to as universal salvation. It applies to the here and now and holds true for us to the degree we receive it. This is not merely a philosophical tenet; it is a strong biblical affirmation. Scripture tells us that “… your Father who is in heaven … causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). We do not stifle this kind of salvation from God simply because we may be unscrupulous or prodigal. Each one of us can realistically expect this kind of benevolent treatment from a God who made us, loves us, and provides for us. When one forgets or denies this truism, one turns away from the only source that can succor or sustain. When reaching elsewhere for survival, one plunges into idolatry and loses the very thing that has been given so graciously.
The stubborn refusal to accept the generous overture of a provident God has been the downfall of many people through the ages. For example: During prophet Hosea’s tenure in Israel, God’s people made for themselves “molten images.” This shortsighted defection motivated God to declare they would soon disappear “like smoke from a chimney” for, as Hosea recorded God as saying, “… there is no savior besides Me” (Hosea 13:4c). Not only did God declare Himself to be Israel’s only savior; Israel spoke of God as their constant savior.
The providence of God as Savior is not restricted to the Hebrew Bible. It is also a forthright affirmation of the New Testament. Consider the opening words of the Magnificat of Mary: “My soul exalts the Lord, / And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior…” (Luke 1:46-47).
One could respond concerning Mary’s proclamation that although it is found in the New Testament, it is actually a statement made by a faithful young Jewish woman who lived while God’s covenant with His chosen people was still in effect. Of course, this is true. However, letters found in the New Testament concerning events and people after the Christian age began corroborate Mary’s statement.
The apostle Paul wrote to his young co-worker Timothy, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope …” (1 Timothy 1:1, emphasis added). Again, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Paul also wrote to Titus and spoke of “… the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind …” (Titus 3:4).
It is well worth noting that everything said up to this point about God our Savior has a universal application but may be limited to what is temporary. This means that all receive it but it is not eternal. Again, Paul addressed this facet of salvation when he wrote to Timothy about “… the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers” (1 Timothy 4:10).
There is a certain paradox about this kind of salvation. It comes from God who loves us and wants us to be saved. All people receive it; yet, no one can retain it forever because it only pertains to our state of being during our life on earth. The providence of God is pervasive, extending through time and eternity. However, the discussion thus far has only been about God’s provisions for our well-being during our physical earthly existence.
There is nothing insignificant about this salvation from God. In fact, it is indispensable for our existence. We live fully to the extent of its presence in our lives. We suffer or die when it is absent. This principle holds true on a cosmic as well as personal level. Notice the following examples.
On a cosmic scale we can observe God’s creation as a perfect and harmonious work. It shows His glory, majesty, and power (Psalm 8, 19:1). In the twenty-first century, as never before, we realize the awesomeness, vastness, and preciseness of our universe. We are realizing how sensitive our earth is as an ecologically balanced habitat for all forms of life, including human life. We may nod in agreement with the Bible’s statement, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a).
We see this. Yet, we realize there are blemishes in the created world. God’s perfect creative work has been spoiled to a certain degree by chaotic influences brought on by the emergence of sin on the scene. Paul addressed this distressful state with the following words: For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (Romans 8:19-22).
The evidence of sin’s presence in the heavenly realm is graphically described as war in heaven. As a result of this conflict, Satan and his forces were thrown down to earth (Revelation 12:7-9). On earth, Satan struck God’s human creation. Adam and Eve felt the consequences. Thus, in heaven and on earth, regardless of the timetable involved, rebellion and disobedience had dire effects. The disobedience of Adam and Eve brought a separation between God and them. This meant death. It also meant Eve would have pain in childbirth and Adam would have to sweat and till a hostile earth in order to have food (Genesis 3:16-19). Sin brings tension between perfection and imperfection. Sin is evidence of a loss of salvation. This continues to be obvious in nature. The earth continues to be scarred by floods, tornados, earthquakes, fires, droughts, hurricanes, etc. It is not free. It is struggling.
This loss of salvation continues to be worse in human history. What are some of the evidences among us that we have lost something? What are some things we can point to that painfully remind us that we need to be saved?
First, we are all aware that among the hoards of more than six billion human beings on earth there are millions of people living in loneliness and alienation. They live in quiet desperation. They yearn for a meaningful relationship with other people. Utterly alone, they feel imprisoned in their little cubical. They come out of the early morning mist and disappear into the darkness of night. In their isolation, they know of no one to call and do not expect a knock at the door. All ties are severed; all bridges are burned. For them, life is like a day made long for lack of purpose, meaning, accomplishment, or change. When we meet such a person, we know we have met a walking tragedy draped in dismal, gray, hopelessness. Should we want to help others throw off the invisible chains of imprisonment?
Second, the stage upon which the drama of life is acted out is crowded with people in the vicious throes of bitter competition. It’s a jungle out there. The vernacular of the marketplace describes it as “dog eat dog.” Give no quarter; spare no opposition. Go for the jugular vein. Do it to others before they do it to you. Forget the rules; it is winning that counts – at any cost. This kind of competitiveness can be brutal and heartless. The carnage as a result of this kind of inhuman relationship may be seen along the roadsides of the various highways of life. Bitter competition is but one of the many red flags that signal a terrible state of lostness; or, to put it another way, the absence of salvation.
Third, evidence of salvation’s absence is the presence of hatred in the world. Hatred, of course, is of the devil. He provides the seedbed in which adversarial emotions thrive. With but little cultivation, such individual feelings can grow into a general attitude of prejudicial hostility. This may result in extreme enmity that motivates a blind, irrational outburst against individuals in particular or society in general. This often results in destructive actions such as indiscriminate bombings, revolutionary uprisings, hate mail, murder threats, and the like. All of this takes its toll in loss of lives, maiming, terror, apprehension, insecurity, and anxiety. These and similar things destabilize society and produce a deep sense of foreboding and helpless futility.
The fallen state of the world is no accident. It was not happenstance that led the writers of Scripture to speak of Satan as “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4a). It was not a slip of the pen when we were warned that “… the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19b). However, we need not be hopeless. Jesus said, “… the ruler of this world shall be cast out” (John 12:31b). The presence and consequence of Satan in the world are persistent themes in the New Testament.
Fourth, there is the pervasive, ubiquitous, presence of crime. We have never known a world free of crime. We do not need the gory statistics to prove that. We live in a context of lawlessness. It must be taken into account in order to survive. We lock our automobiles and homes. We pay for theft insurance. We are careful not to carry much cash. We look around furtively as we walk from our auto to the shopping mall entrance. We install alarm systems to protect our vehicles and homes. When we shop, we suspect that the purchase price for merchandise has been set to help offset wholesale theft by both employees and customers. When we hear the wail of an ambulance we know that it is likely carrying someone to the hospital who has either participated in, or been the victim of, lawlessness. Domestic violence, illegal drug use, drunkenness, shootouts, stabbings – enough!
Even when we answer our telephone in the assumed protection of our locked and wired residence it is not unusual to become the object of an attempted seduction. The soft-spoken, callous, conscience-seared scam artist weaves his or her web of deception. The theme may be high yields, amazing and rapid returns for the smart investor. Or, so they say, it may be your opportunity to save the starving children of the world. Surely, you want to send a generous check for humanitarian relief of helpless children. Or, the thief may even be willing to drop by the next day to pick up that large contribution and personally present you with a lovely certificate of appreciation. We will not belabor this theme further. We do not need to. We know the insidious intrusion of crime in our country and in the world. We probably do not consciously indorse it. But, how long are we going to silently tolerate it?
This is intended to be a pointed question because it brings us back to the question to which we have been responding in four ways: What are some things we can point to that painfully remind us that we need to be saved? We could, of course, mention many other crime activities of which we are all aware. However, the point has been made. We are floating about in a sea of sin. As long as we are in this world we cannot escape this reality any more than a ship cannot escape being in the ocean.
Conclusion: In the introduction, we described how typecasting of salvation has often isolated it from daily life. This caricature has caused many observers to see salvation as unreal, naïve, superstitious, or totally absurd.
Also, we noted that those who disdain salvation, or their misunderstanding of it, often do so because it takes them out of the driver’s seat and makes them insufficient, vulnerable, dependent. This shatters the ego. It raises problems and uncertainties. The reaction is often similar to that of a patient when told by his physician he has terminal cancer – denial.
Yet, as we pointed out, the challenges of salvation are very real and very great. Once one comes to see these challenges and realizes the actual presence of salvation in the world and in personal life, a new window is opened. Ultimate possibilities are perceived. Reality now includes more than food and drink, acquiring and accumulating, clothing and cars.
However, even as we come to an awakening about salvation, we see with a new sensitivity the horrors of its absence in many quarters, as illustrated by hatred, cut-throat competition, alienation, and pervasive crime, to say nothing of world hunger and the ravages of war.
The paradox of the presence and absence of salvation in the world is faced head-on in Scripture. On the one hand, both Testaments of the Bible show God is the great provider and sustainer. On the other hand, biblical history is often marked by human suffering and disaster that come on both the good and the bad.
We call this a paradox because what we have been discussing in this introduction are features that seem contradictory, but are not. Please note: God is the great Provider. He created us, gives us life, strength, intellect, blessings of all kinds. In this sense we are His offspring (Acts 17:24-29). In this sense He is the Savior of all men. We could not exist at all without His power and presence (Acts 17:28). Indeed, there is no Savior besides God.
These blessings flow to all of us from a benevolent, providential, God. They have to do with our earthly existence which includes the air we breathe, food we eat; health, strength, intellect, talents, etc. These blessings are not dependent on our merits. They are given by God’s grace and limited to life on this earth. They are signposts of God’s salvation. They are evidence of His care. However, they are temporal. They are not concerned with spiritual things. For the most part, they are not even restricted to human beings.
This salvation is the residue of what remains after the human race forfeited salvation in rebelling against God. This explains the paradox of the presence and absence of salvation in the world. We are physically doomed if we do not partake of God’s physical blessings that continue to sustain us daily. We are spiritually doomed if we do not imbibe of the spiritual blessings He continues to offer us.
Why do we have the opportunity to accept these spiritual blessings? When we rebelled, God did not reject us. When we became sinfully ugly, God still loved us. When we became nauseatingly egoistical, God did not destroy us. He has saved us temporarily so we may accept His spiritual salvation. He has saved us physically that we may accept His eternal salvation.
We are now ready to move into a detailed study of eternal salvation. We have dispelled the superficial Sunday discourse we often hear or give on the subject. We have prepared ourselves to consider the topic appreciatively, realizing we are already worthy or not – participants in God’s physical and temporal salvation gifts. We now explore God’s offer and provision for our spiritual and eternal salvation.
(Basis Bible text: New American Standard Bible. Other translations are so noted)
