SALVATION - THE GOOD STUFF
As children we learn words by associating them with other words. I didn’t go to church much as a child, so many of the churchy words were unfamiliar to me. One in particular that always caused me confusion was the word “salvation.” It wasn’t a word that I had much to connect with. I figured salvation had to do with claiming something that was broken and messed up and then somehow reselling it for a bit of a profit. Turns out I was pretty close.
What Does Salvation Mean?
The most common meaning of salvation is to be saved by God from the consequences of our sin. But the Bible speaks of our salvation in a bit fuller terms than simply being rescued from hell. When thinking about salvation it’s helpful to think about what we are saved from, what we are saved to, who we are saved by. It’s also helpful to think about our salvation as a past, present, and future happening. Any one can be saved, from a murder to a "do gooder".
Salvation is a free gift, Jesus died so we can be saved. Does it make sense now? No? Let's get in deeper. "The real problem is sin and guilt. That's the issue. God sent Jesus Christ to rescue us from the consequence of our sin, and everybody falls into the category of sinner. It doesn't matter whether you're among the haves or the have-nots, whether you have great expectations or none at all, whether you're consumed by your passions or exhibit a degree of self-control and discipline-you are still a sinner. You have broken the law of God and He's angry about it. Unless something happens to change your condition, you're on your way to eternal hell. You need to be rescued from the consequences of your sin. Those are the principal issues the gospel solves."
We see, then, that salvation speaks of receiving deliverance from our greatest problem; namely, the many consequences of our sin against a holy God
God is the one who enacts salvation. The Scriptures are clear that the way of unbelief is to trust in self or in other things for salvation. Psalm 20 shows that the way of belief is to not trust in chariots or horses but to trust in the name of the Lord. We are the ones who have gotten ourselves into the mess; therefore God alone is able to save. 1 Timothy 1:15 is clear that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This means every sinner, if he/she is to be saved will be saved through Christ.
If Salvation is free and available to all why aren't we thirsty for this ?
Lets spread the good news!