Salvation

In this chapter we will be looking at the concept of Salvation and what it means to be saved.

The concept of Salvation is the one thing that sets Christianity apart from world religions. The idea that God would sacrifice His own son to save us is unthinkable outside of the Christian faith. Let’s take a closer look at this amazing gift of God, asking a few base questions, and then examining them, a reasoning from scripture. 

1. What is salvation?


2. Why do we need it?


3. Where do I get it?


4. How does it Benefit me?


5. But I’m a good person, do I still need it?

What is Salvation?


First let us begin by looking at the word. In the original greek texts of the New Testament salvation is referred to as sótér meaning to be rescued or delivered from harm, loss and ruin. To better understand what this definition means we must still look at one more word, Deliverance. What does it mean? Well, to be delivered simply refers to the action of being rescued or set free.

Why do we need Salvation?


Sin is like a hereditary disease passed down through the generations, that causes the body to break down and decay. When God created man(kind) He created them to be with Him.

Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day--

God walked physically with Adam and Eve in the garden. They could be in His presence and not die. They way that it is written in scripture, it is clear that this was not a once-off thing and that God regularly walked with them. man(kind) was pure, and immortal. Then Satan came, to the woman and deceived her and her man, and they were corrupted. They would be stained for life, and so would their offspring, as well as every generation to follow. Now, we know that purity can only come from purity, since corruption can only create more corruption. With each passing generation man’s sin grew and set itself deeper into his heart. When man sinned, a wedge was driven between man and God. Because we were now separated from God, man began to age and fade.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned-- Romans 5:12

By Adam’s actions man(kind) was doomed. Though Eve was the first to bite of the fruit from the tree, Adam was tasked as the leader, and carried a greater responsibility, thus the sin is attributed to him more so than to Eve.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. Genesis 6:5

With every generation, sin grew and grew and the hearts of man became harder. Eventually the sins of man were so deeply rooted in them, that they no longer knew good. God had no choice but to start over. Amongst the people there was one man who, with his family, still loved the Lord. In his righteousness Noah, was saved into the Ark. Noah’s righteousness was not born in his actions, but rather in his love for the Lord and his unwavering obedience.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Genesis 6:9

The flood wiped out every civilisation on the face of the earth, as God moved to reestablish his people. When Noah and his family exited the Ark man was once again righteous. But gradually over time sin began to grow again.

How could it be that sin could resurface when all the evil-doers perished in the flood? The truth is that sin had never left. Even though Noah was righteous, sin still existed in his soul. That sin passed to his sons, and their sons, and their sons. If this sin is inextinguishable, then how do we escape it? Trying to escape from your sin is like trying to escape a prison with a million loose keys scattered around the premesis and every door is locked, and no key is ever in the room who door it fits. We, as mere humans, cannot conquer sin in our own power. So how then can we be saved from this prison? We need a saviour to rescue us.

How can I be saved?


God did not abandon us to death, but rather in knowing that man could never fulfill every letter of His law, God sent His Son to take our place. To do so fully, Jesus would be born as a fully human child, and grow as an ordinary man. Though even as he was fully human, he was also fully God. Jesus grew up, experiencing all the hardships of man until His time came. Having lived a blameless life, fulfilling the Law that God gave to Moses on Mt Sanai, he would then take on the full weight of man’s sin and His blood was shed on the Cross. The blood required by the Law was shed, the price was paid. Man was finally exempt from the sins he had committed. His sacrifice meant that we would not have to pay the price ourselves. But, we still have to make the choice of whether or not we embrace Christ’s sacrifice and our freedom from sin, or to continue living in it.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 
Romans 6:8-14

How will it benefit me?


When we accept Jesus sacrifice and we will be reborn. Not of the womb or physically, but spiritually. When we pass from this world, it is not our bodies that leave, but our spirits. Our old sinful spirit has perished, and a new spirit has been injected into us. We are no longer the people we once were. Everything about is us renewed. We have a hope and a joy for the future and the time beyond this life. We have a renewed sense of purpose, and a drive to enjoy everything we have. Everyday we are renewed. God did not create us to cause pain or to perish in violence, but rather we were made to love Him and to love each other in that same love. If we surrender the control of our lives and actions to Him, Jesus will guide us and rebuild us into the people that God created us to be. We will be free from sin, and we will not fear death.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,a that we should no longer be slaves to sin " because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:5

So where do you get it?

You get it from Jesus, and Him alone. He has offered it to you free of charge, without you even asking for it, before you ever knew that you needed it. All you need to is accept it, and follow Him.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17

But I am a good person, do I still need it?


Yes. You do. As harsh as it may sound, the only way to be safe is to follow Jesus. He came to make a way for us and only He can take us back that way. Our passage to heaven has no regard for how good we were. It is not possible for us to have obeyed all ten commandments every single second of every single day. This is the requirement of the Law. James states in James 2:10 that:

For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Let us not discount the value of good works, but we cannot assume that in any way our good deeds will grant us entrance into heaven. To do so we then believe that we can somehow earn our way into heaven, if that were so, then Christ’s sacrifice will have been in vain, and His blood shed for nothing. We must always remember that when we were still in sin, Christ came and paid our ransom. This was the grace given us by God. One thing to always remember is that grace is always unwarranted, or deserved or earned, but grace is given not as a reward, but as a gift.

As Paul says in his letter to the church in Ephesus:


“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith"and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

He Continues,

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Galatians 5:16-18

In Summary:

What is it to receive Salvation?


It is to be set free from the bondage of sin.


Why do I need it?


I need it to go to heaven.


Where do I get it?


It has been given already, we need only accept it and follow Jesus.


How does it benefit me?


You will be free of the bondages of sin, and renewed with the life of Christ in you.


Do good people need it too?


Yes. Simply being good is not enough.


What must I do with it?


Share your testimony with others and save them from the fire of Hell.

Reviews

[MoriartyMesa]

Salvation, what a topic. Now let's say Salvation is a game of Black Jack. You get a card down, I get a card down. Your top card shows, so does mine. Now what is my bottom card? If you have a 6 showing, I have to guess yours. But if i have a 7, do you want to guess mine?




In a brief paragraph I just broke down Salvation.

[Bradley G. Patterson]

I have no idea how that relates mate. Thanks for the input tho.

[Samuel Dickens]

In my early twenties, I went through a period of being what some might term a "Bible-thumper". A Gideon's in my pocket, I went about trying to convert everyone to my particular religion. (Baptist) Today, I'm far less rigid, maybe even loose in my religious beliefs. The years may do that to a person. What you've written here is much like sermons I've heard in church, and you've done a great job of it.

[Bradley G. Patterson]

Thanks Samuel. My intentions were to keep it simple and keep it scriptural.