UNPACKING "SALVATION"

Several years ago, an excited father called me up late one night.

"My son just got SAVED!" he blurted through the phone, with unquenchable excitement.

His boy had gone to the EFCA's summer youth conference, CHALLENGE, and on one of the nights, responding to the speaker, entrusted his life by faith to Christ.

He got "saved."  So, what does the Bible mean when it uses that word?  What happened to that boy?

SALVATION - "to rescue from danger"

It's not complicated.  The Greek term we translate "save" means "to rescue (or be rescued) from danger."  Pull someone who can't swim from the deep end of the pool, and you have "saved" that person.  Turning it around, such a someone "experienced salvation."   It's a word that can be applied to countless situations in life where someone is delivered from what threatened to harm or destroy.

SALVATION - "to be rescued from the death penalty of sin"

The books of Scripture recognized by Christians as revelation from God speak of all men and every person having a condemning sin problem before God.  Adam and Eve set the ball rolling in the wrong direction.  God is holy; men are unholy.  God is just; men are justly guilty of sinning against the character and moral laws of God.  And, our sin deceives a penalty.  Not just a slap on the wrist or a frown on the brow of our Creator, but much more severe.  "The soul that sinneth shall die."

The good news is that not only is God just, but He is also love, which moved him to provide a way of "salvation" or rescue for any one who will believe it and receive it.  God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth, God-who-became-man lived a sinless life and yet died as if He were the worst of sinners.  "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God, in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

All that is required is faith, a simple and sincere trusting that Jesus died for my sin.  "For by grace you are saved through faith..." Ephesians 2:8-9.  Anyone can simply, sincerely believe this good news and be rescued from the eternal death penalty of his/her sin.

My friend's boy experienced this salvation...but, there's more.

SALVATION - "to be rescued from a living ruined by sinning"

There is another rescue that every person and all men need.  To be released from the eternal death penalty of sin is good.  But another deliverance can occur right now, and every day, and it impacts the quality of the living we do each moment.

In Romans 6, Paul teaches those who have been rescued from the eternal penalty of sin that they can also live a life rescued from the dominance or monopoly of sin.  "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" he asks.  "Sin shall no longer domineer you," he writes.  "Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God."

Older theologians used to call this a "salvation" from the power of sin, the power of sin right now.  In Christ, sin's monopoly has been broken in our inner man.  It no longer is in charge of what we've become (new!) in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).  This means that the one who was used to lying all the time can now become used to speaking the truth.  The one who was captured by pornography can now be delighting in purity.  The man who lost his temper can now have the Spirit of God's presence and power to keep his temper and express the patient fruit of the Spirit.

Most people saved "from the penalty of sin" will start growing in their salvation "from the power of sin."  In this, their character and personality will increasingly become like Jesus himself.

I am hopeful that today, by friend's son is being "saved" from sin's power.

SALVATION - to be rescued from the "future presence" of sin

Finally, there is one more aspect of "being saved" that is yet to come.  We understand from Revelations 21-22 that the "new heaven and new earth" will no longer have the very presence of sin (or it's author, Satan).  Sin and all it's horrific consequences will not be present in the eternal home God is making for those who have been "saved from the penalty of sin" and grew in being "saved from the power of sin."

John said it, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:1-3).

If you've read this through, take a final moment and review what the Bible means by "salvation."

Rescued...from it's eternal death penalty...from it's present domineering power...and someday from it's very presence.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.