To Save part 1
Salvation can kind of be a tricky subject. I think for most of the "Christian world" it means "salvation from hell." Which is strange to me because Jesus never talked about saving anybody from hell. (Unless you understand hell as the place of the dead. In which case that's exactly what He did. He saved us from death by giving us HIS life.) For me, salvation was always about salvation from sin. And I guess if you think of "hell" as a fiery prison that you get thrown into if you die as a sinner, then we're kind of talking about the same thing. But for me it's so much more than that. But let's back up and build a foundation. My key verse for this Rant series (and the previous one) is Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." We spent the better part of a week looking at the truth that it was JESUS who came to seek US, not the other way around. But He didn't just seek. He also saved. And look at the last four words of the verse: "that which was lost." Not, "that which was damned." And to me, someone who is lost is simply someone who doesn't know where they are. Someone who doesn't know who they are. Someone who doesn't know why they're here. Which brings me back to salvation from our sins. Because sin is unbelief. Not believing that God loves you. Believing you have to do something--or be someone you're not--in order to earn God's love. THAT'S what Jesus came to save us from. Look at Matthew 1:21, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Saved... from our sins. And, in a nutshell, Jesus saved us from our sins (from unbelief) by giving us something--love--to believe in. He gave us the measure of faith by proving Himself faithful. He saved us from the bondage of sin and death by drawing us into Himself and then dying. Because when He died, we died. And then He rose again. And we rose again. As a new creature. A new man. Dead to sin--because He sought us out and saved us from it--and alive unto God. Let me quote one more verse for today (and I think this is really going to be my focus for this Rant series). 1 Peter 1:9, "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." Jesus gave us faith by proving Himself faithful. But faith is the substance of things hoped for, right? The evidence of things not seen? Well, the end of our faith is salvation. We don't need to hope for what has already happened. We don't need to seek salvation. He sought us out and saved us. Took those who were dead and made them alive in Him. Freed us from the bondage we were in and empowered us to live. And not just live, but live HIS abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life by letting Him life it in us, and through us, and as us! That's what salvation is. Total and complete healing. Of mind, body, soul, and spirit. That's what we were saved from--and that's what we can now enjoy!