Salvation 101
NOTES FROM PASTOR DAN - SALVATION 101
Greater men have attempted to properly and completely communicate a theology of salvation, so this is not an attempt to surpass their works. My task is in some ways a simpler one; in other ways more difficult. As a pastor my job is to make topics like Salvation understandable without being simplistic. In order to strike that balance I will attempt to limit myself to using only biblical terms and giving explanations of those concepts that I would typically use in conversation. I personally do not find great value in using theologically technical terms because I lead and minister to “everyman” kind of people who simply long for greater understanding of the deep truths of scripture. I will leave untouched any number of issues related to salvation. If you desire a more in-depth discussion of these topics I am happy to refer you to the works of the greater men I mentioned previously. In this introductory piece I hope to build a framework from which to write several more essays that I hope will coalesce into one document dealing with the theology of salvation. I intend to define the problem of “lostness” or “sinfulness” and point to the gospel as the solution. In a series of essays I hope to walk with my people down the path of justification, sanctification, and glorification with Christ.
Salvation is a rather tricky word. To church insiders, salvation often means “I will go to heaven when I die” or “Jesus has forgiven my sins.” People who are new to the church will often have questions when we use the term salvation. “Why do I need to be saved? I didn’t know that I was in real danger! What do I need to be saved from; Are we talking about being saved from demons or the devil attacking or bad things happening?” Let’s be honest for a minute. The church has not been clear about salvation. We have not consistently taught the doctrine of salvation from the Scriptures. Some have plumbed the depths of the word of God and have developed a rich and meaningful theology of salvation on their own; I believe these are the exceptions. Most have lived their lives, attended church, participated in a few Bible studies yet they have never deeply understood the message of the gospel. Most are just trying to do their best in life and hope against hope that it will be enough in the end. This is no salvation at all; it is in fact a prison of works and self-righteousness. The message of the gospel is “good news” not a prison cell.
The gospel is the message of redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation with God, but in order to get to the “good news” we are forced to start with the bad news. It is a popular misconception that people are basically good but sin on occasion. With this as a foundational belief many struggle to understand why they need salvation. Almost universally people want forgiveness because those occasional sins result in feeling guilt and shame. As we lower the bar on sin the subsequent guilt and shame associated with it is also diminished. At some point we will no longer feel the need to be forgiven because we will no longer see any reason to be ashamed. If sin isn’t actually sinful then why do we need salvation and forgiveness? There will be no need to be redeemed or reconciled to God if He loves me “just the way that I am” with an unconditional love. If people no longer believe the “bad news” of lostness and sinfulness, sensing no reason to be remorseful, no heaviness of guilt, they will be blind to their need and deaf to God’s offer of salvation. This is in fact the desperate problem that we face today even among those who profess to be Christians.
The only solution to this problem is to clearly teach the entire gospel message. We must begin with God making a way of salvation for all who believe “from the foundation of the world.” We must courageously preach and teach the plight of humanity and the darkness of sin. We must be bluntly honest about the wickedness of man and clearly reveal mankind’s eternal need. Only then can we move on to see the grandeur of justification, righteousness in Christ and God’s sanctifying work in all who have been given “a spirit of adoption” as sons and daughters of God.
In the coming weeks we will look closely at each step of this journey. We will begin with God’s eternal plan of salvation and His primary work in the heart of man. We will then tackle man’s eternal and insurmountable need for salvation. We will conclude our travels by understanding what the Bible says about redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, and glorification. These are biblical terms that are rich and full of life to all who will “seek the Lord while He may be found.”
Greater men have attempted to properly and completely communicate a theology of salvation, so this is not an attempt to surpass their works. My task is in some ways a simpler one; in other ways more difficult. As a pastor my job is to make topics like Salvation understandable without being simplistic. In order to strike that balance I will attempt to limit myself to using only biblical terms and giving explanations of those concepts that I would typically use in conversation. I personally do not find great value in using theologically technical terms because I lead and minister to “everyman” kind of people who simply long for greater understanding of the deep truths of scripture. I will leave untouched any number of issues related to salvation. If you desire a more in-depth discussion of these topics I am happy to refer you to the works of the greater men I mentioned previously. In this introductory piece I hope to build a framework from which to write several more essays that I hope will coalesce into one document dealing with the theology of salvation. I intend to define the problem of “lostness” or “sinfulness” and point to the gospel as the solution. In a series of essays I hope to walk with my people down the path of justification, sanctification, and glorification with Christ.
Salvation is a rather tricky word. To church insiders, salvation often means “I will go to heaven when I die” or “Jesus has forgiven my sins.” People who are new to the church will often have questions when we use the term salvation. “Why do I need to be saved? I didn’t know that I was in real danger! What do I need to be saved from; Are we talking about being saved from demons or the devil attacking or bad things happening?” Let’s be honest for a minute. The church has not been clear about salvation. We have not consistently taught the doctrine of salvation from the Scriptures. Some have plumbed the depths of the word of God and have developed a rich and meaningful theology of salvation on their own; I believe these are the exceptions. Most have lived their lives, attended church, participated in a few Bible studies yet they have never deeply understood the message of the gospel. Most are just trying to do their best in life and hope against hope that it will be enough in the end. This is no salvation at all; it is in fact a prison of works and self-righteousness. The message of the gospel is “good news” not a prison cell.
The gospel is the message of redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation with God, but in order to get to the “good news” we are forced to start with the bad news. It is a popular misconception that people are basically good but sin on occasion. With this as a foundational belief many struggle to understand why they need salvation. Almost universally people want forgiveness because those occasional sins result in feeling guilt and shame. As we lower the bar on sin the subsequent guilt and shame associated with it is also diminished. At some point we will no longer feel the need to be forgiven because we will no longer see any reason to be ashamed. If sin isn’t actually sinful then why do we need salvation and forgiveness? There will be no need to be redeemed or reconciled to God if He loves me “just the way that I am” with an unconditional love. If people no longer believe the “bad news” of lostness and sinfulness, sensing no reason to be remorseful, no heaviness of guilt, they will be blind to their need and deaf to God’s offer of salvation. This is in fact the desperate problem that we face today even among those who profess to be Christians.
The only solution to this problem is to clearly teach the entire gospel message. We must begin with God making a way of salvation for all who believe “from the foundation of the world.” We must courageously preach and teach the plight of humanity and the darkness of sin. We must be bluntly honest about the wickedness of man and clearly reveal mankind’s eternal need. Only then can we move on to see the grandeur of justification, righteousness in Christ and God’s sanctifying work in all who have been given “a spirit of adoption” as sons and daughters of God.
In the coming weeks we will look closely at each step of this journey. We will begin with God’s eternal plan of salvation and His primary work in the heart of man. We will then tackle man’s eternal and insurmountable need for salvation. We will conclude our travels by understanding what the Bible says about redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, and glorification. These are biblical terms that are rich and full of life to all who will “seek the Lord while He may be found.”