Your Savior
Some people ask, "Saved from what?"
I really do not know any other way to answer what seems to me to be an obvious question but with the obvious answer. We need to be saved from death! Haven't you noticed something very consistent about the human condition? Everyone dies.
Remember what we discussed earlier. The best way to learn about our reason for existence is to know God. And we looked at the verse which says God does not die. If our Creator will never die, why then do we die when most of us desire to live?
It is reasonable to suggest that to be made in God's image (Genesis 1:26) would include immortality. Mentally healthy people have a strong desire to live. Even the physically sick want to be healed from their illnesses so they can delay death. We have a longing to live for two reasons: first, our Creator placed this yearning inside of us when He made us. Second, to be made in His image includes reflecting the glory of His immortality.
Yet the fact remains-we all die. God is trying to tell us something; He is warning us of something much more costly and painful than physical demise. He is allowing us to taste of death so we might avoid eternal death. We need to be saved from the second death!
HOW CAN WE BE SAVED FROM ETERNAL DEATH?
Salvation comes through Christ alone.
Immediately, many become anxious when they hear or read such a statement. They are worried for one of three reasons: (1) they are concerned about the feelings and destiny of those who have rejected or have not heard about Christ, (2) they simply disagree because their world view includes spiritual thinking beyond the teachings of the Bible, or (3) they are in a group that finds the discussion of spiritual things irrelevant.
The person and work of Jesus is accepted or included into most of the world religions in one way or another. He is called by some a prophet of God, by others He was a strong and moral leader like India's Gandhi. Some religions even claim that by His life achievements and the grace of God, Jesus ascended into godhood. While it may seem honorable to acknowledge a good man, it is more than dangerous to just lump Jesus in the Spiritual Hall of Fame, many of whom are listed in Hebrews 11. These are great models for us to follow, yet none of them are the Savior of the world. Not one!
Eternal life is given only through the decree and power of Jesus Christ. This
Eternal life is given only through the decree and power of Jesus Christ.
was God's plan from the beginning. Salvation from eternal death would require a radical, no-nonsense approach to sin.
Humankind's sin problem has always been too wide for us to cross. Only a plan from the heights and dimensions of heaven could solve the issue of eternal death caused by sin. The Apostle Paul tells the story this way: "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins" (Ephesians 1:4-7).
Those who have faith in Christ have been freed from the fear and bondage which comes with sin and death. To have a Savior is to have been rescued and is a cause for rejoicing and unending celebration. It is to realize God cares about you and me. To have a Savior is to have One who continues to save us, not only from eternal death, but also from the daily experience of foolishness and selfish living. To have a Savior is to have someone to follow who can be completely trusted.
Salvation comes by grace alone.
You cannot earn God's favor. Salvation is yours through the removal of a death sentence by way of God's forgiving grace. Paul continues his teaching about salvation: "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:8-10).
What do these verses tell us beyond the fact that God's salvation is a gift which cannot be earned? We learn that even believing is a gift from God. Notice how the verse says "when you believed." It does not say "because you believed." So how are we saved? It is by God's grace when we believe.
Finally, we also see in verse ten that God's plan of salvation is not just about the destination of heaven, but is about doing the "good things" He has planned for us to do! We will take these things with us to eternity. This is why salvation is both an event and a process. We are once saved, then we are being continually saved as we deepen in our awareness and become obedient to the plans God has laid for each of us.
Salvation makes you part of God's family.
To be a Christian is to be an invaluable member of God's family. The house of God in the New Testament is called the Body of Christ. He dwells in us individually and corporately.
This Body of Christ, however, is invisible because it is universal, including both the living and the dead. Therefore it has not yet been finished, but will be, with glorified bodies in the resurrection. But the Body of Christ is also visible through the local church. This is where our Savior has called us to fellowship and where we discover His presence living in each of us individually and corporately.
Paul explains this further: "So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).
God adopted you- and the local church is to receive you. In the local Body of Christ is where you will learn to serve and to be served. It is a place where you will discover more about God, others, and yourself. It is not a perfect place but one day it will be. It is this hope and vision which causes us to learn to love like Jesus loved. The local Body of Christ is just like you, with great strengths and abilities, but it also has places of weakness. Jesus is not yet finished with His Body and has not yet completed His work in you. Together we are called to live and serve in community.
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
Trust in Christ alone for your salvation. If you have not yet humbled yourself to confess with your mouth the belief in your heart that Jesus is truly the only One who can give you life, please take the time to do it now.
Trust in Christ's eternal forgiveness and do not try to make-up for all the wrongs of your life. Instead, follow the way of Christ from this day forward. Relinquish your past, as it can only whisper lies of shame to your present. Let the power of God's forgiveness and the presence of His Spirit guide as you learn how to listen and obey.
Trust in Christ's power to transform the Body of Christ you call home.
Be patient with people the way you would like others to be patient with you. If you do not fellowship in a local Body, find one that teaches the Bible and has a good reputation of consistency in the local community in which it serves. Get involved! Do not be a spectator because you will never grow if you simply listen and do not participate.
POINTS TO PONDER
- Think about the possibility of a God-given instinct to fear death. Why would He do this? What purpose does or would it serve?
- How are we called to serve God?
- Why is belonging to a church so important?
- What must we do to be saved from sin?
