Salvation or safety?
I make no apology for the fact that I belong to The Salvation Army. Our middle name is "salvation." Since moving back to the tip of the Bible belt, I have heard the term "salvation" more. I have often heard the term used more in association with personal salvation. I have heard much about how people need to be saved from Hell.
Now let me say, I believe Hell is real. I believe it is the desire of God to have people experience personal salvation in Jesus. But that view of salvation in my view is selfish.
That view of salvation is more about how I can be safe. The whole of scripture is in fact a love letter from God to His people. It is also a treatise on the Kingdom. How many times does Jesus say in the Gospel that "the Kingdom is near?" In other words, it is about bringing a new order to the world. In fact, the early church was known as "the Way" and described as the people who turned the world upside down.
Paul declared that the struggle we have is against principalities and powers. Not only was he declaring that we were working against "spiritual" powers but against sin-corrupted systems, that were working to keep the Kingdom from expanding and changing the world from sin dominated to grace driven.
Salvation takes on a very different meaning from the selfish thought about what we can get out of our relationship with Jesus, to how we can change the world, environmentally, politically and economically. It means that we must not only try to save ourselves from hell but share grace that will change all these systems and in fact, bring about its salvation.
There is so much more to salvation than being a safe individual. I believe it is about bringing righteousness through love to the world. It is no longer about what we can get, but what we can do for the Kingdom. Our adoration to the Lord is played out in our devotion to mission and to living sacrificially.
I really think it is about time, that we begin concentrating not only on our own safety and what we can get out of it, but what we can give to changing the world through our stewardship and grace. In other words, salvation in my opinion is the good news that we and the world can be different. Even though hell is real, if it is the motivating factor in our lives, I believe that we are living a shallow life of selfishness. Salvation or saftey, what are we really about?
What do you think?
Now let me say, I believe Hell is real. I believe it is the desire of God to have people experience personal salvation in Jesus. But that view of salvation in my view is selfish.
That view of salvation is more about how I can be safe. The whole of scripture is in fact a love letter from God to His people. It is also a treatise on the Kingdom. How many times does Jesus say in the Gospel that "the Kingdom is near?" In other words, it is about bringing a new order to the world. In fact, the early church was known as "the Way" and described as the people who turned the world upside down.
Paul declared that the struggle we have is against principalities and powers. Not only was he declaring that we were working against "spiritual" powers but against sin-corrupted systems, that were working to keep the Kingdom from expanding and changing the world from sin dominated to grace driven.
Salvation takes on a very different meaning from the selfish thought about what we can get out of our relationship with Jesus, to how we can change the world, environmentally, politically and economically. It means that we must not only try to save ourselves from hell but share grace that will change all these systems and in fact, bring about its salvation.
There is so much more to salvation than being a safe individual. I believe it is about bringing righteousness through love to the world. It is no longer about what we can get, but what we can do for the Kingdom. Our adoration to the Lord is played out in our devotion to mission and to living sacrificially.
I really think it is about time, that we begin concentrating not only on our own safety and what we can get out of it, but what we can give to changing the world through our stewardship and grace. In other words, salvation in my opinion is the good news that we and the world can be different. Even though hell is real, if it is the motivating factor in our lives, I believe that we are living a shallow life of selfishness. Salvation or saftey, what are we really about?
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 5:32 PM
9 Comments:
I agree . . . this is my beef with the prosperity (name it & claim it) gospel – the idea that we will be wealthy and healthy if we just believe . . . and of course, give to the church . . . and “name our seed” etc . . .
Jesus never taught us to play it safe and comfortable . . . in fact, he taught just the opposite. He said things like “turn the other cheek” . . . “forgive 7 x 70” . . . “give to those ask” . . . if we were to really live like Jesus lived and taught . . . we wouldn’t be wealthy and I question how “comfortable” would be.
Great post.
Blessings,
Bret
Mesufo,
I am not talking about program. I am talking about a mindset. I think that too often we use Hell as the motivating factor (or what I can get out of my salvation) instead of seeking the salvation of systems, the Kingdom and the world for the sake of abundant life.
Young Robyn,
I think you may have a point about personal salvation. What about bringing the Kingdom to earth? What does that mean? I am not sure that salvation is too easy. I just don't think we quite grasp what it really means.
I completely agree with you about the kingdom. Christianity seems to have lost that part of Christ's purpose; we're so heaven focused (not that that is a bad thing in and of itself). But Christ came not JUST to save us but ALSO to initiate his kingdom here and now, to redeem all of life back to his purposes (Luke 4:16-22). We should be about saving souls AND bringing about the kingdom, living with kingdom vision. There's a fabulous little book called "Heaven is Not My Home" by Paul Marshall that talks about how we can do that in everything - work, school, home, play.
Also agreed. This, to me, is full gospel. The idea that Jesus came, not only to die and rise again, but to teach a new way of living that would “save us” in the here and now.
According to Christ, the two most important commandments are loving God and loving others. Funny how we, like the Pharisees have decided to focus on everything BUT loving others. No corn picking on Sundays! And for God’s sake, if you’re only going to stick to two of the articles of war, make sure it’s the drinking and smoking thing! Those are the biggies!
As far as Christ was concerned, loving God could not be separated from loving our neighbour. According to him, if we did not love our neighbour, than we did not love God. In fact, if we do not love our neighbour, God isn’t even in us according to Christ.
Tim,
Glad to see you back....I missed you. I emailed you last week. Will be in touch.
Yes! When Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God, it is not exegetical imagination to understand that He is discussing the Kingdom in heaven (in the future) and the Kingdom on earth (the present). God's salvation is not provided as a safety net but rather a sharing web, to be shared with more people, not to live in recluse. Living a holy life with impact on this world is living with the power of the Holy Spirit. W have been saved from something, sin, but also we have been saved for something, a holy life loving God and loving others.
Good thought today!
I know this post has been out for a while, but I think one of the issues around this has yet to be pointed out.
It's easier to focus on personal salvation--what do I get out of it and to place ourselves above those who are "still lost." It's the us and them thing that's been talked about here and other places. That's pretty easy to do, to close ourselves off from the tough realities of this world and yearn for the next one. What is more difficult and so, the less traveled path, is to recognize the gift we've been given, live like it matters the moment we receive the gift and work to better the situation of those around us, therefore bringing the Kingdom here and now. It's a question of including ourselves in the difficulties that sin causes or abdicating responsibility by separating ourselves from it.
When it comes to theory, I have this down pat. Salvation IS all about a better, more fulfilling life for me. It's just that it also involves a deep, painful heart transformation that completely changes what I think about everything around me. But at the end of the day, buying into God's agenda provides me with more joy, more hope and a heck of a lot more love in my life than anything I would've sought pre-salvation. All those 'sacrifices' are like giving up pebbles to receive gems.
Am I making sense? I know I come across as very 'postmodernist' at times... :-)
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