In our alphabet series ‘The A-Z of Christian Faith’, tonight we looked at S is for Salvation. Salvation is one of the key words of faith, but its meaning is very simple: to be saved or rescued from danger or harm, ruin or loss. That apparently useless antique which is rescued from the skip may turn out to be hugely valuable; the arm stretched out to help someone up the mountain prevents them from falling. To be saved is a wonderful thing!
Acts 16:25-34 gives us a picture of salvation: the Philippian jailer, faced with an earthquake which led to the prison doors being opened, feared for his job and his life and asked Paul and Silas, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ (Acts 16:30) The reply – ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.’ (Acts 16:31) – shows us the importance of personal faith and the assurance of salvation.
Saved From What?
Many of us do not recognise the danger we are in and don’t see any need for salvation, but sin is the real problem we all face. Man’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden has had far-reaching consequences, bringing sin and death into God’s perfect creation. (Rom 5:12) Every single problem we face nowadays can be traced back to that first sin; we see its consequences in a polluted world, in fractured relationships, in broken families, in mental health problems, in sickness and disease, in alienation from God. Paul says, ‘the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time’ (Rom 8:22) and all the misery, heartache, anguish and hurt in our world today can be summed up in that one word: sin. Most of all, sin caused separation from God and if we are to be saved from punishment, death and eternal separation, we need a Saviour!
Jesus’ Mission : To Seek And Save the Lost
The Bible teaches us that not only do we need salvation, we need a Saviour. We need someone who can do the rescuing and delivering, because we can’t do it ourselves. And it teaches us that Jesus is that Saviour: His name means ‘The Lord Saves’ (see Matt 1:21). Jesus did not come simply to bring good teaching to us. He did not come simply to feed the hungry, heal the sick and preach about love and forgiveness, important though all of those things are. He came to save us from our sins. He came to do something about the harm we are in, to rescue us from the danger of living lives that are alienated from God, something He accomplished through His sinless life and His sacrificial death: ‘a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.’ (Heb 10:12, The Message) His resurrection demonstrates that this sacrifice was acceptable to God (see 1 Cor 15:3-5)
Saved For What?
We are not just saved to sit around waiting for heaven, however. We are saved to live new lives (Rom 6:4), to put off our old way of living and embrace the new self God creates (see Eph 4:22-24). We are saved to do the good works God hs planned for us (Eph 2:10) and we are saved ultimately to be like God and to reflect His glory (Eph 5:1, 2 Cor 3:18, Rom 8:29). Salvation embraces everything God is and does for each one of us.
