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Savior of the World by GenMata

What does “especially of those who believe” mean?

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach.” (1Ti. 4:9-11)

This must be a very important passage to warrant such a powerful introduction and closing. Paul exhorts us to view these faithful words as worthy of all acceptance, and tells us to command and teach these truths. Understand the importance of this critical passage. If God is the Savior exclusively of those who believe during their earthly existence, as our tradition teaches, then this passage is clearly in error. The difference between “exclusively” and “especially” is paramount. To interchange these concepts is to contradict Scripture.

What does “especially of those who believe” mean? The immediate context sheds much light: “Set the believers an example….practice these duties….so that all may see your progress. Take heed to yourself and teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Ti. 4:12-16 RSV).

Is this salvation by works? No, it is “working out” salvation (Ph. 2:12). God’s purpose in salvation is not to save us in our sins (Mt. 1:21), but from them. Christ saves us from our sinful nature and transforms us into His image (Ga. 4:19) so we may shine as lights in the world (Mt. 5:13-16). Thus, believers are “especially” saved because they have been justified by faith, and are presently working out their salvation as God empowers them (Ph. 2:13). Their salvation is being perfected (made complete) for all to see (1Ti. 4:15-16).

None of this changes the fact that God is still the Savior of those who do not yet believe. Once His righteous, just, and purpose-driven judgments have run their course, death will be destroyed, all will be made alive, and all will be subjected to Christ. Then God will be all in all (1Co. 15:22-28). He is, in an ultimate sense, the Savior of all men, (unbelievers and believers) but especially, at present, of believers.

The Greek word “especially,” is malista. Could it also mean “exclusively”? The only way to know is to observe how it is used in Scripture. This is a good example of how useful The Word Study Concordance can be. Malista occurs twelve times. As you read these references, try substituting the word “exclusively” and see how it fits.

¨      They…fell on Paul’s neck sorrowing most of all [malista] for the words which he spoke (Ac. 20:38).

¨      I have brought him out before you all and especially [malista] before you King Agrippa (Ac. 25:26).

¨      Agrippa…especially [malista] because you are an expert (Ac. 26:2-3).

¨      Let us do good to all, especially [malista] to those who are of the household of faith (Ga. 6:9-10).

¨      All the saints greet you, but especially [malista] those who are of Caesar’s household (Ph. 4:20-23).

¨      If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially [malista] for those of his household, he has denied the faith… (1Ti. 5:3-8).

¨      Elders be counted worthy of double honor, especially [malista] those who labor in the word and doctrine (1Ti. 5:16-18).

¨      Bring the cloak…and the books, especially [malista] the parchments (2Ti. 4:13).

¨      There are many…deceivers, especially [malista] those of the circumcision… (Tit. 1:10-11).

¨      But more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially [malista] to me but how much more to you (Phil. 16).

¨      Reserve…for the day of judgment, and especially [malista] those who walk according to the flesh (2Pe. 2:9-11).

Can we substitute the idea of “exclusively” for “especially” in any of these malista passages? No! Nor do we have grammatical or contextual grounds to do so in 1Ti. 4:10. Compare this passage with Ga. 6:10: “…let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. ”Can we neglect doing good to unbelievers? Of course not! Neither can we deny that God is the savior of all men. But to the contrary, we are commanded to teach this very thing!

Referenced from: “Hope Beyond Hell” pages 112-114.

Love Has Come by Mark Schultz“Love Has Come”Continue reading

If we, as the corporate body of Christ, would carefully observe the words we sing in our worship of God, we would quickly see the message the Holy Spirit is speaking through us. Are we not the living body of Christ? The words we express in worship repeatedly attest to the Victorious Gospel! Where is the threat of an eternal hell in these words? Are they not filled with hope, comfort, and peace? Do they not impart life?

All Of Creation by Mercy Me

LYRICS:
Separated until the veil was torn the moment that hope was born and guilt was pardoned once and for all. Captivated but no longer bound by chains left at an empty grave the sinner and the sacred resolved.
And all of creation sing with me now,lift up your voice and lay your burden down. And all of creation sing with me now,fill up the heavens let his glory resound.
Time has faded and we see him face to face every doubt erased forever we will worship the king. [repeat chorus]
The reason we breathe is to sing of his glory and for all he has done praise the father praise the son and the spirit in one. [repeat chorus 2x]
And every knee will bow oh and every tongue praise the father praise the son and the spirit in one.
“All Of Creation” written by Mercy me. Album out May, 2010

Paid in Full (Listen or Read)

Paid in Full

One of the last things Christ said while hanging on the cross was, “Father, forgive them” (Lu. 23:34). Did God not answer His prayer? In John’s gospel, His last recorded words were, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), which The Bible Knowledge Commentary says means, “paid in full.”⁹ What is the significance of this? Consider the commentary John provides on Christ’s redemption. What better commentary could we have than the author? He says, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29)! He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1Jn. 2:2).The sins of the whole world have been paid in full! I would not dare place any limitations on the power of the blood of Christ to save all for whom it was shed—the world. Perhaps no passages are more precious and essential than these. I entreat you to prayerfully meditate on each one.

¨      Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29)! The world!

¨      It is finished (Jn. 19:30). Paid in full!

¨      He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1Jn. 2:2). The world!

¨      The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:6). Everyone!

¨      My flesh…I…give for the life of the world (Jn. 6:51). The world!

¨      Christ died for the ungodly (Ro. 5:6). That includes everyone!

¨      When we were enemies we were reconciled…through [His] death (Ro. 5:10). If you and I, why not all?

¨      Justification…to all men (Ro. 5:18 NAS). All men!

¨      If One died for all, then all died (2Co. 5:14). His death affects all!

¨      For it pleased the Father…by Him to reconcile all things to Himself…through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:19-20). All!

¨      He…tasted death for everyone (He. 2:9). Everyone!

¨      Christ…suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust (1Pe. 3:18). Everyone!

¨      He gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1Ti. 2:6). Everyone!

Christ gave Himself a ransom for all (1Ti. 2:6) and not merely some. He propitiated not only our sins, but also those of the whole world! (1Jn. 2:2). That includes the ungodly (Ro. 5:6), the unjust (1Pe. 3:18), and even His enemies (Ro. 5:8). In fact everyone (He. 2:9). The ransom for their sins has been paid in “full” (Jn. 19:30). Thus all are reconciled through His blood (Col.1:20). I accept these passages as they read. Moreover, because I do, I am confident that God will reveal Himself to all men in His ordered (due) time (1Ti. 2:6).

What “Paid in Full” Implies

Christ did not suffer in vain for anyone. Sooner or later, all will come to faith and obedience. All are washed in the blood. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw [drag] all men to myself” (Jn. 12:32 RSV). See “Drags All” chapter 6.

Why is “all coming to faith” so hard to believe in light of what Scripture teaches about Christ’s death and God’s power? Just think of your own faith and obedience. You were blessed enough to experience it in this age, perhaps in your youth or later in life. In either case, it happened. To whom do you give credit for your faith and obedience? Do you credit yourself for being lucky enough to have been at the right place at the right time? Or wise enough to have seen the opportunity and seized it (Lu. 10:21; 1Co. 1:26-31)? Or righteous enough to carry your cross and remain faithful to the end? If you do not credit yourself, then you must credit another—Christ and His “paid in full” redemption. So then, I will assume you do not credit yourself but Christ for your salvation.

Do you believe you are saved while most of the human race is going to hell forever? If so, think carefully what this means. It means God has arbitrarily selected you over others; or that He finds you more worthy than others; or both. But this denies that Christ has “paid in full” sin’s debt. It denies that God is impartial and fair with every person on earth (page 56). It denies that Christ accomplished His mission (Jn. 17:4, 12:47). It means the Father’s will and purpose to save all is forever denied. It means His love is not without end (1Co. 13:8). Do you see the contradiction in all this? This is very serious. But I have good news for you. There is a Biblical solution to your dilemma. That solution is understanding God’s purposes in election. That will be discussed in the next chapter.

¨¨¨¨¨

In this chapter we saw that the burden of our Lord’s heart was for the whole world and that our oneness is essential to our witness.

Education, wisdom, and status are not the prerequisites for spiritual revelation; we must be as babes before Him. We are called to judge for ourselves what is right and to face the question of questions. “How can a good God create people He knows will be tormented forever?” The two major Christian theologies were contrasted with each other. Each magnifies a key attribute of God – His love or His power. The Blessed Hope was shown to glorify God in both of these attributes. Could this be the key to Christian unity and world witness? Veiled from the traditional paradigms is the salvation of all and the integration of both pardon and chastisement. The wondrous scope of salvation was traced to God’s promise to Abraham, confirmed by Peter and Paul, and ultimately by Christ on the cross, as the sins of the whole world were “paid in full.”

We start with Christ facing the cross with the world on His heart, and close with His very last words while suspended between heaven and earth: “Father, forgive them.…It is finished.” Such forgiveness confirms the Blessed Hope. In the next chapter, we will address several themes essential to a fuller appreciation of this hope.

References: See Bibliography page.

Scope of the Gospel (Listen or Read)

Scope of the Gospel

Scripture, foreseeing God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying,
‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’.

(Ga. 3:8)

The Gospel is defined in eight simple words! “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” These words are the very Gospel Paul preached—justification by faith. This Gospel was first revealed to Abraham and is repeated five times in Genesis! (Ge. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). God did not want us to miss it. Notice it does not say “some” nations, but “all.” The important question in all this is: Does the term “nations” include every person? Peter makes it clear:

In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. (Ac.3:25-26)

According to Peter, the blessing of all nations includes all the “families” of the earth. But he does not stop there. He goes on specifying that the blessing includes every member of the family. Notice his words, “every one of you.” For years as a missionary, I have heard and read that God was merely interested in a token representative from every nation, tribe, and tongue. That has always troubled and perplexed me. As I look at Scripture more closely, I see a totally different picture of God. Let’s look at this passage again:

In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. (Ac. 3:25-26).

Acts 3:25-26 establishes four critical points.

¨      The Gospel comes to the elect first (not exclusively), and in “due time” it will bless every one of your family members, regardless of what you think their present spiritual state is.

¨      What is the blessing? It is turning away from sin.

¨      It is the same gospel Paul preached—justification by faith. This is established in Galatians 3:8 via God’s promise to Abraham (Ge. 12:3) and repeated here (Ac. 3:25).

¨      It confirms that justification by faith, as marvelous as it is, is not an end in itself; it is the prerequisite to turning from sin, the “working out” of our salvation.

Think about the term “family.” What does it mean to be a member of a family? It means one is part of a cohesive whole. If one is hurting, all are hurting. It can be accurately compared to the Body of Christ. We are “members individually,” and the members should have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with him or her (see 1Co. 12:25-27). Now ponder this: How can these “blessed ones” spoken of by Peter in the above passage—all individual members of families—experience the “great joy” of the Gospel (Lu. 2:10; Ro. 10:15) if they are vexed and tormented over the destiny of any of their lost family members? Could you “greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible” (1Pe. 1:8 NAS), knowing that your son, daughter, dad, mom, wife, or husband are suffering in an eternal hell?

If we do not provide, love, and care for our own household, we have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers (1Ti. 5:8). We must love our family members and neighbors “as” ourselves (Ro. 13:8-9). If we so loved in truth, we could not have peace and joy unless we knew all our loved ones were eternally safe. This simple truth alone confirms the unlimited scope of the Good News.

References: See Bibliography page.

Thoughts and Prayers (Listen or Read)

Thoughts and Prayers

Ephesians 3:20 states God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. Do we believe it? Can we dare believe, hope, and pray for something this grand and wonderful—that God can and will accomplish all His will for humanity? Is His hand so short it cannot redeem all people (Is. 50:2)? Is the redemption of all not good and acceptable to Him (1Ti. 2:3)? John Wesley believed that God can convert a world as easily as one individual.⁸ Was he mistaken? The apostle Paul wrote:

I exhort…that…supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men…for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved.…Christ Jesus…gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.…I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without…doubting (1Ti. 2:1-6, 8 KJV). (See also: Mk. 11:22-4; Ro. 4:20; Ja. 1:6-8).

Does God not call us to pray and thank Him for the salvation of all, and to do so without doubting? Is He not willing and able? If we err by praying in such a lofty way, would this dishonor or displease Him? Our only sin would be taking His Word to heart. If I am to err, let it be for expecting too much of God, not too little. Let us dare to think and believe the very highest thoughts of God! What can be higher than thanking Him for the salvation of all people?

References: See Bibliography page

Mystery to Ponder (Listen or Read)

Mystery to Ponder

God, in His infinite wisdom, integrates both mercy (pardon) and judgment (chastisement). It is not simply “either/or ” as our tradition implies. To give you an example of what I mean, consider the following texts. How do we explain them?

¨      To You…belongs mercy; for You render to each according to his work (Ps. 62:12; 101:1). Mercy, yet He renders according to work?

¨      You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds (Ps. 99:8). God forgives, yet takes vengeance?

¨      Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you” (Is. 35:4 NIV). Do not fear because God comes with vengeance? Divine retribution to save you?

¨      Her iniquity is pardoned; she has received from the Lord…double for all her sins (Is. 40:2). Sin pardoned, yet receives double for sin?

¨      We [believers] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds…according to what he has done, whether good or bad….He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2Co. 5:10, 21 NAS). Recompensed for bad deeds, yet righteous in Christ?

¨      As the elect of God…Christ forgave you….but he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality (Col 3:12, 13, 25). Forgiven, yet repaid?

¨      Judges according to work…redeemed…precious blood of Christ (1Pe. 1:17-19). Judged according to work, yet redeemed?

¨      We ourselves have known…God’s love toward ourselves…Love will come to its perfection in us when we can face the day of Judgment without fear;…to fear is to expect punishment (1Jn. 4:16-18 JB). Although we know (experience) God’s love (v. 16, 19), i.e. mercy; we rightly fear chastisement in the day of judgment if we lack love. We who know His love should fear His judgment? Who is sure they are perfect in love? Are you?

How do we reconcile these seemingly conflicting statements? In addition to these, have you noticed the extensive number of warnings in Scripture directed to believers—to those redeemed and washed in the blood? These warnings are real. The answer lies in simply accepting that God integrates both mercy and judgment as He sees necessary. But is there a verse that states this plainly? Yes! “Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” (Ja. 2:13). If judgment is without mercy to the merciless, it is with mercy to the merciful! Consider a few more verses:

In one sense, we are “justified” by faith (Ro. 5:1, etc). Yet, in another sense, a lowly tax collector is “justified” as a result of his humility, while a high ranking Pharisee is not justified in spite of his prayer and faith (Lu. 18:9-14). Now what if this humble tax man had acted like the wicked servant in Mt. 18:32? He too would have been delivered to the jailers until his original debt was paid (34-35). So then, lasting justification depends on our continuance in merciful deeds. Jesus repeats the same idea when emphasizing the role of faith in prayer. He admonishes us that while praying, unless we forgive, we will not be forgiven (Mk. 11:22-26). So then, God works through both mercy and judgment to accomplish His will in each of our lives. Is this not fair and just?

Along with this, might there be further light offered if forgiveness, like salvation, has more than one dimension? Could there be both a legal and relational side to it? All humanity receives pardon from our inherited sin in Adam through Christ’s redemption as the last Adam (Ro. 5:11-21; 1Co. 15:22, 45; 1Jn. 2:2). We gain “legal” pardon based solely on the merits of Christ just as we have legally inherited Adam’s sin. Note that the legal, financial term involved is “redeem” (1Pe. 1:18; Ep. 1:7). Yet relational forgiveness depends on each individual’s response to God’s truth revealed in his or her heart. “To whom much is given (revealed), much is required” (Lu. 12:48). God is absolutely fair and just with each person (Le. 24:19). In all the universe no one is more fair and just than He (De. 32:4; Ps. 19:9).

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn. 1:9). This is “relational” forgiveness as it is linked to confession, a relational act.. Notice the reason He forgives: He is “just.” Why is justice a factor? Because Christ legally paid the ransom for the sins of the whole world! (1Ti. 2:6; 1Jn. 2:2). Since the debt has been paid, God must forgive. But that does not exclude Him from doing it on His terms and for our correction (Pr. 3:11-12). Remember, He is a loving Father to all (pages 51-59).

We need to recognize that God integrates both mercy and judgment. This factor is a crucial piece of the puzzle helping us to better understand God’s plan for all. By applying mercy together with judgment, He accomplishes what is good and just in all our lives. Charles Pridgeon, president and founder of the Pittsburgh Bible Institute, argues:

There is an erroneous idea that when one accepts forgiveness of his sins, he thereby escapes all the consequences of his sins. This is by no means the case, as everyone may know by experience. The consequences last until there is no longer need of their warning and judging lesson. Some of them continue to the end of this life, and even extend much further.⁷

Does this throw a wrench in our theology? Did we think we had God or even salvation all figured out? Did we forget how deep are the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge; that His judgments are unsearchable and His ways unfathomable (Ro. 11:33)? Did we forget even Paul only knew in part (1Co. 13:9-12)? How could we have expected Paul to make everything clear when even he admitted to seeing without complete clarity? Is it any wonder myriads of Christian denominations fiercely adhere to conflicting tenets?

Let us humble ourselves before God’s power and wisdom and accept that He is infinitely greater than we can imagine (Ep. 3:20). Let us accept that we do not have all the answers. Let us cease being dogmatic in our doctrines and humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God. Consider what was said to Daniel: “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard…” (Da. 10:12). The key to understanding is a humble and seeking heart.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out” (Ro. 11:33 )! “For we know in part.…For now we see in a mirror, dimly.…Now I know in part…” (1Co. 13:9-12). “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…be glory” (Ep. 3:20).

In order to appreciate the vital role of God’s just and righteous judgments in His unfailing plan for all, we must understand salvation’s depth and purpose— the grand scope of what it encompasses; salvation’s relationship to faith and the Cross; and recognize that God integrates pardon with chastisement. Failure to recognize any of these vital elements will compromise our ability to find harmony within the Scriptures and grasp the awesome majesty of God!

References: See Bibliography page.

Salvation B (Listen or Read)

Salvation’s Purpose

Having an idea of what we are saved “from,” we must now consider what we are saved “unto.” C. S. Lewis, twentieth century British teacher and prolific author, understood the purpose of salvation. He wrote, “Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.”⁵ Scripture reveals salvation to be a process as much as it is an event. It goes beyond a new birth experience. Consider these:

¨      Warn…that we may present everyone perfect in Christ (Col.1:28). Warn against what?

¨      Boldness in the day of judgment; because we are like Him (1Jn. 4:17). Christians facing judgment?

¨      Work out salvation (Ph. 2:12-13). Salvation by works?

¨      Shall be saved by His life (Ro. 5:10). Shall be saved? I thought we were saved already!

¨      Take heed…in “doing” you will save yourself (1Ti. 4:16). Saved by doing? Save yourself?

How are such expressions reconciled with Paul’s teaching on salvation by grace? They refer to salvation’s “made complete” dimension (Col. 1:28)—the end goal of our salvation. Salvation always depends completely on the work of Christ on the cross. But, we must understand that God is going somewhere with our salvation. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son (Ro. 8:29); “We shall be like Him…” (1Jn. 3:2); “Till we all come in the unity of the faith…unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ep. 4:13 KJV; Ga. 4:19). Reconciliation (Ro. 5:10) is not salvation in that sense, but refers to what God has already done in Christ. It is a means to an end—our perfection (Col. 1:28). Once reconciled, God’s purpose is for us to become transformed into the image of Christ. This is why believers are said to be “especially” saved (1Ti. 4:10) since they are presently submitting to God who is working salvation in them (Ez. 36:27; Ep. 2:10, 3:20; Ph. 1:6, 2:13, 4:13; Jn. 15:5). Salvation goes beyond deliverance from temporal things and from God’s passionate displeasure in judgment, to actual deliverance from our sinful nature. Our perfection is the goal (See Ro. 6:3, 4, 11-12; 8:29; Ga. 4:19; Ph. 2:12-13; Col. 1:27-28; 2Ti. 2:11-13; Tit. 2:14; 3:8; Ja.1:27; 1Jn.3:3; 1 Jn. 4:17).

Attaining the fullness of salvation, our perfection in Christ, comes only through the cross working in our lives. “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Ga. 6:14). It is only through dying to ourselves, sufferings, and trials that we develop spiritually. (Mt. 16:24; Jn. 12:24; Ro. 5:3-5; 6:6; 2Co. 12:9, 10; Ga. 2:20; Ja. 1:2-4; 1Pe. 1:6-7; 2:21).

Though sufferings and trials, our cross, are not redemptive (only the blood of Christ is), they are nevertheless essential to our training. Either we take up our cross willingly, or God will lay it on us in His own time. For the way of the cross is the only path to our “full” salvation—“to a perfect man” (Ep. 4:13).There are no shortcuts. Even Christ “learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (He. 5:8). “The disciple is not above his teacher; but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (Lu. 6:40).

We must all be perfectly trained. Believers have been given the opportunity to live a godly and selfless lifestyle in this age, i.e. crucifying themselves daily in the steps of Christ. Unbelievers will have their opportunity in the coming age or ages as God brings the cross upon them through purposeful judgment.

Why faith then? What is its purpose? What does it mean to believe in the “name” of Jesus for salvation (Ac. 4:12; Ph. 2:9-11)? Faith is “trusting” in God’s “Person”—His nature, character, and ways, being fully assured, that what He promises, He can and will do (Ro. 4:21). It is not a religious formula, but childlike trust in the true God (Mk. 10:15). Faith opens the channels of God’s blessings into our lives. As we trust Him we begin to know His peace and subsequently yield to His Spirit working in us.

Many think that because they have faith, they are a cut above the rest. Not so. Faith is God’s gift and work in us. Hebrew and Greek scholar, Dr. Michael Jones says that the “gift,” referred to in Ep. 2:8, clearly and unmistakably refers back to both salvation and faith in the Greek.⁶: This is confirmed by He. 12:2: “Jesus, author and finisher of our faith” (He. 12:2). The following, I believe, will confirm this: Mt. 11:27, 16:16-17; Jn. 1:13, 6:44, 15:16; Ac. 13:48; Ro. 10:17, 12:3; 1Co. 4:7; Ph. 1:6, 1:29, 2:13; Col. 1:12; 1Ti. 1:14; Ez. 36: 26-27; Jer. 24:7, 31:33-34, 32:39-40.

Some even scorn the thought that unbelievers may be able to trust Christ beyond this life. How sad. “Of course they’ll believe then,” they say, “it will all be too obvious. There will be no merit to that!” Merit? Since when is faith meritorious? “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith” (Ro. 3:27). Why must faith only be valid in this life? Can trusting God ever become obsolete? And what “if” faith were limited to this life? Would that paralyze an almighty, all-loving God from restoring life to whom He wants, when He wants, and where He wants? When did He stop being GOD?

References: See Bibliography page.

Salvation A (Listen or Read)

Salvation

What is meant by “salvation”? What does believing in Jesus save us from? In “Repentance and Salvation,” Robert Wilkin, executive director of the Grace Evangelical Society stated:

It would be difficult to find a concept which is richer and more varied in meaning than the biblical concept of salvation. The breadth of salvation is so sweeping and its intended aim so magnificent that in many contexts the words used defy precise definition.²

Joseph Dillow, Th.D. Dallas Theological Seminary and author of The Reign of the Servant Kings, explained:

Salvation is a broad term. It commonly means “to make whole,” “to sanctify,” “to endure victoriously,” or “to be delivered from some general trouble or difficulty.” Without question, the common “knee-jerk” reaction which assumes that “salvation” always has eternal deliverance in view, has seriously compromised the ability of many to objectively discern what the New Testament writers intended to teach.³

In A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren, founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Baltimore and author of Finding Faith and other titles, wrote,

In the Bible, “save” means “rescue” or “heal.” It emphatically does not automatically mean “save from hell” or “give eternal life after death.”…Its meaning varies from passage to passage, but in general, in any context, “save” means “get out of trouble.”⁴

In order to better understand salvation, we need to get a broad overview of what Christ came to do for us. He came to:

¨      Give rest (Mt. 11:28).

¨      Heal the brokenhearted, free the captives and oppressed, and give sight to the blind (Lu. 4:18).

¨      Comfort the mourning, give beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Is. 61:2, 3).

¨      Save from sin and turn from iniquity (Mic 7:19; Mt. 1:21; Ac. 3:26; Ro. 11:26).

¨      Save from God’s passionate displeasure (wrath) and just recompense of sinful conduct (Ro. 5:9). (See “God’s Wrath,” page 71).

¨      Set free from sin (Ro. 6:22).

¨      Rescue from this present evil age (Ga. 1:4 NAS).

¨      Bring hope and God to the hopeless and godless (Ep. 2:12).

¨      Redeem from every lawless deed and purify us. (Tit. 2:11-15 NAS).

¨      Set free those who all their lives were enslaved to the fear of death (He. 2:14-15).

¨      Redeem from aimless conduct (1Pe. 1:18-19).

¨      Model compassion for the distressed and dispirited and igniting our hearts to pray for laborers in the harvest (Mt. 9:36-38 NAS).

If salvation is deliverance from eternal woe, why the emphasis on temporal deliverances? These passages speak of deliverance from being heavy laden, blindness, broken-heartedness, sorrow, mourning, heaviness of spirit, hopelessness, impurity, fear of death, aimless conduct, weariness, being distressed and dispirited, lawless deeds (sin) and their consequences, the present evil age. How can Scripture emphasize these comparatively insignificant temporal pains in the face of infinite pain? For life on earth is but a vapor (Ja. 4:14), and then we are hurled into eternal woe. How could James say pure religion is to visit orphans and widows (Ja. 1:27)? What a waste of time when we could be snatching the masses from hell! Why does Scripture not place the emphasis where it ought to be? Why the smoke screens? The only answer making sense to me is that a flawed view of judgment has distorted the significance and scope of God’s salvation.

References: See Bibliography page.