THE MEANING OF SALVATION
Acts 8:29-35 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
"I don't want any of your salvation bit!" she screamed and slammed the door closed. Stunned by her words, the minister turned and walked slowly away. The indignation that filled his heart just then was not the kind one feels from personal abuse. A minister soon learns to "take it;" to sort of 'roll with the punch.' It was rather the remembrance of how successfully Satan "hath blinded the minds of them that believe not" that kindled the burning in his breast that day. To hold man in the grip of prejudice and then urge him to repudiate this "salvation bit" is what Satan most desires.
Humanity has been deceived, blinded and robbed by Sin and Satan. Paul tells us, (Ephesians 4:17-19; 2:1-10) that the "Gentiles (sinners) walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Sin has blinded the mind, alienated the heart, robbing man, making him a child of Satan, who was by creation a son of God.
Still, in this night of spiritual darkness there are many who would know the truth of Bible Salvation. Are you one who asks "What is Salvation?" Or "What must I do to be saved?" Then I would be eyes to the blind, a voice to the deaf, and a light in the dark to you.
To most adults the words salvation and religion are synonymous. But are they? Related yes, but synonymous no. Many reason that if they are relatively moral, embrace a creed, have been baptized, and are a church member they are saved. This is far afield from what the Bible really says. Notwithstanding the certain merits of religion many religious devotees are lost (see St. Matthew 7:21-23).
Just what is Salvation? The term "salvation" implies there is something to be saved from and something to be saved for. Notice first what man is to be saved from:
1. Man is to be saved from sin. "For all have sinned." Romans 3:23. You see all men have the same trouble. Sin is as much modern man's problem as it was Adam's and Eve's. Sin enslaves and salvation means deliverance from sin's enslavement.
2. Man is to be saved from sin's wages. The wages of sin is death." Roms 6:23. This means much more than physical death. It means spiritual and eternal death. Sin, you see, made hell necessary (see Revelation 21:8). Salvation means deliverance from this awful place God calls hell.
Now notice what man is to be saved for:
1. Man is to be saved for God. Not only have all sinned but "all have come short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23. Sin makes a man a disgrace to His Master. Salvation means that God will so "fix him up" that man will no longer disgrace but glorify his God by a righteous and pure life.
2. Man is to be saved for God's reward. "The gift of God is eternal life." Romans 6:23. Salvation means that God will reward the righteous for their faithfulness to Him on earth with eternal life hereafter. Sinners have their pay in hell. The righteous are to receive theirs in heaven--God's home.
Salvation means more than keeping a soul out of hell. It means the restoration of a lost inheritance--an inheritance lost through sin. Man's original state could not have been better than it was. Then sin got into the world. Man lifted up his puny arm of rebellion. There came the collision between the human will and the divine will. As a result of this rebellion man died spiritually. His intellect (capacity to know God) was darkened; his emotions (capacity to enjoy God) deadened; his will degraded, and the intimacy that had existed between God and man was gone. Sin cost man a fourfold loss: the approval of God; the nature of God; the knowledge of God; paradise-man's God-given home. Salvation means the restoration of all that was lost because of sin's entrance into the human family.
Man is unable to save himself. Nevertheless, because of blindness, the world is full of religions created by man in an attempt to find salvation, but the only salvation which is not devil-conceived and man-made is the salvation of Jesus Christ. Multitudes parade their pagan, humanistic religions under the banner of Jesus Christ. This is a gross falsification of the facts, for any religion which does not save from sin, restoring man to his lost estate, has no relation whatever to Christ or His kingdom.
Teen-agers have a perverted idea of salvation. They are blinded by sin and the hypocrisy of their seniors. The true path has been so corrupted that they have lost confidence in the real and have turned to the unreal. Seeking to get back to the simple life and away from counterfeits in religion and society they have degenerated in some cases to the level of the savage, corrupting their bodies, perverting their morals, destroying their minds, and hazarding their souls, all in a crusade to find something real in a world of unreality. Had they found the "real," they would not be destroying themselves with the unreal. Our youth, disillusioned by our false morality, have conceived a "new morality" and have wound up in immorality.
2. Man is to be saved from sin's wages. The wages of sin is death." Roms 6:23. This means much more than physical death. It means spiritual and eternal death. Sin, you see, made hell necessary (see Revelation 21:8). Salvation means deliverance from this awful place God calls hell.
Now notice what man is to be saved for:
1. Man is to be saved for God. Not only have all sinned but "all have come short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23. Sin makes a man a disgrace to His Master. Salvation means that God will so "fix him up" that man will no longer disgrace but glorify his God by a righteous and pure life.
2. Man is to be saved for God's reward. "The gift of God is eternal life." Romans 6:23. Salvation means that God will reward the righteous for their faithfulness to Him on earth with eternal life hereafter. Sinners have their pay in hell. The righteous are to receive theirs in heaven--God's home.
Salvation means more than keeping a soul out of hell. It means the restoration of a lost inheritance--an inheritance lost through sin. Man's original state could not have been better than it was. Then sin got into the world. Man lifted up his puny arm of rebellion. There came the collision between the human will and the divine will. As a result of this rebellion man died spiritually. His intellect (capacity to know God) was darkened; his emotions (capacity to enjoy God) deadened; his will degraded, and the intimacy that had existed between God and man was gone. Sin cost man a fourfold loss: the approval of God; the nature of God; the knowledge of God; paradise-man's God-given home. Salvation means the restoration of all that was lost because of sin's entrance into the human family.
Man is unable to save himself. Nevertheless, because of blindness, the world is full of religions created by man in an attempt to find salvation, but the only salvation which is not devil-conceived and man-made is the salvation of Jesus Christ. Multitudes parade their pagan, humanistic religions under the banner of Jesus Christ. This is a gross falsification of the facts, for any religion which does not save from sin, restoring man to his lost estate, has no relation whatever to Christ or His kingdom.
Teen-agers have a perverted idea of salvation. They are blinded by sin and the hypocrisy of their seniors. The true path has been so corrupted that they have lost confidence in the real and have turned to the unreal. Seeking to get back to the simple life and away from counterfeits in religion and society they have degenerated in some cases to the level of the savage, corrupting their bodies, perverting their morals, destroying their minds, and hazarding their souls, all in a crusade to find something real in a world of unreality. Had they found the "real," they would not be destroying themselves with the unreal. Our youth, disillusioned by our false morality, have conceived a "new morality" and have wound up in immorality.
Where there are counterfeits, however, there is bound to be the genuine. It is so in regards to salvation! God's plan insures the restoration of man's lost estate. The initial step in this recovery is the new birth experience and involves three things:
1. Justification--the restoration of God's smile, His approval. This is known as the "legal aspect" of the New Birth, which changes the relationship of the condemned sinner, freeing him from guilt and condemnation in the sight of God. Being justified, he is pardoned and acquitted before the bar of justice. Mercy has done this for him. Christ takes the penitent sinner's place, his guilt and punishment (Romans 5:1). Justification is granted only to those who repent of their sins (Acts 2:28), and who quit the sin business (Galatians 2:17,18). An honest effort must be made to right all wrongs against one's fellow men (Luke 19:8). Also, a full reliance upon the blood of Christ is required (Romans 3:25,26). "Justification cannot be obtained while there is a background of unconfessed sin (1 John 1:9), and justification cannot be retained while there is a conscious present committing of sin," (Galatians 2:17, 18; 1 John 3:8) (Jessop).
2. Regeneration--life imparted, fellowship restored. This is known as the "parental aspect" of the New Birth. Justification has to do with our standing before God; regeneration, with our state. Justification is a legal change; regeneration, an actual change. Regeneration is the renewal of our fallen nature and the reversal of all our affections. St. John gives the characteristics of the regenerated life in his First Epistle: A righteous life (2:29); victory over sin (3:9); brotherly love (3:14); a compassionate spirit ( 3:17 ); recognition of the Lordship of Jesus (5:1); victory over the world (5:4); the Spirit's inward witness (5:10).
3. Adoption--the "family aspect" of the New Birth experience: He who was at one time an alien is now a son (Romans 8:15). One thus adopted is no longer a child of Satan and of sin; he is child of God and of righteousness. Originally, he belonged to God through creation; then Satan kidnapped him, but Christ paid the ransom price and will receive him back! (St. Matthew 20:28).
"Justification removes our guilt, which is a barrier in the way of our admission into God's family; regeneration changes our hearts, imparting a fitness for admission into the family; and adoption actually receives us therein, recognizing us as God's children..." (Ralston).
This Salvation was originated before the foundation of the world by God himself (Ephesians 1:4).
This Salvation became necessary because of man's sin and his lost condition (Romans 3:23).
This Salvation promises freedom from sin and requires holiness ( Romans 6:22). This Salvation is never earned by man but received by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). This Salvation meets all the deep needs of fallen souls (Hebrews 7:25).
This Salvation may be received and experienced today (Luke 19:9).
This Salvation is the most vital issue of any life (Hebrews 2:3).
Salvation, then, is God's merciful deliverance which saves men personally from the power of sin and its consequences, enabling them to so glorify him in this life that they shall qualify for eternal joys in the world to come.
In 1958 Mr. James Kidd, a miner from Arizona, died, leaving $200,000 in his will to anyone doing research on the existence of a "human soul which leaves the body at death." Guardians of the will have now received over 1,000 formal letters from various individuals and groups requesting the money for the search. People are interested in the soul, and for good reason. Are you one of them? Shouldn't you be anxious to be saved? After all you have an undying soul! Yes, you have a soul to save, a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun!
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