What Is Salvation? – Learning from 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:8-11 – “…Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow…”

Salvation is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Salvation is central to the message of any church that preaches the gospel. The Bible teaches that salvation is available only through Jesus Christ, not through whatever religion we choose.

We understand that our culture right now emphasizes inclusiveness and diversity of beliefs and practices; many people would like to think that there are also many alternative paths to true salvation. Diversity, alternatives, and freedom may be nice things for a society, but we cannot carry these things over to our Christian faith, or force God to fit into our ideas or worldly values. As Christians, our faith is grounded on the Scriptures as the revealed Word of God. The Scriptures teach that salvation is so intimately connected with a personal relationship with Christ that the two cannot be separated. In fact, the name “Jesus” literally means “salvation” or “savior.” Jesus was given this name, by revelation from the Father, because he alone is the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring salvation to mankind.

“Salvation” is a broad concept, however, that includes forgiveness of sins, eternal life in heaven, God’s blessings on our lives, a vibrant relationship with the Lord, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, participation in the Lord’s Work – and so much more. Salvation is both an act and a process. There is a moment in which we surrender our lives to the Lord by faith, accepting his sacrifice on the cross, and at that moment we are saved. Often the Apostles would enjoin their listeners to “believe and be saved – every one of you.” Many of us have vivid memories of the day or moment that changed our lives – the day we accepted the Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior. We never tire of hearing the stories and testimonies of those who have experienced the miracle of new birth in Jesus. Each story is another account of God’s grace and mercy.

Salvation is also a process; it does not end at the moment we accept Jesus. That moment is just the beginning, what the Bible calls a “new birth” or spiritual birth. From there, we continue to grow in God’s grace, to understand more and more of his doctrine and his will for our lives, and to be more dedicated and faithful to him in everything we do. Jesus said that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The “Way” speaks of the spiritual journey we make as part of our salvation. Jesus is salvation, and salvation is the “way” or the road to heaven. Eternal life begins here and now, when the Lord comes to live inside us and baptizes us in his Holy Spirit. But it points in a direction – toward the end of our journey, when we are in heaven with the Lord forever. Between now and then, the Lord has a lot of things to do in our lives, ways he wants to use us to reach others, and refinements to bring about in us so that we better reflect his glory. As we participate in his Body, the faithful church, this is also part of the journey or process of salvation.

We place equal emphasis on salvation as both an act (or a one-time event) and a process. We must strike a balance, because both are important concepts for our spiritual lives. The temptation for churches that believe in evangelism, like we do, is to focus more and more on the initial ACT of salvation – the moment a person comes to the Lord – to the neglect of the rest of the journey. Sometimes it is easier to focus solely on salvation as a one-moment event or act, and many churches do just that. In general, where Christians act collectively more as the Body of Christ, we find that salvation is treated as both an act and a process. When Christians operate more as a “movement,” however, we find that the focus shifts entirely to the “act” or initial moment of salvation, and the other important aspects are neglected or forgotten.

The Lord has called us. He challenges us to give adequate attention to all the components of salvation that we find in His Word. Sanctification, obedience, learning to discern his will, contributing to the life and work of his Body, are all essential ingredients. This requires that we devote attention to the commitment level of our members; we want to have more and more love for the Lord and to become more and more useful to Him. We certainly value the act of salvation – in fact, our members are encouraged to pray constantly for the Lord to raise more evangelists in our midst – but we also believe that completing the process is essential, and is part of the Lord’s purpose for our lives.