The gift that keeps on saving

Good news!

That’s what the Gospel is, good news, or, in the original Greek, euangelion.

And why is it good news?

Because we all can be saved.

Stone-cold Dead as I Stepped Out of the Womb

Each of us is born into a messed-up world.

We struggle to get things right, not knowing which way to choose.

These are the scars that sin has left on the world.

Deeper still, the scars of sin separate humanity from God. For years, sin had the final say, keeping us under its control and from God’s great love.

And so sin brought us death, both physical and spiritual. 

That was until Jesus, however.

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus mended the gap between God and humanity.

And now anyone who follows His teachings can be saved.

The Ongoing Story of Salvation

But contrary to popular belief, the “moment of salvation” is not a moment at all but a process.

Theologians call it “sanctification,” the process by which a follower of Jesus becomes more and more like Him.

It’s through sanctification that Jesus equips us to serve in the Kingdom He brought to Earth.

That Kingdom is slowly breaking in via the men and women Jesus saves, and it will break in fully when Jesus returns. 

In the meantime, we follow the Rabbi and walk in His salvation day by day.

So, is the popular usage of “saved” accurate?

In many ways, yes.

It rightly identifies that each human needs to be rescued and that Jesus is the only way to be rescued.

It’s a universal need and we’d all do well to remember what we’ve been saved from and what we’re saved for.

But that isn’t to say the usage of “saved” is perfect.

It can easily imply that salvation is a single moment - the moment one commits to following Jesus.

This makes us forget the importance of living in the Kingdom now (which is unfortunate as Jesus Himself lived in the Kingdom now). 

Instead, it causes many to see the Gospel as nothing but a one-way ticket to the Great Beyond when, in reality, it’s so much more than that.

So, the phrase is by no means bad. We just need to be intentional in using it.

It’s a great way to remember what Christ has won for us and the need to share that with the world.

But let’s be careful not to use it to restrict the experience of salvation.

When we speak of being saved, let’s not only speak of the moment we started following Jesus but how that moment bleeds into the rest of our eternal lives.

Salvation is the greatest gift one can receive. And when we taste it for all its worth, we echo Bob Dylan when he sings…

I want to thank You, Lord

I just want to thank You, Lord

Thank You, Lord

(You gotta, give that album a listen!)

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter