Saved From What?
The good news is that Jesus saves, but that could mean almost anything without context. There are people who look into Jesus hoping to be saved from financial hardship, depression, loneliness, or any number of other sufferings of this life. While following Jesus can offer a way of life which can bring joy that overcomes many pains, this is merely a symptom of salvation.
There is a far more common understatement regarding salvation, as well. It is taught from pulpits that often have sound teaching. It is that Jesus came to save us from the guilt of our sin and/or it’s punishment. He came to save you from judgement, right? Also, in this life, he gave us the added benefit of saving us from feeling bad about our “mistakes”.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John 3:36
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
As these verses show, it is true that the wrath of God is not the judgement in store for believers and there is no condemnation in this life or the next for those in Christ. However, this also is only a side-effect of salvation for which Christ suffered on our behalf.
The Deeper Problem
If the problem was simply the punishment for sin, God could have made it something else (or nothing at all). If the problem was guilt, then many people who shamelessly live for sin would have no need for Christ because they don’t have any guilt to begin with.
If it was about saving us from the suffering that comes from sin in this life, then our need for Christ depends entirely upon our discontentment. We may seek a god who can help us get more material wealth or happiness, but then we find some advice or make some changes and can find worldly comfort for a time anyway.
Instead, the problem of sin permeates our very being. It’s not the first time that we commit a sinful act that we become sinners. We commit sinful acts because we already are sinners.
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
Matthew 15:18
We are defiled because of what is in our very heart. This is why salvation is sometimes referred to as the second birth.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
The sinfulness of man traces all the way back to Adam (Romans 5:12) and every single person born in the image of Adam(Genesis 5:3) inherits it. If we understood even a part of the wickedness of the nature of humankind, we would seek cover for ourselves in our shame as Adam and Eve did!
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
Genesis 3:10
But Aren’t We Basically Good?
The common knowledge of our time is that man is basically good. Sure, there are a few examples in history of some really bad people (Khan, Mao, Hitler, Stalin, etc…) but that’s just a few right? What about the millions who followed these men? Most of them would have been considered fairly “normal” by people who knew them. In fact, some of the big names on the villain list even had those who knew them come forward later saying they were good husbands, fathers, neighbors, etc…
How many times are celebrities treated as moral leaders only to have the facade come crashing down when someone finds out the deep, dark secrets they were keeping in their private life? It’s not power that corrupts. We’re already corrupt. All power does is lend more opportunity to express it. Inside every one of us is the capacity to do terrible things.
The Apostle Paul spoke of his own attempts at righteousness this way:
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith
Philippians 3:8-9
An irony of this is that many who accuse Christians of being “legalistic” for pursuing righteousness are themselves actually quite legalistic. Christianity posits that nothing a believer does is of any value, but only what Christ does through them. Anyone outside of Christ has done nothing, in their whole lives, worthy of eternal value. Yet many presume to judge the bride of Christ according to some standard (law) they, themselves have invented. Even actual Christians sometimes make the mistake of saying that unbelievers are sometimes “better” than believers, but in that observation they also are falling into legalism (judging according to the flesh).
Substitionary Atonement
When Christ was crucified, he was crucified with our sin and now he lives through us.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:24
This isn’t just a message of future redemption. It is a message of present salvation. We are no longer slaves to the sin with which we were all born. We have finally been set free!
Purpose of Freedom
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Once, we were all slaves to sin. We were incapable of resisting our desires, because there was no will to do so. Indeed, ultimately we had no higher calling than to engage in the activities of satisfying sin! However, when God gives a person a new heart, they have new, spiritual desires to love and serve God. The old temptations don’t always just disappear, but we have a higher calling than to serve the old master.
The good news is, that old master is already dead. Sin has been defeated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When he returns, we likewise will be raised with new, incorruptible bodies and live with him completely free from sin and its effects for eternity (1 Corinthians 15)!
If you feel the desire to serve God, to have an eternally valuable purpose in life, know that your sins died with Christ, and you will be raised to new life with him when he returns. In the mean time, you have been called to a life of eternal value! All thanks be to God!
