Being "Saved"

We are meeting this coming Sunday, April 18th at 7:00 PM at Molly Brannigans on 2nd Street. 

We will be discussing what it means to be saved.  We all come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so I am guessing we each bring our own perspective when we throw around the phrase, "to be saved." 

To spark our conversation, here is a quote from Frederick Buechner in his book Wishful Thinking: 

"Salvation:  It is an experience first and a doctrine second.

Doing the work you're best at doing and like to do best, hearing great music, having great fun, seeing something very beautiful, weeping at someone else's tragedy - all these experiences are related to the experience of salvation because in all of them two things happen: (1) you lose yourself, and (2) you find that you are more fully yourself than usual.

A closer analogy is the experience of love.  When you love somebody, it is no longer yourself who is the center of your own universe.  It is the one you love who is.  You forget yourself.  You deny yourself.  You give of yourself, so that by all the rules of arithmetical logic there should be less of yourself than there was to start with.  Only by a curious paradox there is more.  You feel at last you really are yourself.

The experience of salvation involves the same paradox.  Jesus puts it like this:  "He who loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39).

You give up your old self-seeking self for somebody you love and thereby become yourself at last.  You must die with Christ so you can rise with him, Paul says.  It is what baptism is all about. 

You do not love God so that, tit for tat, he will then save you.  To love god is to be saved.  To love anybody is a significant step along the way.  

You do not love God and live for him so you will go to Heaven.   Whichever side of the grave you happen to be talking about, to love God and live for him is Heaven......"

And some questions to ponder:

1. What is your understanding of salvation?
2. What is your experience of salvation?
3. How do you find his analogy of loving another helpful?
4. Do you find holes in his analogy?  If so, where? 
5. What do you mean when you say you or someone you know is "saved?" 

Comments

[Drew]

Opinions and perspective do not matter. The only thing that matters is what the word of God says, contend that if you can.

2 Tim 1:8-10 It is God who has saved us, not our works
2 Tim 2:10 Paul endures trials so others may also obtain the salvation in Christ Jesus
Titus 3:5-6 We are saved not by works, but according to His mercy and the washing of His spirit
Ps 27:1,9 This psalm of David refers to Jehovah and God as his (my) salvation.
Ps 132:16 This psalm speaks of priesthood being clothed with salvation
Ps 149:4 Jehovah beautifies the meek with salvation what a thought!
ISA 61:10 “Jehovah hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness”

In the Newer Testament primarily two Greek words are used to express salvation: sōtēria G4991 & sōzō G4982. The former is a noun, the later a verb.

sōtēria (Strongs G4991)- deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation, salvation as the present possession of all true Christians. Future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God

sōzō (Strongs G4982) - to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction. To make well, heal, restore to health; to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance; to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment

There are three states of salvation presented: saved past tense, being (or be) saved present tense, and saving future tense. When we dwell on these three aspects one cannot but help to be drawn to the person of Christ, not ourselves. Past tense because "done is the work that saves, once and forever done" as the old hymn sings. Present tense because we are still subject to this body of sin. Our sin nature still reigns in our body unless we give control over to the in dwelling Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, which speaks of sanctification or the washing in the word the Lord Jesus so aptly demonstrated on the night he was betrayed. Finally, future tense because again, "once and forever done." I am reminded of Rev 1:18 “I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

It is sad to think and yet an awful truth that Frederick Buechner may not himself be saved. He surely has an understanding of the light and truth of God’s word but may not actually be in possession of that truth. His words like the Gibeonites (Josh 9) ring true to God, yet draw our thoughts away from Him.

Salvation is a doctrine first! A promise second! And an experience last! It is truth that Christ has offered the propitiation. We must lay hold of that truth before we can enter into the truth of substitution, or repentance. So why would we need appeasement? Why do we need a substitute? Because we are all sinners. Do not delude yourself in thinking you are a good person. Perhaps by man’s standards but nowhere close by the righteous standards of the almighty, thrice holy and living God. Isa 64:6

When you stand before the LORD, what will you fall back on? Your efforts? What would you offer, that you went to an establishment that caters to your bondage to speak about mans foolish ideas? Or will you fall on your knees claiming His finished, atoning work?

We must have been exposed to light to know truth. Only in knowing truth can we then come to understand in our position in Christ we have the gift of life, faith, and love. We cannot truly love anyone if we have not the Spirit, wherein we cry “Abba Father.”

Consider the Hebrew word shalom or peace in English. It means to be complete with God. You cannot have that completeness unless you have possession of His Christ! We have been promised completeness, healing, safety from the death of sin and eternal death by Jehovah who cannot tell a lie. Titus 1:2

We can experience the saving power of the living God when we are in fellowship with His beloved Son the Lord Jesus. We are then adopted, and have a closeness that cannot be expressed in human terms. We have a nearness and intimacy that surpasses the depths of human knowledge or understanding. When we have life in Christ we can set our affections on Him and dare to plumb the depths and richness of His love.

The notion of the absence of self is true, yet the notion of tying that to my efforts is heresy. I can deny my flesh but that no more saves me than suggesting a bed sheet will replace a parachute. My daily prayer is that I might die, that He would live in me.

I know I am saved because I cannot save myself. Therefore it must come from outside of myself. I know I am saved because the one who spoke all of creation into existence made Himself of no repute to die on the cross of Calvary for my sins. I know I am saved because He was resurrected, the first fruits of the grave. I know I am saved because He is able to not only satisfy the righteous demands of God the Father, He is more than able to be my substitute, and to sanctify me moment by moment perfecting me till He come. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.