The Mystery of Salvation

As we have discovered in my previous message - "The Mystery of God's Love", the Gospel is a mystery (Eph. 6:9) and the Christian faith is a mystery (1 Tim. 3:9), it is reasonable to say that Salvation is also a mystery.

In the Old Testament, in both Hebrew and Greek, the word 'salvation' means, "various forms of deliverance, both temporal and spiritual".

God delivered His people from their enemies and the snares of the wicked:

David, the psalmist said, "And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him"

The psalmist said, "Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men" (Ps. 59:2).

David, the psalmist said, "Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God. The God of my salvation. ..." (Ps. 51:14).

In the New Testament, the doctrine of salvation reached its fulfillment in the death of Christ on our behalf. Salvation is regarded almost exclusively for the deliverance from the power and dominion of sin.

Christ is the Author of salvation:

"And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

Peter said: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The writer of Hebrews said: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:9, 10).

Factors involved in Salvation

Let us examine seven factors involved in salvation:

1. Salvation is from sin

We have all got troubles - Loneliness, restlessness, fear (of the present world-wide economic crises, of joblessness, of poverty, of old age, of death, of sicknesses and diseases), and boredom. We all know that nothing but trouble abound. But what is the trouble? What is the cause of it all?

God's answer is sin. If you are coming to God to get all the other troubles sorted out, but do not bring Him this one (sin), you are unlikely to find a real solution.

Paul said, "For there is nof difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ..."Romans 3:21, 23, NKJV).

God wants to deal with the root of all our troubles - sin. That is the deadly disease, of which all our other problems are merely the symptoms. Sin numbs our 'spiritual nerves' so that we do not feel acutely the evil of sin, nor the presence of God all round. We become spiritually insensitive.

It is not just a question of the wrong things we do. It goes much deeper. It is what we are, inherited from our parents and their parents before them; way down to Adam and Eve. Sin is a congenital disease. it is from that destiny which Jesus described as 'hell', that we need saving.

2. Salvation is after repentance

What is 'repentance'? Does it mean feeling sorry - desperately sorry, perhaps - for what we have done? No, that is remorse, but not repentance. Judas was remorseful after betraying Jesus but never repented (Matt. 27:3).

A well known evangelist gave an altar call at the end of a meeting said: "Don't come out to the front to receive Christ unless you're prepared to leave your sin on your seat!"

That is what repentace is all about - being willing to let our sins go. It shows we really want to be saved. What is quite impossible is to have our sins and have salvation at the same time. The two are mutually exclusive!

3. Salvation is by grace

The three most important and humble things for everyone to understand are - Firstly, that I could do nothing to save myself. Secondly, that God did not require me to do anything. Thirdly, that Christ had done it all!

I believe that word 'grace' means two simple things: Bad deed are no hindrance, and good deed are no help when you come to God for salvation. It does not matter what dreadfrul things you may have done in the past. They cannot put you beyond redemption. And it does not matter what good deeds you may have done in the past either. They cannot save you. Indeed, they may be a hindrance, if you come to God not empty-handed but with one hand full of your own goodness. It takes both hands empty to receive grace.

4. Salvation is through faith

Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).

What is faith? The first thing to establish is that it is not a matter of feeling. Faith is not feeling, although wonderful feelings may follow faith in Chrsit.

Someone said correctly: "I do not feel that my sins are forgiven, but I know they are because God has said so in His Word".

The writer of Hebrews said, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).

In other words, faith is to take the truth of God's Word and apply them personally, without doubting. It is putting my life into the hands of Jesus and giving Him full responsibility in my life's journey. It is, in a sense, an act of trust in which the believer take his life and puts it into the hands of Christ and trusting Him completely.


5. Salvation is with assurance


It is God's will that you should know you are His. When people ask, "Are you saved?" He does not expect His children to answer, "I hope so" or "I think so". He wants us to be sure of it, not with arrogance but with faith; not sure of ourselves, but sure of Him and His promises.


Paul said, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:16, 17).


Because we are God's children we can call Him 'Father'. it is the birthright of children, and He intends it for us. However, this does not mean that - once saved is always saved.


6. Salvation is to holiness


Salvation is not only 'from' sin, but 'to' holiness. In other words, it is not simply a negative exercise. The Bible talks about being "saved to the uttermost". We are saved for a purpose, a destiny and that destiny is holiness - the holiness of God.


The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore He (Jesus) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25, emphasis added).


Holiness is a moment by moment relationship with God and not a static thing. A believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit will understand that holiness is no longer seems unattainable but a present reality. The presence of God becomes so real and intense in his normal, day-by-day experience.


7. Salvation is for eternity


When God saves you He saves for eternity: totally, and permanently. God has never done anything by halves. Salvation is for ever, or it is not salvation at all.


Jesus said, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).


Notice that (as we shall discuss below) salvation is a process, not a crisis. No one is perfect the moment he receives salvation. Salvation is continuous, and the process is not yet complete in any of us. Salvation is also personal because it is a Person - it enters in a Person, and without Him it is nothing. Salvation, in one word, is Jesus!


The Process of Salvation


Two important facts concerning salvation are:


1. Basically, salvation means the translation of a person from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God:


Paul said, "He (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:13).


2. The Bible says: 'Being saved' meant 'being salvaged from sins' rather than 'being saved from hell'. Notice that the latter was the result of the former. Jesus was not given His Name (the Messiah) because He would save His people from hell, but because He would save them from their sin.


An angel appeared to Joseph and said: "And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:13).


Many people want to be saved from hell; few want to be saved from their sins. Most want to enjoy the pleasure of sin and escape the penalty of eternal condemnation. Christianity is offered to those who want to escape from thier sins. The Gospel offers men the freedom to live right and truely want to be 'saved' unto righteousness.


Salvation is a continuous on-going process


Paul said, "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ..." (2 Thess. 2:13, NKJV, emphasis added).


In other words, 'salvation' comes through the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and the knowledge and belief in the truth of God's Word!


"Salvation', like 'sanctification' is a continuous process. It is a concept (of continuity) in the New Testament, no so much a point beyond which one is 'saved' as a process through which one is being 'salvaged'.


Aspects of the the continuous process of salvation


There are three aspects of the continuous process of salvation:


1. The past - Jesus died for us and thus accomplished our salvation. We are saved through the sacrificial death of Jesus. All we need to do is to confess and believe the Lord Jesus:


Paul said, "If you with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the death, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).


2. The present - A 'saved' person is also in the process of being saved and delivered from the power of sin:


Paul said, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).


This aspect of salvation is taught in details in Romans 6.


3. The future - The ultimate impact of the salvation that Jesus had won for us will be known only in His Second Coming. Our experience of salvation will be complete, the last taint of sin will be removed, and we will be perfected at last - as the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25 - 27), without spot, wrinkle or blemish.


The writer of Hebrews said, "... so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Heb. 9:28, NKJV, emphasis added).