Theology Thursday: Salvation

Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him.

Welcome to Theology Thursday!

Today’s question:
By what means are we saved from sin? What is salvation?

Pastor Brady’s thoughts:
Last week we looked at the doctrine of sin and “original sin.” We defined sin as disobeying God.

Our world has deviated from God’s design and desire - and we are prone to sinfulness - because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, but we do not inherit their guilt. We are guilty sinners when we sin, all on our own.

Our sin creates two problems:

1) Sin creates guilt. We are guilty and deserving of God’s wrath and condemnation, and the just penalty for our disobedience is an eternity in hell.

2) Sin creates sinfulness, which is to say it alters our very nature from its original state as God’s image-bearers to that of depraved or spiritually sick. This reality corrupts our thoughts, desires, and the actions that stem from both, trapping us in the grip of sinful inclination.  

What is to be done about sin?

Our God, in his graciousness, offers us salvation from both sides of this predicament. Theologian and Bible teacher Jack Cottrell explains:

“On the one hand, God’s solution to guilt is justification, also called the forgiveness or remission of sins. This is accomplished only by the redeeming blood of Christ by which he paid the penalty deserved by those who have broken God’s divine law. When the blood of Christ is applied to the repentant sinner, his guilt and condemnation are washed completely away.

On the other hand, God’s cure for the sinner’s depraved nature is the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose life-giving presence renews and regenerates the sin-sick heart and breaks the death-grip of sin upon the soul…Following this initial act of spiritual resurrection, the Holy Spirit dwells within he saved person as a source of spiritual strength and continuing sanctification.” (Sanctification is the process of our ongoing and increasing holiness.)

Sin presents the double problem of guilt and sinful nature, and God’s grace provides a double cure: it takes away the sinner’s guilt through the atoning death of Christ Jesus and it renews the sinner’s spiritual heart through the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.  

How do we sinners receive this gift of salvation (justification) and participate in this renewal (sanctification)?

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus…(Acts 15:11)

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. (Titus 2:11)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God… (Ephesians 2:8)

There are many New Testament passages that outline the theology of God’s gracious (loving, kind, desiring of our redemption) offer to save us from the death we deserve, but my favorite is Jesus’s words in the 14th chapter of John’s gospel.

In this text, Jesus had just told his closest friends and followers that he’s going to die, but he also tells them not to despair over this news, because what’s awaiting him - and those who follow him - will be glorious.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7)

The only way to the Father - to redemption, to holiness, to life that lasts forever - is through the Son by the movement of the Spirit in our hearts to convict us of our sin and usher us into the resurrection life.

We have a savior who died for our sins and then lived again, conquering death forever. Our sins render us dead, but we too can defeat that death by the grace of God offered to us through faith in Christ Jesus and the new life spurred on by the Spirit.

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Ok, so the way to salvation is through faith in Jesus. What does faith consist of?

We first must be clear on what salvation does not require: anything we do.

Over and over again in Paul’s theology throughout his New Testament writings he insists that believers understand that we cannot earn salvation, that righteousness cannot be won or achieved or accomplished through “works.”

In Paul’s context, he was combating the pervasive Jewish tradition that salvation in God meant adherence to a long list of religious rituals and laws including animal sacrifices, circumcision, and dietary restrictions. In our 21st century American context, we must combat the pervasive idea that salvation in God can be realized by our own effort; we cannot do enough good things or rise to a “good enough” level to win eternal life in God’s presence.

Salvation is 100% about God’s work, not ours. Faithfulness to God’s calling on our lives definitely includes doing good in his name, but our righteousness is only by the gift of his grace. We are saved by grace, through faith.  

The Bible outlines for us what that faith looks like.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Faith follows a logical progression:

First, we believe the truths about God, his will, and his world revealed to us in scripture.

Second, we recognize our sinfulness - our fallen separation from God - and repent (turn from) a life of sinfulness toward a life of holiness. We confess our sins to God in prayer (1 John 1:9) and each other (James 5:16).

Third, we are baptized (immersed) “in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit” (Jesus’s words in Matthew 28:19). We’ll explore baptism another time, but when repentant believers are immersed they receive the forgiveness of sins and the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit. Their old self is dead, their new life in Christ has begun!

Fourth, in doing all of this we are making a lifelong commitment to our Lord that the purpose of our lives will align with his purpose for our lives, and our desires in this world will align with his desires for our world. Guided and empowered by the Spirit, we are committing to wage war against the evil in our hearts and the evil in this world and actively work to bring glory to God by loving him and others well.

Believe, repent, confess, be baptized, walk in the way of faithfulness.

The Father’s house has many rooms, but there’s only one path to get there.

Related Resources:
Article - "Salvation comes by God’s merciful inclusion of people in Jesus." 
Podcast - We are saved by grace through faith, not works. So what does Paul mean in Philippians 2:12 when he says to "work out your salvation?" Check out a good podcast discussion on this interesting passage.

To know Him and to make Him known!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to minierccstaff@gmail.com and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.