What is it with Christians and Salvation?
I once had someone ask me “what is it with you Christians and salvation?” It is a good question. Salvation means “the act of saving; preservation from destruction, danger or great calamity; the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.; a source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc..” Salvation is not limited to Christianity though the term ‘salvation’ has become synonymous with Christianity. The fireman who rescues a person from a burning building is that person’s salvation from the fire.
Unless one is an atheist, most people believe there is something after we step into eternity. Most people have a sense that one cannot be wicked and have expectations of spending eternity in the presence of a Holy God. When asked where one will spend eternity, most people will answer “in heaven.” When asked why, generally the response is “I’m a good person” and they will go on to list the good things they do and compare it to the evil that they do not commit. Salvation becomes irrelevant for they will enter into the presence of God based on their on goodness.
We have all watched news reports of a fire where people are on upper floors hanging out the window waiting for the fire department personnel to rescue them. They are unable to jump to safety for to jump would mean certain death. To stay in the building would also mean certain death. They need someone to rescue them from danger and impending death. If one were on the first floor with a window, there is no need for salvation from the fire for one simply needs to climb out the window to safety.
Those folks that believe that they will spend eternity in the presence of God based on their own goodness are basing this belief on the measuring stick of man. Christians, on the other hand, realize that the measuring stick is not man’s standard but God’s standard of measurement. Therein is the difference.
God’s standard is perfection. Christians realize that we have failed to measure up to God’s standard. One sin is all that is needed to place us in need of salvation.
Years ago, I was scuba diving. We had just entered the water and made our descent. After a few minutes, I checked the air gauge and was shocked and stunned to see that I was nearly out of air. We had not been in the water 15 minutes and we were nearly 80 feet deep. I held up my gauge to my diving partner and I saw his eyes widen in disbelief. We faced each other as we slowly made our way to the surface. We faced each other so I could breath off of his regulator should I run completely out of air. My diving partner was my salvation deep in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Had I been alone, I likely would have panicked and either would have rushed to the surface (very dangerous) or would have started breathing heavily in my panic. Later after having my equipment tested, it turns out that my hose had a small, tiny leak which rendered this hose useless for future use. This otherwise perfect looking hose had a hole so small that it could not be seen making it virtually useless. That one small hole that could not be seen with the naked eye was enough to condemn that hose to the trash. That is God’s measuring stick, the one small sin is enough to condemn.
Many years ago I watched on TV with the rest of the country the rescue of a little girl who had fallen down an uncapped well in her backyard. She had fallen so far down the well that she could not be reached. To keep the well from capsizing, they had to dig another deep hole and tunnel to her. The whole country watched on their television sets as the scene unfolded. This little girl would have surely died had the right equipment and engineers not been available. Her parents were unable to save their little girl and the little girl was helpless to save herself. They sought help in saving their little girl. Her only salvation was the equipment and engineers. She was rescued from certain death.
Without God’s intervention to save us from the destruction of our sin, we will not spend eternity in His presence. As the little girl that fell into the uncapped well needed salvation from the circumstances she found herself in, we too need salvation from the circumstances we are in.
So in answer to the question “what’s up with Christians and salvation,” we realize that we need to be saved from destruction. Like the parents that sought elsewhere to save their little girl, we too seek and find the only one that can save us. We are unable to save ourselves for we cannot measure up to His measuring rod and His measuring rod can be found in the bible.
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Interesting message. Remember though that no amount of lack of sinning will save us. Only God can save us through the sacrifice of Jesus.
God’s standard is not perfection … just belief in the concept of salvation through Jesus Christ.
That little girl wasn’t worth saving (and was indeed saved) because she was a perfectly good girl … even a disobedient little girl would have been worth saving.
God made a way for salvation of the human race WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS. That is the good news of the Gospel of God.
God bless and keep you!
I guess I was thinking about before the fall. There was no need for salvation because there was no sin.
And yes, God saved while we were yet sinners for all have sinned and come short. What is sin but coming short or missing the mark. Adam & Eve were fine and needed no salvation until they missed the mark. For the sake of argument, let’s say that they did not do what they did, all that were born through the union of Adam & Eve would not need the gospel nor salvation. It would not be necessary.
Thanks for your comment. I enjoyed thinking more on this subject.