Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
Salvation is a rather broad concept incorporating various elements. It basically means that those who are recipients of such a gift are delivered from a number of things. From what are we saved? For those who have been given such a gift, we have experienced, are experiencing and/or will experience salvation from Satan, death, sin, ourselves, the condemnation of the law and even God Himself. We are beneficiaries of grace which encompasses the entirety of our lives. This post will primarily deal with salvation in a generic sense, that we are saved from sin and its effects.
In order to understand salvation, we must understand sin. While we will delve more deeply into the topic of the prevalence of sin in later posts, for now, it will do to define sin as preferring anything to God. As Scripture says,
“Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD. “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”[1]
God is our greatest good and to desire anything but for the reflection of His glory is to dishonor Him.
In the beginning, we were created good. We enjoyed uninterrupted fellowship with the Almighty and perfect harmony with each other (man and spouse) until the day when the woman was deceived by the serpent and the man ate of the fruit. This choice brought about the curse of death, both spiritual and physical for mankind. Henceforth, we were all born into this cycle of meaninglessness.
However, even from the fall there were hints of restoration, that things would be made better. Throughout the Scriptures, men and women of God look forward to salvation. This salvation ultimately pointed to the birth of a child named “Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins.”[2]
This saving, or salvation, was accomplished though not through military might or wise teaching, but primarily and ultimately through His death. As the Scriptures have said, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming Himself a curse on our behalf.[3] He bore our sins and died in our place. In this way, Christ has “atoned” for the sins of His people. This atonement is an essential aspect of salvation, although not the only element.
See ”Atonement” and “Pictures of Salvation” for futher study, in which we hope to accomplish two things. First, we hope to paint a couple of pictures of the atonement. Second, we hope to paint a couple of pictures of the entire event of salvation.
[1] Jeremiah 2:12-13
[2] Matthew 1:21
[3] Galatians 3:13
