Are You Saved?
What follows is the opening section of a small book I'm preparing on salvation that takes us beyond the usual categories -- getting to heaven. Here I set out some of the key issues and questions. I invite you to read and respond if you like!
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It’s possible that you have been asked—or maybe you were the one doing the asking—Are you saved? What was the intended meaning of that question? Quite likely the one asking the question had in mind an individual’s ultimate destiny. Is it heaven or hell? When these questions are asked it is usually presumed that the answer will involve Jesus. That is, have you accepted Jesus as your savior? The question has biblical roots. After all, as we read in the Book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, after Peter had finished his sermon, the people asked what they needed to do. He answered: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus; and you shall be forgiven an; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (Acts 2:37-39). Now, you will notice that Peter doesn’t say anything here about going to heaven, though that could be implied here.
The question of salvation (soteriology)
stands at the core of the Christian message. The question of salvation assumes
that in some way the divine-human as well as the human-to-human relationship is
broken and needs to be fixed. For Christians this process of fixing what is broken
involves Jesus. According to the Gospel of John, the Word (Logos) became
flesh and dwelt among us and those who believed in him (put their trust in him)
became children of God (John 1:1-14). Nothing is said here about going to
heaven when we die. As we read on in John’s Gospel we find Jesus in
conversation with Nicodemus. The subject of God’s realm comes up in that
conversation and Jesus tells Nicodemus that if he is to see the realm for
himself he must be born from above (Jn 3:1-10). Now, Jesus does tell Nicodemus
that God loves the world and those who believe in the Son will not perish but
have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). What Jesus doesn’t tell Nicodemus is where eternal
life will be spent or what it looks like.
From a Christian perspective,
salvation involves Jesus in some way. The New Testament speaks of the cross
being the fulcrum of salvation. This has led to the development of a variety of
atonement theories that seek to explain how Jesus’ death on the cross achieves
salvation for those who receive him as Lord and Savior. Now, here is the question
that has bedeviled Christians down through the ages: must one consciously
confess Jesus as savior in this life to be included in God’s realm? This
question is of special concern for those of us who are involved in interfaith
dialogue and friendships. The answers to that question are many. For some,
salvation does require a confession of faith. Some would add baptism to the
process. Then still others would add discipleship to the list. Of course, there
are other questions that have emerged over time, including whether God
predetermines who is in the realm and who is not. These questions require more
space than this particular venue will allow, but for me, I trust in God’s grace
that all things will be reconciled to God in Christ.
The matter of salvation is deeply
intertwined with eschatology (the doctrine of last things). While some
Christians believe that the future is fixed because God knows all things
including the future, for others the future is open-ended. The script must
still be written. So, not even God knows the ending of the human story.
Nevertheless, how we envision the future has contemporary implications. I
approach this question of salvation from a rather eclectic position, but in
terms of how I envision the future I do so from the perspective of “open and
relational theology.” Therefore, as I see things, the future has yet to be
written, but for those who put their trust in God, there is hope that the
future will be one of blessing, for God does not disappoint.
Again, Christians have understood
the question of salvation in diverse ways. For some, the way to God is narrow,
and Scripture affirms such a vision (Lk 13:22-30; Mt. 7:13-14). On the other
hand, there are intriguing passages that suggest a broader view. Consider for
instance a passage such as this from Paul: “Therefore just as one man’s
trespass led to the condemnation led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act
of righteousness leads to justification and life for all” (Rom. 5:18). One
could read this in such a way that Paul believes that even as the first Adam
plunges us into sin, the Second Adam restores humanity to the pre-fall state of
relationship to God. The emphasis here falls on the word “all.” Even as all
share in the first Adam’s fall, we all share in the Second Adam’s act of righteousness.”
For some the realm of God is sparsely populated, containing only those who
confess Jesus as savior. On the other hand, some of us lean toward universal
salvation. Yet, even here there is a caveat because God is by definition love and
love is non-coercive then should there not be room left for human choice in the
matter. What I will say is this, from a Christian perspective, I believe that
it is in Christ and in his death and resurrection that we are reconciled to God
and one another.
On this question of universal salvation, while there are biblical texts that
hint at it the argument for this form of salvation is rooted in the way in
which God’s nature is perceived. So again, if God is truly defined by love
could God, in the end, discard anyone? To put it another way, if God is
portrayed as a loving parent, can we truly believe that God would reject one’s
own child—no matter what. So, when it comes to our ultimate destiny, we might
take to heart this word from Disciples theologian Joe Jones, who writes of our
experience of divine grace: “Being raised to life beyond death is a gift of God
and is neither a natural attribute of being human nor an earned reward for a
righteous life.” He goes on to write: “When all things are subjected to the
work of Jesus Christ, they will be subjected by the transforming power of the
triune God who incarnately and ultimately refuses to count the sins of the
world against it and who graciously redeems all creatures. Joyfully, God’s
power and grace are the final and ultimate determiners of the meaning and
destiny of human life. God speaks and enacts an unceasing triumphant yes to
the world.”[1]
So, what is salvation and who does
it involve? While it may include the question of our eternal destination
(heaven? A new earth? Union with God?), it also speaks to who we are and what
we do here and now. It is then an eschatological question because the future is
involved, but whatever the future holds is related to who we are now. For
Christians, the question of salvation in all its elements is connected to
Jesus, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
[1] Joe Jones, “Salvation,” in Chalice Introduction to Disciples Theology, Peter Goodwin Heltzel, ed., (Chalice Press, 2008), p. 202.
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