Son Peeking through the Clouds - Salvation

I finally made it back to my local church this morning after a bout of sickness and what a blessing to be able to go. I knew that I missed it but I didn't know it had missed me ! It's really good to have Christian friends and there is nothing quite like being part of a real congregation, a family - people you can see and hear and touch, who all love the Lord. I feel a real kinship with this church despite it's flaws and imperfections. We have the basics in common and a shared understanding of what is important in this life. I'm so glad that I listened that day when God said, Go now ! Someday I'll tell you about that but right now I want to talk about the day's message because it's a subject that just rings my bell every time. I think it's important and not well understood.

One of the most fascinating characters to me (outside of Christ, of course) in the New Testament is the Apostle Paul. Paul described himself in Acts 26 as a pharisee, a strict observer of the Jewish faith. In Phillippians 3, he tells us that he was a flesh born Israelite out of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews - the kind of strict observor of the law about whom it could be said that there was none better than he. There was no one practicing Judaism better than Paul at his height and yet ... Paul said none of it mattered, only the death and resurrection of Christ. He counted his birth, his heritage, his religion all a loss compared to the gospel. That's all he preached after his conversion. It was THE important thing, the ONLY important thing.

What is the gospel ? Called the good news, it is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ and the power that it has to save us, according to my pastor. And that begs the question, what is salvation ? This is also his explanation (though not word for word) and I liked it a lot. Salvation is the justification (repentance & belief) that frees us from the penalty of sin due us. It's also sanctification (the process of being changed by the power of the spirit) that frees us from the power of sin over our lives. And it's glorification (the final resurrection) that frees us from the presence of sin - not in other people but in ourselves. I think that sums it up rather nicely.

A lot of people think of that "being saved" and becoming a "christian" refers to that one moment in time when you went down to the altar and told someone that you "believed" and wanted to be saved. I know that's what I used to think until I began to study the matter out. But the reality is that repentance and belief are merely the first step because salvation is a process not an isolated moment in time. When we accept Christ we are justified in that moment and the penalty for sin is wiped off the books because it was paid for by the Lamb of God on the cross. Salvation, though, is a journey, a process ... and this moment of justification is just the first step that starts us on a journey of change that strips away the sin from our lives until we become more and more like our Lord. If we continue the journey throughout the remainder of our lives we will arrive at the destination and be glorified with him at his return.

To be a Christian, is to be constantly learning about what God's will is for our lives and changing ourselves to conform to it. As we meditate on the word of God and apply it to our lives we are changed. God's word is a powerful solvent for sin, loosening it's hold on us and washing it away. We're washed in the living water of the Word.

Being a Christian requires a lot of self-examination. Lots of people say they are Christians but if they base that on what they KNOW rather than what they are BECOMING then I'd have to say they are a liar. If we aren't changing, conforming ourselves to the example set by Christ and those who came after him ... then have we really been saved ? Salvation is an ongoing, process ... a journey that continues beyond the first step.

Freedom from the penalty of sin through repentance and belief... freedom from the power of sin in our lives through ongoing faith and change ... freedom from the presence of sin through the resurrection ... THAT's salvation !