Salvation Shorthand

by Calvin Burrell

Simply speaking, salvation in the Bible can refer to rescue, freedom, or preservation — provided by God or man — from any sort of bondage or danger to the peace and welfare of body, mind, spirit, family, community, nation, or world.

The greatest salvation of all speaks of a deliverance and freedom through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of all. It rescues us from the bondage of our souls — our whole beings — for time and, chiefly, for eternity. This dangerous slavery is known as sin.

The why of salvation is sin

To believe and receive the salvation of Christ, we must be aware of sin’s reality. If neither God nor an ultimate standard for good and evil exists, if guilt and judgment are only fantasies, then sin is not real and we should cease speaking of salvation. Such talk is superfluous and illusionary.

But God does exist, the Bible is His Word, and sin is any failure to conform to His will. It is missing the mark He has fixed. The Bible consistently says that the entire human race has fallen into sin’s bondage and is in danger of its eternal result: death. (Rom. 1, 2, 3; 6:23) 

Scripture defines sin as

• transgression of divine law (1 John 3:4)
• failure to believe and live by faith (Rom. 14:23)
• wrong thoughts, attitudes, or actions (Prov. 24:9)
• falling short of God’s intent and glory (Rom. 3:23)
• anything that is not right, by God’s definition (l John 5:17a)
• failure to do all the good we know we should (James 4:17)
• not just what we do but what we are apart from Christ (John 3:36)

Salvation is important only if sin is real. The vice, violence, and viciousness that dominate human history confirm the reality of sin. The results of sin — darkness, dysfunction, and death — engulf us all, but the holy God has us midway in a plan to eliminate sin from His creation. Salvation is God’s solution to the sin problem (Rom. 1:16).

The how of salvation is Christ

Jesus is heaven’s Son and Savior who saves His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). This divine deliverance enters human experience in three ways, spanning time:

• Past: We were saved from the guilt and penalty of our sins by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross — His death, burial, and resurrection. This is justification and forgiveness of sins: salvation imputed (Rom. 3:24-28; Eph. 2:8, 9; 2 Tim. 1:9).
• Present: We are being saved from the grip and practice of our sins by the ongoing work of Jesus Christ upon our hearts and minds, through the Holy Spirit. This is sanctification and growth in obedience and service: salvation imparted (Rom. 6; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12).
• Future: We shall be saved from the presence and possibility of sin forever by the return of Christ and resurrection of the dead to immortality. This is glorification and eternal life: salvation consummated (Rom. 5:10b; 13:11; 1 Peter 1:5, 9).

Here is not only the how but also the when of our freedom from sin that the gospel delivers. Concerning this salvation . . .

• God’s grace is its source and ultimate cause (Rom. 3:24)
• Christ’s death and resurrection is God’s provision for it (4:24, 25)
• The Holy Spirit is the divine agent in making it personal (5:5b)
• Faith is the human response required to receive it (v. 1)
• Calling on the name of the Lord is its human trigger (10:13)
• Obeying the truth (repentance, baptism, etc.) is its confirming evidence (James 2:24)
• Holding fast to faith, hope, and love in Christ is its final proof  (Mark 13:13b)

The who of salvation is sinners

Salvation is for sinners — Adam’s race. We lost paradise through him. But Jesus came to save the lost, and paradise is regained in Him (Rom. 5:12-21). Whoever believes the gospel, though sinners we have been, passes out of sin’s darkness into the light of God’s grace and truth (Col. 1:12-23).

Scripture texts supporting the points on this page are available in the online version of this article at http://cog7.org/BA.