Saved . . . from WHAT exactly?

I remember many years ago seeing a “street preacher” standing on a corner, holding a Bible, and shouting to passers by about being lost in sin, trusting in Jesus, and the salvation of their souls. That manner of communication seemed a bit embarrassing to me, and even then I sensed the incongruity between the religious words being shouted aloud and what I suspected was the common parlance of most of the hearers. I admired the man’s courage, but I wondered if he was truly being heard.

I think many churches have come a long way in their attempts to put the message of Jesus into terms that modern man and woman can understand, but . . . I think we still have a long way to go. After all, it’s hard to rename, retitle, or translate a term(s) we don’t fully understand ourselves.

And that has led me to ask through the intervening years: when we talk about SALVATION . . . what exactly is a believer saved FROM? And is there a word (or words) that could more accurately communicate the salvation of Jesus to a modern man or woman?

Part of the difficulty is that when someone is LOST . . . in a maze of city streets, for instance, they usually KNOW they’re lost; no one has to tell them. If someone, trying to be helpful, tells someone who is local that in fact they are lost . . . . well, the response is not usually a positive one. Often this is what happens when a Christian tries to share his/her faith (i.e. world view) with someone they don’t know very well.

It makes sense for us to ask ourselves: “What is salvation? And what exactly are we saved from?”

As a young man I was taught that I needed to be saved from hellfire, and that belief in Jesus (and going to church regularly) would accomplish that for me, so that when I died (a reality that was foreign to me in the extreme) I would be SAVED. People used to call this getting fire insurance (in a spiritual sense). But is that all it is?

If you study the Greek words σωτηρία (salvation) and σῴζω (save) you find that from their earliest usage they meant “to make safe and sound,” “to deliver from a direct threat,” “to bring safely out of a difficult situation.” They were used to describe pardon, protection, preservation, and escape. This applied to perilous situations, judicial condemnation, illness, and even death.

Like numberless expressions these words were used in multiple ways. In the Septuagint (LXX, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), the most commonly used Scripture in the New Testament era, these words were used to describe general safety and security (see Genesis 28:21), victory for a nation (Proverbs 11:14), peace for a family of brothers (Genesis 44:17), and escape that will not be available for the wicked (Job 11:20). It was this same “deliverance” that became the essential story for the Israelites (Exodus 14:13), and it would also be the description given for their “salvation” in the future (Isaiah 45:17).

Salvation in the New Testament is both physical (Matthew 8:25; 9:21; 14:30; John 11:12; Acts 4:9; 14:9), and eternal (Matthew 1:21; Romans 5:9). There is even a layer of protection from what some writer has called “life’s infection” (Acts 2:40).

There is clearly an aspect of salvation that is set in the future (Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5; Revelation 12:10), and this is what Christians are most familiar with.

But all of this is so nebulous to most of us. We know some of what it implies in the future for us, but . . . what about right now? Does it have any meaning NOW? Indeed, there is a present aspect of salvation, too:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions; it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ . . . .”

Ephesians 2:4-6 (NIV)

Implicit in their earliest usage these expressions describe BENEFIT and PRESERVATION. But how does that work in the here-and-now world?

Recently I have been reminded of the damage being endured by countless friends and family: damage caused by physical and/or mental maladies and death, the destructive and agonizing pain caused by divorces, the unspeakable crimes committed by individuals, the defeating and demoralizing experience of depression, and the hopelessness that seems to pervade our society. How does “salvation” bring any benefit to these situations? How does it preserve persons enduring this type of agony?

Or is it all just “pie in the sky” (as they used to say).

It is clear from the New Testament documents that God’s intent for mankind is a positive one, not a negative one; He wants to give this σωτηρία (salvation) to everyone (John 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:15) and it is his alone to give (Revelation 7:10; 19:1). It is found only in Jesus (Acts 4:12). And yes, the intended recipient can say, “No thank you!” (But would they, if they knew?)

It is eventually an escape from death and judgment (James 4:12; 5:20), but it is also a present benefit for the believer just as it was for the woman in Luke 7:50 to whom Jesus says, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

There are new verbal expressions we might consider using to communicate this concept:

• RESCUE
• FREE
• LIBERATE
• COME TO THE AID OF
• FULFILL

To illustrate: not everyone with cancer knows it is present in his/her body; eventually he/she will discover unmistakably that something is wrong and seek to correct it. Many in our society are already at that place (stage 4, spiritual cancer); that is, they KNOW something is badly wrong spiritually, morally, etc. and they have experienced the pain that will make them open to listen to the offer of RESCUE, or LIBERATION. Others are not at that stage yet, so they might ask, “rescued from WHAT?”

If those persons do not share your Christian world view (see 1 John 5:19-20) there is still hope, of course. No one who lives long on this earth can avoid the pain, disappointment, and crushing disaster this world has to offer; at the least, they know and care about someone(s) who has experienced it.

The RESCUE and LIBERATION offered by Jesus’s good news is an umbrella of amazingly good things, not just the necessary fire insurance to avoid hellfire after you die. It comes with the assurance that no matter what disaster or defeat may come your way YOU ARE PROTECTED; it is an insurance policy that can only be revoked by the insured.

Does possessing this writ of liberation mean you will not experience suffering? NO! But it assures that the suffering you endure will not be for naught. It promises that you will be given the means to deal with the pain.

Does possessing this decree of rescue mean you will never experience anything again from which you wish to be rescued? NO! But it assures that you will not be drowned in the waters that seek to pull you under.

Although the word for “salvation” does not occur in the following verses, the umbrella of salvation encompasses ALL our life struggles, and makes it possible for us to embrace this assurance:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:35, 37-39 (NIV)

Salvation is absolute protection in the here-and-now (the bullet proof vest of the Christian), liberation from the fear of adversity (not the absence of it), rescue from the debilitating damage of trouble in the world, palpable aid when you need it most, and finally . . . freedom from any judgment you might deserve at the end of your life. Not a bad package.

Listen as Paul wrestled with this concept, and see what he concluded: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength . . . and I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:16-18 NIV)

Look at the world around you and tell me you or someone you love doesn’t need liberation? Do you know anyone who doesn’t need to be set free from some trouble, some addiction, some malady? It’s time we thought of salvation as a means to protect, an opportunity to aid someone, a life preserver to provide rescue from life’s waves. Because THAT . . . is what it IS!

May 5, 1945

Picasso’s Napkin (Part 3, “Inspiration”)

I love great quotations, don’t you? When my mother was living she sent me quotes all the time; I made a notebook of them. Here are a few of my favorites:

• “Think not of yourself as merely the architect of your career; but as the sculptor. Expect to do a lot of hard hammering and chiselling and scraping and polishing.” (Unknown author)
• “It is not so much the greatness of our troubles, as the littleness of our spirit, which makes us complain.” (J. Taylor)
• “Ideals are like the stars – we never reach them, but like the mariners on the sea we chart our course by them.” (Carl Schurg)
• “Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprang up.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.)

I could go on and on, of course; I have pages and pages. But another of my favorites came through my brother; he introduced me to Kahlil Gibran:

• “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding . . . .” (from The Prophet)
• “Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite. Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.” (from The Prophet)

Great quotes appear in countless places: Reader’s Digest’s “Quotable Quotes”; famous speeches from Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and many others; well-known authors, from the illustrious Mark Twain to the modern Kurt Vonnegut; even Hallmark cards can be profound. Words of wisdom abound in literature (both ancient and modern), and sometimes “a word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11), invaluable to your life.

And that is why, so often, you find yourself treating Scripture as a handy collection of Quotable Quotes. Among the most prevalent are the following:

• “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
• “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 quoting Isaiah 64:4)

The first verse is often quoted to provide hope and security (those are good things, not bad). The second verse is used at funerals to give hope and security during a family’s grief (also, good things, not bad). In many ways today Christians who employ the Scripture in this way could just as soon benefit from the inspirational words found in countless, oversized, fully illustrated coffee table books. It amounts to the same thing, i.e. encouraging words to give you a positive attitude as you approach each challenging day. And you know, that is certainly some benefit; we all can use it.

The only trouble is this: we never learn the real intent of the words when they were penned. It’s like a person from 2023 having a conversation with someone in the 1850s about being “gay.” You both would derive something from the conversation, but . . . maybe not what was meant. Or maybe it’s like asking if Eli Whitney’s “cotton gin” had to do with a type of liquor; a bit of anachronistic thinking, right? If you value Scripture the way the early church did, and the way the so-called “church fathers” (Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, etc.) did, then it becomes all-important for you to learn what the Scriptures really SAY, not just in what way you’d like to use them.

We say that writers, public speakers, producers, musicians, artists, etc. are “inspired” by their craft. “Inspiration” is used to mean anything from the ability to create a musical composition, to the writing of stories, to the invention of a machine that does amazing things for us. But often when Christians use it a plethora of additional meanings are attached. Foremost among these is the idea of inerrancy; that the words (as they were originally penned) were flawless, i.e. there are no mistakes.

When you do research into the word translated “inspired” you learn some interesting things. The original word (Greek, θεόπνευστος) is used only ONE TIME in the New Testament canon of Scripture:

“All Scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Word definition is determined by usage, right? So, here is our first problem. If we break down the word into its two parts we see that literally it means “God breathed.” But without other uses to compare we are left guessing the parameters of that definition. It does appear several times in secular Greek and appears to mean “life giving,” but beyond that there is little to say. And here we need to be cautious; sometimes our best thinking can get us into trouble. When we “put two and two together” we often end up with 100! Some have reasoned that if Scripture came from God . . . it would be perfect, right? And if it’s perfect, it would have to be flawless, right? And if it was flawless when originally penned, God would not allow it to be corrupted? So, the text is inerrant and has been protected from tampering! There!

One of the many problems with this deduction is that Christians in the early centuries did not all agree with the contents of the canon of Scripture, not to mention that an enormous amount of work has gone into the discovery of ancient manuscripts, comparing them with ancient translations into other languages, archaeological findings, and the decisions about which of the variant readings of certain passages seems most likely. THEN . . . scholars have attempted to translate it into words or idioms you and I could understand; and they update these translations all the time.

The Bible is not a magic book; it is not a spiritual prism: turn it one way and it will speak to you thusly; turn it another way and another message comes to you, adjusting itself to magically fit with the nuances of each generation and culture. But we often treat it in just this way.

So, I want to ask you the question: do you need for “inspiration” to mean flawless?

I don’t know about you, but . . . I’ve not read many books (even modern ones) where there are absolutely no errors. I mean somewhere in the volume I will see an honest mistake that an editor missed: a misspelling, a word that sounds like the word intended, etc. And this is the world of automation. Ancient writings were copied by hand, one after another; no spell check existed.

I don’t NEED inspiration to mean inerrant. In fact, when one defines “inspiration” as flawless it often causes the honest inquirer to doubt the authenticity of the work in question; nothing in this world is perfect. Even God’s people are flawed (see Galatians 2:11-21).

The oldest extant complete copy of the Hebrew Old Testament was sold at Sotheby’s for 38.1 million this year; it is called Codex Sassoon (dated 900 AD). Some of Picasso’s works have sold for almost twice that much, and some for much less. His reputation, of course, is quite sordid, unlike the writers of Scripture. But authenticity is often enough to warrant great value. The Old Testament Scriptures were viewed as “God-given” to the Jews of Jesus’s day, and the New Testament writings eventually came to be viewed in much the same way. Picasso’s work remains valuable because of who created it, and the Scriptures remain valuable not only because of who wrote them, but because they contain the “wisdom from above.”

Can the truth from God be clearly seen even though the vehicles that carry it may be flawed? I certainly hope so. Because people’s words, people’s actions, people’s writings, people’s art, etc. are always imperfect.

So, were the writers of the New Testament documents “inspired”? Absolutely! Were they perfect, without flaws, inerrant? How on earth could they be? Much is made of Paul’s mention of the 23,000 killed in a plague (1 Corinthians 10:8), contrasted with the Numbers 25:9 account that says 24,000 died. Some scholars jump through hoops to harmonize the two, even suggesting that Paul was referring to some other plague (Exodus 32) where no exact number is given. I’ll never forget my Greek professor’s response to this. He said, (and you have to say this with a New York Jewish accent) “You know the Jews . . . 23,000, 24,000 . . . , what’s the difference?”

All I’m saying is this: don’t allow your definition of one (hard to define) word, used only one time in the New Testament, cause you to present these ancient writings as “flawless” to an unbeliever who has never even heard of a book without flaws in his/her life. It is not only counterproductive, it is unnecessary. Authenticity is enough! And that . . . we have! Minor mistakes and all. In fact . . . the mistakes add credibility.