The Seed Blog: Salvation...Plain & Simple

For those of us who have lived in the joy and security of God’s love and salvation for many years, we can many times experience that gift, rest in His security and peace, and yet miss so, so much about all that our salvation reveals of the true heart of our Lord, and what it really cost Him for our security. For all those who do not know Christ as their King and Savior, there are so many questions about Him. Why is He so special, above all other religions? Why is He supposed to be the “Only Way?” What does it truly mean to “Be saved,” to “accept Jesus as my Savior?” Won’t everybody be saved in the end? Won’t all religions save you, as long as you are sincere? Today, we will take a Biblical look at these questions and more because not only is this the single most important topic you will ever in your life contemplate—you will learn more about Who Jesus truly is than you have ever known in your life. You will know clearly what it means to accept Him as your Savior and God, and you will see clearly how incredible His love really is and why He definitively and unmistakably is the only way.

Why do we need to be saved? And from what exactly? Genesis 1:1, 26-28, 31. So, God made a perfect, beautiful, Paradise and called it “very good.” Then He created man and woman in His very image—meaning as intelligent, creative, skillful, loving, productive beings. He created them to be everything necessary to fulfill one another in perfect intimacy and design, and He gave the whole earth to them to care for and have authority over—as He dwelt with them walked with them, had perfect love and fellowship with them. But they chose to embrace the temptation to rebel against Him; chose to follow the deception of the King of fallen angels, Lucifer; chose to doubt God’s goodness and become their own gods just like our mentality today. And this seed of selfishness and evil that sprang in their souls ruined the perfect love, trust and fellowship God had with them, bringing separation from God, and death as a result. All creation under their authority was cursed with the same fate and this seed of evil has been passed and taught to every generation: Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23. Salvation, then is God’s Plan to take away our guilt of rejecting Him; to take away the sentence and punishment of the sins in our hearts and lives; to restore our perfect unity and love with Him by making our hearts and souls as loving as His once again, and to make all the cursed creation we ruined new again: Revelation 21:1-5. God knew we would fall even before He placed us here on earth and He already had plans to come to our aid: Ephesians 1:3-5. Everything that God has done through the ages, every page of His precious Book has been written and lived out in His passionate and costly quest to restore us back into intimacy, joy, and adventure with Him on a perfect earth once again. That is salvation for those who desire it.
The next logical question is: “If God loves so deeply, why did He let us fall in the first place?” He let it happen because real, intimate, passionate love requires a free will and a desire from both involved. God knew that free will would allow some to reject Him and hurt others. He knew it would bring pain and chaos for a time. But He also saw every soul that would truly embrace Him in love, even through the tainted and ruined world we created. And so, this dilemma basically gave Him three options: 1) Never create this magnificent masterpiece called mankind with whom He could spend an eternity of joy and intimacy, with whom He could share blessings and adventures beyond our wildest dreams. 2) He could destroy all the evil that has ever existed since we fell and start over from scratch, losing every soul that He knew before they were in existence. We wouldn’t know because that includes you and I who are part of that rebellious mob He loves dearly. 3) He could make a way to bring justice for the evil done and yet forgive, redeem, heal and embrace
those who saw Him for Who He truly is—which would be hard, costly and painful. But all things that are of great worth are expensive, and God saw all of the temporary pain and sacrifice as well worth the Love found in the end: Romans 8:18. And this short time of trials and testing has been ordained by Him to allow us to show Him, in return, just how much we truly want Him, how much we trust Him, how much we will endure to be with Him as well: 1 Peter 1:6-9. God allowed this—even when He knew it would be hard and costly because He was not willing that any be lost: 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4. He allowed this mess because any cost is worth having us back. Without the fall, we would never see just how far He would go to save us, never know how deep His humility, mercy and love run—because it cost Him infinitely more than it cost us. We would never have real choice given to us, and we would never have seen the horrors that pure selfishness, evil and pride could bring. But, if God went to such extreme measures to save us all, why does He not just save everyone through His Work? Why will some still be forever rejected? Let me ask you this question: How many times have you heard people say (or even said yourself): Why does God allow such terrible things? Why doesn’t God just take out those evil people? Why doesn’t God just remove the evil from the world?” And you are right, for feeling this way. But, remember we are all part of that evil right now, and He is long-suffering until any who would want Him will turn from evil and trust Him. But for those who refuse to accept love and selflessness, refuse to live for anyone but themselves, how could a just God (that we already question for allowing sin for a short season) not possibly remove those who refuse to surrender their sin even for a short time? How could that be loving, just, fair to those who do choose Him? When it would simply destroy all He makes new again? Understand that God is not willing that any be lost, and He did not create hell and damnation for any of His own: Matthew 25:41. They openly, freely, rebelliously chose to join Satan and his fallen hoard, even, over Jesus’ own dead body, placed there to save them. So, we see why Salvation is needed by all men; we see why He had to allow the fall that demanded Salvation; we see that, even though He wants all to be Saved; His justice and love for those who want Him will not allow for the evil in some hearts to be with Him.
Let’s take a look at just what it means to be ‘saved,’ what Salvation is and is not. It is easier and clearer to start with what Salvation is not: Salvation is not just about getting your sins forgiven so that you can live in Paradise when you die. Salvation is not just about living a better life or attending church so you will be worthy to be saved. Salvation is not just believing there is a God even just believing Jesus exists: James 2:19. Salvation is not about proclaiming your belief and trust in Christ and living the life you choose to live afterwards but wanting blessings. Salvation is not given because God is so nice and good that He decides to forget about what you did or bend or break His own Laws to let you into Heaven. Salvation is: realizing that you have sinned against and lived against the God Who loves you and created you for Him, that you lived against the God whose very creation you have the privilege of living in right now. It’s realizing that you have a seed of evil in you that has helped to ruin His Creation and is capable of unspeakable evil. Salvation is realizing that you cannot be allowed in His perfect Heaven when you would simply destroy it again. It’s realizing that you should be done away with, rejected. Then it is realizing He has placed such value, worth and love on you that He is willing to destroy His entire Creation and start over just to have you with Him. It’s realizing that Jesus Christ—the Eternal Go, the Masterful, Artistic Creator of all in existence, the worshiped, loved, Ruler of countless beings in Heaven, the One who holds all power, riches and authority—is so precious and humble even in all that power and authority that He would give it all away—become One of us, walk with us in our pain, be judged in place of us, hated, made a worthless criminal, be rejected by His Father God on our behalf, be unimaginably tortured for our sins and die thinking He was rejected and alone because nothing He owned as God was more important than saving you and being with you again. Salvation is realizing these things and then understanding that He deserves your everything in return. It’s seeing His preciousness, humbleness, sacrifice and then wanting to turn from everything that made Him go so far to save us. It’s trusting that what He says is good that you want never again to do the things He died to remove and forgive: Romans 12:1-2. Salvation is accepting such an amazing gift given to you, knowing there is nothing you could do to save yourself—because no amount of good works can take away the Law, take away the punishment deserved for what has already been done. And God is a just and righteous God who cannot simply put away sins that have hurt others—they must be paid for. So, He had to pay that price Himself. He did not excuse you; He did not remove the Law; He did not give a pass. He paid for everything you ever did Himself so you could be considered innocent: Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:24-25; John 3:16-17. Salvation is saying “If He gave His life for mine I will give my life for Him.” And I will live all my life trying to please Him, trusting Him enough to stay away from all He died to save me from knowing His ways are better than the world’s; willing to give up anything and everything just like He did for me, to show my love back to Him—simply because He is unbelievably worthy after giving up so much for me. It’s knowing that He alone made the way for my Salvation, but He doesn’t want someone who just needs a ticket punched. He wants someone who wants Him back just as passionately Who’s willing to give just as much in return, or the relationship is not real: Matthew 22:37-40. It is trusting that He knows we are weak and will fail sometimes, but that He is not focused on us having a perfect life, rather, in having a perfectly given heart ready to get back up, trust His forgiveness and keep trying to please Him in all I do; having complete confidence in His love for me even in my failures. It’s being unashamed of Him in a world that hates Him. It’s being ready and wanting to give Him everything in my life—health, money, possessions, reputation, relationships—if He asks it of me. Because I trust Him, because I want to make Him happy, because He has earned it with His Own Life. It is forsaking all and being completely happy, knowing that I have Him and He will care for me: Philippians 3:7-8. It is gladly giving Him my whole life just as He gave His for me. Anything less is simply using Him for your own gain.
So, why are we so adamant that Jesus is the only way? No matter how many ideas we have about the afterlife, there is only one that is true. Every other religion in the world tells how to live kindlier or how your good must outweigh your bad. But God is perfect; God is just; God is fair; God is pure. And living better or letting your good outweigh your bad, does not pay for the evil that has been done. Only the sacrifice of God can do that. And only Jesus made the payment Himself. Jesus did not take away the Law; He fulfilled its sentence for you. No one else did this. Every other religion focuses on your good deeds and good life. Only Jesus is concerned with changing your heart to righteousness. Only Jesus seeks passionately for your love and not just your good actions or abject worship. Of course, there is only one Creator, one way. It would not even be logical to assume otherwise. And no other religion known has the history of a real man that lived, died and rose again; the prophecies fulfilled; the total dedication, humbleness and love to become One with us; be our Brother, unashamed in our sins; the care and sacrifice enough to die in order to cover our sins: Acts 4:10-12.
What about those who wait their whole lives and decide to accept Jesus on their deathbed? Are they Saved? Many have asked this question, hoping to put off living for God until later. But others—because they sincerely worry about someone who accepted Christ at the end of their lives. Let’s look at two verses which give a solid, Biblical answer: Luke 23:39-43. Did this criminal ever have the chance to live a single day for Christ? No. Did he come to Jesus in his final moments on earth? Yes! But He was saved—for certain. Why? Because Salvation has nothing to do with your deeds and all to do with your sincere heart wanting Him. 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; John 2:23-25: A sincere heart wanting Jesus in their last days will always find His mercy and Salvation because Christ is not a legalist. He does not have to follow a set pattern that we hold Him to. He simply wants your heart! and nothing is hidden from His eyes. But if we live any way we choose, betting our Salvation on a quick prayer of repentance in the end, trying to hold God’s feet to some self-believed fire, trying to save our souls, but never truly caring about Christ. He sees this clearly and He does not play games. He is not under any obligation or binding agreement. He does not want, nor does He have any obligation to anyone who simply tries to use Him for their purposes. He deserves so much more. He deserves our everything, because God Himself has given His everything in sweet, humble, dedicated passion to bring you home to Him. What else could possibly be more important than giving yourself to Him completely? Now is the time: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2.