Thoughts on Reconciliation: Saved From What?
April 5th, 2007 | by Scott |I’ve started and stopped this entry about a dozen times so far. Bear with me as I continue to navigate some murky and troublesome waters. And forgive the somewhat simplistic nature of this post. I wanted to get something out even if it isn’t entirely fleshed out or nuanced.
My goal in this series is to think through some fairly esoteric issues for me and reword them in ways that my mind can wrap around them. I’m not plowing any ground that far loftier minds than mine have not paved the way for. When time permits I will create a bibliography page that will point you to more salient and dense works.
I hope next week to begin to get into the sayings of Christ that have been attributed to the existence of an eternal punishment in hell. But as we progress it’s important to talk briefly about the concept of salvation and what it means for us. As more time has elapsed since the creation and the subsequent “fall” I believe that we have developed a much more self-absorbed focus to salvation than originally intended.
God created us to be in relationship with Him. But for the majority of my life I’ve held an unshakable opinion that He wasn’t really committed to that relationship initially. It took one transgression, in my understanding, to screw the whole thing up. It seems that that one transgression moved us from waking hand in hand with God to that Holy Hand picking us up by the collar and dangling us over the fires of hell.
As a result of this view I have lived my life viewing salvation as this personal crusade on my part to win back God’s good graces. Even being “grace-oriented” I still lived out a somewhat myopic self-obsessed view of God’s Salvation. Salvation was my “get out of hell” card, because although hell is not mentioned as part of the punishment in Genesis 3 we all knew that was the end game.
However, as I have progressed in my understanding of the character and nature of God the less I see salvation as been “saved from” but “save to.” It’s not simply God moving that hand away from the fiery pit and placing me back down on some solid ground.
Instead it is about God making things right, acting in good faith toward that humanity that He created to be in relationship with.
It is about us finding meaning and purpose in this world through being the imagio dei. Salvation is not just a forgiveness of sins, though I believe that is a part of God reconciling us to Himself.
Salvation is also God setting this world to rights, so that we might live in relationship with Him and our fellow man. It is God claiming the relationship with us that He intended us to have and that He expects us to have with others.
Salvation is not about escaping from hell but following after Christ, to learn how to live and love and act like He did. It’s about relationship.
Relationship in the here and now, not just in some world to come. Salvation is lived out through our love, care and concern for others.
Salvation is not about hell and what we are saved from. It’s all about Jesus and us being brought into complete relationship with Him. The only way to true salvation is following in the steps of the Risen Lord. To experience and embrace the person of Christ.
It’s about the redemption and reconciliation of all things. About coming into a full fellowship with God. Walking hand in hand with Him as He has always intended us to do.
And as a result, we must view salvation as not simply being saved from punishment, although that is a part of it. Instead we must view salvation on a much grander scale of the God of all creation bringing that creation into harmony, redeeming and reconciling that which is His so that His creation might have the relationship to which it was intended to have.
Hence, why I am a redemptive reconciliationist.
8 Responses to “Thoughts on Reconciliation: Saved From What?”
By justin on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
Man, I do not know how you are still employed
This is great stuff, and more people need to understand it. Many of the questions that I put to the back of my mind growing up were answered when I began to understand this concept… that we aren’t just being saved from hell, but we are being saved from bringing about our own physical destruction. The Resurrection frees us to live the way it was supposed to be all along. Praise God!
By KS on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
I can go with this.
By jasonk on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
I can’t argue with you. What you say reflects my own journey into trying to understand what salvation really means.
This morning the power went out at the office, so I spent some time reading about Socrates and his method of undoing the people in his time who thought they knew everything. His brilliant use of irony to bring down the giants of his day remind me of what we deal with in our own lives. The concepts that have always been held may or may not be right. They may or may not be true. So where do we go from here?
I believe that the cross meant something, and I believe that the resurrection meant even more. But as you pointed out, it meant more than just saving us from eternal damnation. It was the ultimate expression of the Creator’s love for us.
Thanks for some great thoughts on this Maundy Thursday.
By justin on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
Maudy Thursday… Jason, we’re church of Christ… we don’t celebrate those catholic things
By Doug Freeman on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
Scott, I agree that walking hand in hand with God is the only way. I am not a Joyce Meyers fan nor do I agree with a lot of her teaching. However, I like this statement of hers. “I know I am not where I need to be, but I thank God I am not where I used to be. I am OK and on my way.” I am leery of those who claim to have all the answers.
By Jonathan on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
I agree that salvation is primarily about restoring relationship as it was intended, not avoiding punishment.
God is holy. Holy, holy, holy. (Isaiah 6:3) His eyes are too pure to look on evil and he cannot tolerate wrong (Hab. 1:13). On the cross, because Jesus took on our sins, he was forsaken by God (Matt 27:46).
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.1 John 1:5-7
By Jonathan on Apr 5, 2007 | Reply
Based on my recent performance, you’d think I’d never used a blockquote before.
By Micky on Apr 6, 2007 | Reply
About 3 years ago I dropped into a black hole – four months of absolute terror. I wanted to end my life, but somehow [Holy Spirit], I reached out to a friend who took me to hospital. I had three visits [hospital] in four months – I actually thought I was in hell. I imagine I was going through some sort of metamorphosis [mental, physical & spiritual]. I had been seeing a therapist [1994] on a regular basis, up until this point in time. I actually thought I would be locked away – but the hospital staff was very supportive [I had no control over my process]. I was released from hospital 16th September 1994, but my fear, pain & shame had only subsided a little. I remember this particular morning waking up [home] & my process would start up again [fear, pain, & shame]. No one could help me, not even my therapist [I was terrified]. I asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on me & forgive me my sins. Slowly, all my fear has dissipated & I believe Jesus delivered me from my “psychological prison.” I am a practicing Catholic & the Holy Spirit is my friend & strength; every day since then has been a joy & blessing. I deserve to go to hell for the life I have led, but Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross, delivered me from my inequities. John 3: 8, John 15: 26, are verses I can relate to, organically. He’s a real person who is with me all the time. I have so much joy & peace in my life, today, after a childhood spent in orphanages [England & Australia]. God LOVES me so much. Fear, pain, & shame, are no longer my constant companions. I just wanted to share my experience with you [Luke 8: 16 – 17].
Peace Be With You
Micky