About Salvation
Trinity Lutheran Church & School, 1003 S. Maple St., Traverse City, MI 49684 (231) 946-2720|
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About Salvation Trinity Lutheran Church & School, 1003 S. Maple St., Traverse City, MI 49684 (231) 946-2720 |
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| In order to really understand salvation, we need to understand what we are "saved" from. Many people have explanations about what we need salvation from. People teach that we need salvation from injustice, salvation from poverty, salvation from illness, salvation from self-defeating behavior. None of these are really our problem. So what do we need to be saved from? How about a list? There is a lot more to be said about each point. This is intended as a summary. 1. Death "Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14-15). No matter how good or bad a life we live, we are all going to die (Job 30:23). Even though most people live their lives denying the fact, we will all die and everything that we have lived for and worked for will die with us. In the Bible, Solomon lived one of the most successful lives in history and at the end of his life complains that he will die and no one will remember him or what he has done. Therefore his life has been meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2). Jesus has saved us from death, not by teaching us how to avoid it, but by going through death and rising again. He promises that those who have faith in Him will be saved through His grace and power, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26). Because He lives we can have confidence that He will be able to save us eternally as well (Hebrews 7:24-26). One day, everything will be born anew through His power (2 Peter 3:13). As we consider that we will one day die we need not fear (Psalm 23:1-4). We can rejoice with all the people of faith, "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57). And because this is so, our lives and our labor in Christ are not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). | ||
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