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Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 3/7/2008 10:16:37 PM
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Concerto
Posts: 203
Joined: 10/20/2006
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It is amazing the diversity of statements about how one becomes saved.
Flip the channel on "Christian" tv stations, you will get slightly different answers.
Next, turn on the radio and start listening to preachers. There you will get even more diverse answers. On top of all that, everyone is convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are all correct in their thinking.
Even here, you will get responses with Bible verses left and right, everyone convinced that their perspective, their understanding, their interpretation of what is needed to be saved, is THE correct way.
Go to different churches, you'll get different answers, some slightly different, some major differences.
All of this can be quite confusing..for the believer and non-believer alike.
With all of this diversity, how can anyone declare that he or she has provided a definitive definition?
C
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 3/9/2008 12:59:02 AM
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heavensmailman
Posts: 97
Joined: 2/23/2008
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Accept, believe, and obey EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God. His word can be mis-transleted, mis-used, or mis-understood but never changed. Since God is all knowing, all understanding, and does not lie; He is the only one I listen to. Ask with a humble heart and he will teach you his truth. I don't talk, I listen as a child would listen to their teacher. I don't understand some, but I do believe every word. No man can preach me into heaven, I must accept, believe and obey His EVERY word. Peace
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 3/23/2008 7:00:06 PM
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Doghouse
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I hear the same things when I get stuck on the road and flip around to the country pastors on the AM and FM radio channels. People don't seem to get that the root of "salvation" is "salv-" - as in "to heal".
Healed from what? The wages of our humanity, of course.
It seems people cannot divorce "salv-" from "save" and tend to use these terms interchangably. They are not - they are different aspects of the results of participating in faith. "Saved from" and "healed for" are the two applicable terms in my mind. Saved from the results of sin and and healed for being fit to spend an eternity in the loving presence of God.
Anything else is just snake oil.
_____________________________
John 14 - "Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves...whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father."
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 3/23/2008 8:59:52 PM
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GraceBro
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The bottom line is that not everybody can be correct, but they can all be incorrect. You have to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. Most of Christianity, from my experience, is simply repeating something they've heard from a pastor or religion. And unless one rightly divides scripture and is taught the meaning from God Himself you will get the varying "definitions" of salvation.
For the record, salvation is the restoration of life.
God breathed His life into Adam when He formed Him. However, God removed His life from Adam after the Fall. Therefore, all mankind comes into the world spiritually dead to God in our sins. Before God could restore His life to us He had to deal with what caused that life to leave in the first place, sin. Jesus, the only person who had a life to give as payment for our sins, died on the cross to satisfy God. Thus, clearing the way for God to offer His life, as a free gift, to anyone who would receive it through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel: sin, death, forgiveness, restoration of life!
Grace and Peace
< Message edited by GraceBro -- 3/23/2008 9:07:27 PM >
_____________________________
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GraceRest/
www.livinggodministries.net
http://360.yahoo.com/idog96
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 3/24/2008 9:35:58 PM
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Dr.Luke
Posts: 4
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Very true, Concerto!
Everyone has its own definition of salvation, and it seems that everyone has his own way too. However, the Bible suggests only one way for us to be saved. Check out the Gospels and the book of Acts, and be very vigilant of the Apostles' actions. This might give you a hint on what they preached and did in those days that saved the saints and called unbelievers to rush into their churches.
I think one of the most important things to consider in the salvation issue is the EXPERIENCE of the believer. It should not be simply uttering words like 'I accept' and by 'work-less' faith conclude that one is already saved. There should be an Experience that binds God and the believer together. Check out the book of Acts to see how are things with the believers in their time. It should also be with us in our time.
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 4/2/2008 8:22:03 PM
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URForgiven
Posts: 365
Joined: 3/22/2008
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As Gracebro has stated Salvation is the restoration of the Spirit of God in man. Gods Spirit is the Spirit of life, eternal life. When we accept Christ we receive Him, and in Him is eternal life.
The wages of sin is death. The only thing a dead person needs is life. This is what separates Christianity from all religions...Christianity alone offers the solution for mans true problem, that of being dead and in need of life.
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 4/3/2008 3:20:09 PM
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GrahamCracker
Posts: 2322
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Dallas, TX
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Concerto
It is amazing the diversity of statements about how one becomes saved.
Flip the channel on "Christian" tv stations, you will get slightly different answers.
Next, turn on the radio and start listening to preachers. There you will get even more diverse answers. On top of all that, everyone is convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are all correct in their thinking.
Even here, you will get responses with Bible verses left and right, everyone convinced that their perspective, their understanding, their interpretation of what is needed to be saved, is THE correct way.
Go to different churches, you'll get different answers, some slightly different, some major differences.
All of this can be quite confusing..for the believer and non-believer alike.
With all of this diversity, how can anyone declare that he or she has provided a definitive definition?
C
The term "save" can be used in a variety of contexts and with more than one meaning. Take for example the old graffiti joke, someone writes--"Jesus saves" on the side of a building. And some smart aleck added "green stamps." It might be sacrilegious to do that but it takes advantage of the obscurities of language. It is a valid joke.
Some one here said that it means: "heal." It can but does not necessarily mean that but it can in some places. Bible scholars use Greek lexicons to clarify the differences in meaning that we often have. The English definition in religious circles has a lot of baggage that confuses us.
Theologians usually refer to the common religious meaning as "eschatological salvation." It means saving from sin and eternal judgment in the context of our eternal destination.
_____________________________
Larry
Why is it when we talk to God we're said to be praying -
but when God talks to us, we're schizophrenic.----Lily Tomlin
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 4/19/2008 3:39:25 PM
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terryjohn
Posts: 366
Joined: 3/23/2007
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Why do men want to be saved? If it is simply to escape the wrath of God to come then we must suspect false motives. That is would we be interested in God if He didn't bride us with great riches or threaten us with great punishments? The last thing God needs is heaven to be filled with millions of us saying, I am only here for either what I can get or simply because I didn't want to go to the other place.
Salvation must involve a love for God and a transformation. It involves a desire and thirst for the things of God. Now the fact that Christ in the end may say, begone you workers of evil I never knew you, suggests that we may be fooling ourselves if we do not kow God. Unfortunately, even today a man can be stoned for saying he does.
Salvation is about restoration that gives real life here and now and yes leads to ultimately being with God but if our faith is spent with our eyes on the reward and not on Christ we miss the whole point. The fact is many now do not want to live for ever and the question never was meant to be that. Instead it was, Do we want to know God and His Love and righteouness? In effect, Do you want to be like Christ?
In the end, we don't have a religion or follow its laws or commands written in stone, for we now have a relationship and are simply and effectively bound only by the demands of love.
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RE: Salvation...everyone has a definition... - 4/19/2008 9:43:32 PM
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Heavendweller
Posts: 393
Joined: 12/22/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Concerto
It is amazing the diversity of statements about how one becomes saved.
Flip the channel on "Christian" tv stations, you will get slightly different answers.
Next, turn on the radio and start listening to preachers. There you will get even more diverse answers. On top of all that, everyone is convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are all correct in their thinking.
Even here, you will get responses with Bible verses left and right, everyone convinced that their perspective, their understanding, their interpretation of what is needed to be saved, is THE correct way.
Go to different churches, you'll get different answers, some slightly different, some major differences.
All of this can be quite confusing..for the believer and non-believer alike.
With all of this diversity, how can anyone declare that he or she has provided a definitive definition?
I hear ya Concerto. You echo my sentiments completely. A while back I came on Crosswalk to get some hard answers for some difficult questions. Instead of finding answers, only more question arose.
The diversity of opinions, the opposing answers to serious doctrinal questions, the contention, strife, and controversy between believers has been astounding. Why so little consensus on a faith that has been around for 2,000 years? Look on most any thread, and one can discover that there are disagreements on just about everything. And all while claiming the scriptures to be their sole guide.
HD
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