Salvation

Salvation

I have already used the word salvation in previous posts. Because I have not defined it, you have probably read it with your own ideas in mind. The Greek word that is translated as “salvation” is soteria. This word has a broad range of meaning, both spiritual and material. It can mean deliverance from harm, restoration of soundness to the body (healing), preservation of life. These more physical concerns extend into spiritual concerns (deliverance from sin, healing of spirit, life after death).

Many people probably think of salvation almost exclusively as life after death, especially as going to heaven instead of going to hell. Exclusive focus on this understanding came under significant criticism in the latter half of the 20th century. The “pie in the sky” sentiment that assured people their suffering in this life would be rewarded in the next led people away from actually improving the material and systemic conditions which caused the suffering. Liberation theologians took up the cause of thinking about what Christian faith ought to say and do in light of the genuine suffering of oppressed people and communities in this life. This approach to theology recognizes the broader view of soteria that was often lost as the word was spiritualized. The recovery of this concern is a great contribution to theology. Liberation theology is usually undertaken from a particular perspective for the needs of a particular community (Latino/a, Black, LGBTQ+, disability, etc.). The genesis of liberation theology is traced back to Gustavo Gutiérrez’ book A Theology of Liberation.

Christians hope for resurrection and eternal life. In these words lies hope for life after death. As hopeful as these ideas are, they are not as easily understood as may be assumed. It is important to note that there is a distinction between the two ways Christians express hope for life after death. Resurrection and eternal life are not alternate words for the same thing.They each have their own background and meaning. Resurrection is an idea that incorporates some kind of bodily existence. When we die, we are truly dead, but we are brought back into existence by God with a spiritual body appropriate to our new life. Eternal life is often thought to be ongoing existence, related to the idea of the immortality of the soul. Many, though, will point out it refers to quality of life, not primarily quantity of life, so eternal life is something we may experience now, not only after death. In whatever way we may be saved after we die, it is possible and important to affirm salvation now. Saving faith (trust in God’s love) brings us into the wholeness God intends for us.

After the Reformation, Protestant theologians who studied the Bible with intense scrutiny noticed the tension between resurrection (reconstituted for a new life) and eternal life (as immortality of the soul). They tried to reconcile these views by saying when we die our immortal soul will receive a taste of either the heaven or the hell that is to come, but the fullness of that destiny awaits the resurrection which will take place on the last day. I do not often hear this view expressed at funerals or in conversation. I mention this view because it demonstrates how commonly held ideas about life after death may not be as clearly formed by biblical ideas as we assume. Rather than trying to get a clear and detailed picture by speculating about what will happen, I have found it more helpful to simply trust in the goodness of God. The good God who created us would know what our ultimate destiny should be and whatever that destiny is would be good and right. I can trust in that even if I don’t know what will actually happen. My confidence is in God rather than in any particular outcome after death.

The idea of being saved from something, for instance the need to be saved from traditional fears (often named by theologians as death, sin, or the devil) has been a longstanding concern for Christians and perhaps the only concern many think about. Salvation from something is only one dimension of salvation. Less attention is commonly given to being saved for something, but it is also important. We can be saved for a purpose, that is, to live the life God intended and to be fulfilled by that, to share this possibility with others so that they may know fullness of life, and to serve God in the world and not just wait to praise God in heaven.

The founding theologian of my tradition (John Wesley) gave a lot of attention to what we are saved for. His theology is grounded in what we were created for in the first place–to love God above all else and to love our neighbor as ourself. This is our purpose because we are created in the image of God. God is love, so our lives are intended to be love. He took seriously though, what has gone wrong in human life: we do not live as God intended us to live, and this is the result of original/inbeing sin (see post on the Human Problem).

John Wesley used Paul’s language of both justification and sanctification to address both salvation from and salvation for. To be justified is to be forgiven, that is, to be saved from the penalty of sin. But sanctification follows justification, we are saved for the life of love that God intended us to have. Our forgiveness frees us to be actively involved in our healing. Healing comes from God, but we can be good patients to participate in that healing work (the way a patient does physical therapy exercise to regain strength and agility). We can become more and more loving as we open ourselves to God’s transformation and participate in the work God gives us to show love to others. With this distinction, Wesley could shift the focus from simply having been saved (as an over and done change of destiny from hell to heaven) to being saved (the continual work of God in our lives).