In our last post, Turning Toward Home, we talked about repentance—the “about-face” of the soul. But what exactly are we turning to? What is the ultimate result of this divine U-turn?
Today, we arrive at the “Big Picture” of our faith. It’s a word we use often in our churches and songs, but its depth is staggering. For We “the Faith People,” this is the anchor of our hope.
To “save” something means to deliver it from danger, distress, or total destruction. To understand salvation, we must first be honest about the danger. Every person born enters a world already fractured by sin. We aren’t just “good people who make mistakes”; we are people facing a dire reality: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without intervention, we await a rightful judgment and a death without hope (Romans 6:23).
But God, in His abounding Love & generous Grace, did not leave us to our own devices. Through the sacrifice of His sinless Son, He paved a way for rebels to be redeemed (Romans 5:6-11; 1 Peter 3:18). This salvation isn’t just a one-time event; it is a three-fold victory over the “three P’s” of sin.
1. Saved from Sin’s Penalty (The Past)
The first and most immediate relief of salvation is that Christ saves us from sin’s penalty. On the cross, Jesus became our substitute, bearing the costly and just judgment we deserved (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of Him, the debt is settled. God promises to remember our sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34) and has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:11-12). The “wages of death” have been paid in full.
2. Saved from Sin’s Power (The Present)
Salvation isn’t just a ticket to heaven for later; it is liberation for right now. Christ’s death didn’t just pay the debt; it broke the chain. We are now saved from sin’s power.
Before Christ, we were slaves to our impulses. Now, through the Holy Spirit, we are reconnected to God and empowered to overcome sinful thoughts and desires (Romans 6:8-14). As Philippians 2:13 reminds us, it is God who works in us to “will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” We still struggle, but we are no longer under sin’s tyranny.
3. Saved from Sin’s Presence (The Future)
Finally, there is a salvation we still anticipate. One day, Jesus will return, and His children will be taken to their eternal home. In that moment, we will be saved even from sin’s presence. The “corruption” of this world will end. We don’t know exactly what we will be, but we know that “when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). No more temptation, no more struggle, no more shadows.
A Call to Spiritual Growth
Salvation is a gift, but it is also a deep well. A believer’s understanding of this beauty grows only as we study the Word and walk with the Lord through the highs and lows of life. Christ has won the victory—the cost is paid, the tyranny is broken, and the corruption will one day vanish.
This week, I challenge you to ask yourself the question posed in Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” Don’t let your salvation become “old news.” Dive into its depth. Meditate on the fact that you are safe, you are empowered, and you are destined for a world without sin.
Reflect: Which of the “three P’s” do you need to focus on today? Are you resting in the settled penalty, walking in the present power, or longing for the future absence of sin’s presence?
Next Step:
We mentioned that salvation empowers us through a specific Person who lives within us. But who is this silent Partner in our sanctification? Join me in the next post as we ask: Who is the Holy Spirit?
So-far in the #WetheFaithPeople Series
- What is the Purpose of my life?
- Who is God?
- What is Creation?
- What is Fall
- What is Sin?
- Who is our Redeemer?
- Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?
- Why must the Redeemer be truly human?
- Why must the Redeemer be truly God?
- Is Jesus the only Savior?
- What is Faith in Jesus Christ?
- Where does faith in Jesus Christ come from?
- What is God’s Love?
- What is Grace?
- What does justification mean?
- What is Repentance?
- What is Salvation? (This blog)
- Who is the Holy Spirit?