Salvation

The concept of salvation has not been very well defined by today's christian community. When most people hear the question of "Are you Saved?" The response is "Saved from what?" That is a very important question and one that needs to be addressed. The typical answer by my Independent Baptist friends are to take the person down the "Romans Road." So what are we saved from on that route? Saved from Sin. Why Sin? Sin leads to death. We die so what? What is death? Now you have to explain to the prospective convert that death is eternal separation from God. Salvation must now be explained as how to get in a right relationship with God as to not achieve this separation.

With this beginning we must define sin. Defining sin in the christian community can be a sticky Issue. When I took Christian Doctrine course in college, it was defined as falling short of the mark. When I left college I attended a church that told me that sin was the willful disobedience to the known commands of God. Both definitions are good but I believe that the second definition makes one think he is living a sinless life when in fact he is not. But before we saw the law, Romans 2:15 tells us that the Law is written in our hearts.  So I am without excuse even when I don't know the law.

Being saved from sin now has a new meaning. Why must we be saved from our sin? Is it just the separation from God? I say no. Romans 1:18 talks about the wrath of God. John the Baptist asked the Pharisees, "Who warned you to flee the wrath that is to come?"

The problem is not just our own inequities but it is the sin that surrounds us. It is everywhere and it is prominent. When Billy Sunday would preach a revival, it would shut down bars and clubs all over an area. There was genuine repentance. Today, It is almost the Urban Cowboy scenario where you wake from from a hangover at the bar from Saturday night and stagger into a church on Sunday morning.

There is a wrath coming upon America, and the rest of the world. Our job as Christians is 1) Save ourselves from the wrath 2) Rescue individuals from that coming wrath. 3) Save the society from the wrath.

We save ourselves by being about the mission of God. God says occupy until I come. We are not to be selling all our goods, and sitting on a mountain top and waiting for his return. We are to be about God's business.

We are to rescue individuals. God wants us in society dealing with people on in a one on one bases trying to save some. I Cor 9:11.

God wants us to rescue society because he really doesn't want to have to pour out his wrath. I truely believe that the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 turned back the wrath of God. This country was poised for a judgment in 1980 and the prophesy writers were ready to write this country off. It didn't happen. Why? God's people humbled themselves, prayed, sought the face of God and elected a Godly man to be president.

It is now thirty years later. We have the most ungodly leadership this country has seen. We have a congress led by ungodly people. Most of the president's men are ungodly. The president while claiming to be a christian has broken most of if not all of his promises already and is lying about current legislation. God is poised again to judge this country. Will we have a third chance? I don't know. I pray that we do. But in case we don't we need to be about the business of rescuing some.

Katrina, Rita, Ike, 9/11, Oklahoma City have all been warning shots across the bow. Now we are in an Economic crisis. Unemployment is the highest it has eve been since the days of Carter. Walmart has laid off the smiley guy who lowers prices.  If we aren't in a judgment, I don't want to see the real thing.

Our pre-tribulation beliefs don't excuse us from engaging the culture. It should get us about the task of engagement because we have an urgency about the hour. We know that this country's time is short. We know that God has a plan and a purpose for each life. We know that God has a final solution for this ungodly age.

We can still find ourselves with more chance if like in Nineveh, the King and all those that he has control over repents. We will still have those who will weep if that happens. We must get out an save the culture one soul at a time.

So to answer the question of what are we saved from? We are saved from our sins. We do not incur a separation from God through death. We are saved from the wrath that is to come.