Are You Being Saved?

Christianity has a lot of loaded words, especially in the West.  Rachel Held Evans has written extensively on how loaded the word "evangelical" is, for example.  Another word that has a variety of connotations, some of them rather negative, is "salvation" or "saved".  As in, "Have you been saved?"  

Last week in EfM (Education for Ministry, a wonderful program that's often called "seminary for lay people" in our church), I had a reading about the different ideas of what salvation means in Christianity.  There were two sentences in particular that really blew my mind:

"The root meaning of the word salvation is health."

"It is a striking fact about Christianity that, in its mainstream forms, it has never officially defined one doctrine of salvation."

~ David F. Ford, Theology: A Very Short Introduction

So let's start with the first sentence.  The root of "salvation" is "health".  Imagine that being asked if you are "saved" means: "is your soul in good health?"  Imagine a definition of salvation that is about the holistic health of one's spirit instead of "fire insurance".  Maybe it's not that much of a stretch to some people, but if you grew up in a tradition that emphasizes "being saved" as "saved from damnation", then this can really shift one's paradigm.  

I decided to look at what the Greek word for salvation is, using Luke 19:9 - "...Today salvation has come to this house...".  The word in Greek is σωτηρία ("sotiria").  Here are the definitions:

1) deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation

2) salvation as the present possession of all true Christians

3) future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.

"Walking on Water" by Alexander Ivanov, 1855

There's a present and a future dimension to "salvation".  Much like the Kingdom of God, which is "already and not yet" here.  It is both within us now, and coming in the future when Christ returns.  Maybe the misunderstanding about salvation has to do with misunderstanding what Jesus means when he talks about the Kingdom of God.  It's the perfect reign of God that is breaking in to our world now, and we have parts to play in helping that to happen.  That's the "good news", not "you better say you believe in me or you'll burn in Hell."  But then again, the confusion may also be due to the fact that, according to Ford, mainstream Christianity has never narrowed down "salvation" to one meaning.  Like most other things in life and in faith, it's far more complicated than that.

The above picture is from a "Chick tract" (google Chick publications if you want to see more, I don't want to link to this madness on my blog).  You've probably seen these in parking lots or laying on shelves at Walmart, or stuck into occult books at the bookstore.  My youngest sister got one while trick or treating this Halloween.  These cheesy mini comic books are all about being "saved" in the sense that I think many of us have come to recognize that word in "Christianese".  They usually end with a little checklist:

"Do you admit that you are a sinner? Yes []  No []

Do you believe Jesus died to pay for your sins?  Yes []  No []

Did you ask him to forgive you and come into your heart?  Yes []  No []

If you did, remember this date."

Presumably, this date is the date that you "got saved".  Many churches seem to teach the idea that being saved is a "one and done" thing.  You have this passionate, on-fire-with-the-Spirit moment of feeling Jesus in your heart, and boom! Saved.  I'm sure I could write several blog posts on why I don't buy into this theology, but I'll spare you and just say this:  I don't think being saved happens once.  I think it happens over and over again.

Look at Peter, for example.  There's the time Jesus first called him to follow him, after the massive catch of fish on the sea of Galilee.  Peter says "Go away from me, I am a sinful man!" but Jesus calls him anyway.  Look at the time he tries to walk on water out to Jesus, only to begin to have fear and doubt and sink into the waves.  Jesus saves him.  Look at how he betrayed Jesus three times, only to be given a chance after the resurrection to prove his love again.  Which time was he saved?  All of them.  

Maybe being saved means reaching out to God no matter how many times you've fallen into despair and doubt.  Being saved could mean God's hands reaching out in love when God sees us on our way back home, like the father of the prodigal son.  Being saved could mean being liberated, like the Israelites making their exodus out of Egypt.  Ultimately, it's good news coming from a God that is all goodness.  I don't believe a truly good God would create the kind of system that you see in Chick tracts, where you have to check the correct boxes to avoid eternal torment.  

"Salvation Mountain", sculpture by Leonard Knight in Niland, California

Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  ~ The Book of Common Prayer (228-9)