| Christian Life and Doctrine | June 1951 |
The “Great Salvation”
“By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” —Ephesians 2:8
OCCASIONALLY one hears the question asked, “Are you saved?” The chances are that the one asking this question has no clear idea of what is involved scripturally in being “saved.” He would probably have in mind the very unscriptural idea of being rescued from hell-fire. But regardless of the misunderstanding which exists on this subject, it is one about which a great deal is said in the Word of God; and, as well expressed by the poet, the word “salvation,” when its implications are understood and appreciated, is indeed a “joyful sound.”
Salvation means to be saved from death; but in view of the gross misunderstanding of the plans and purposes of God, this is rather an oversimplification of the subject. For example, what is death, and how is anyone saved from it? Is salvation a present heritage of believers, or is it a future state of bliss? The answers to these questions help to give us a better understanding of what it really means to be saved, and of just how the grace of God operates to bring to us this great gift of his love.
It is because man is dying that he needs to be saved, and death entered into the world when our first parents transgressed the divine law—“In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17) The New Testament agrees with this. Paul writes: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”—Rom. 5:12
It is important to keep this simple fact clearly in mind. If we distort the meaning of the Scriptures at their fountain source by the erroneous claim that death is not death, but separation from God, and that those who are separated from God by sin will be eternally tortured, then the whole subject of salvation becomes one of confusion and error.
God created man to live—to live on the earth as a human being. Every necessary provision was made by the Creator in order that his human creatures might enjoy a continuance of life on the earth. It was only necessary that they obey his law. The warning was given that disobedience would result in death—the loss of life. There is no mystery to this—nothing that calls for interpretation. The result of disobedience has been manifested throughout all the ages since, for man has continued to die, and the reign of sin and death still exists.
Love Found a Way
Adam was justly condemned to death. There was no requirement on God’s part that anything be done to set aside the penalty or to hinder the operation of the divine principle which had decreed that the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23) However, God’s grace, his love, made a provision whereby the sinful race would not have to remain dead eternally. This provision was Christ, who came to redeem the fallen race, to die the “Just for the unjust.” (I Pet. 3:18) So Jesus explained the purpose of his mission to earth, saying that he came “to seek and to save that which was lost.”—Luke 19:10
Salvation, then, is provided by the grace of God—“By grace are ye saved.” “We have redemption through his blood,” Paul writes, “the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Eph. 1:7) In his letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle writes that God “hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.” (II Thess. 2:16) Paul writes to Titus that we are “justified by his grace.”—Titus 3:7
One reason God gave his Law to Israel was to demonstrate that man could not extricate himself from the result of his own sin. The apostle tells us that “death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.” (Rom. 5:14) Adam sinned willfully, and the penalty of death was inflicted directly upon him. But his children were born in sin, and while they came under condemnation with Adam, they were not so directly involved in the guilt as he.
But why did Paul say that this was true “from Adam to Moses”? Simply because, through Moses, God gave Israel his Law and told them that by keeping that Law they could live. In other words, it gave them an opportunity to be released from the original condemnation. In this respect they were placed in the same position as Adam. But like Adam they failed. The Law which was’ ordained to give life brought death instead, thus demonstrating that no member of the fallen and sinful race could by his own righteousness prove worthy of salvation.
There was no other way, then, for salvation to come to mankind except as a provision of divine grace. And it was in order that mankind might not perish forever that God’s abounding grace provided a Redeemer, even his beloved Son. The coming of Jesus to die the Just for the unjust was an evidence that the Creator had not turned his back upon his human creation, that he still loved human beings, and had found a way whereby he could be just in demanding the death penalty for sin, yet justify those who would accept the provisions of his grace through Christ.
“Through Faith”
God bestows some of his blessings upon mankind irrespective of their attitude, and whether or not they are worthy or unworthy. He causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust alike. But this is not true with respect to salvation. His grace has provided a universal opportunity for salvation, but only those who accept it on God’s terms will be benefited by this manifestation of his grace. So the apostle wrote, “By grace are ye saved through faith.”
How beautifully this harmonizes with the great truth expressed in John 3:16—“Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” No one can enjoy the blessings of God unless he has faith in him and in his promises. To a large extent lack of faith is responsible for all that is wrong in the world. Those who have full confidence in God are glad to accept his will as their rule of life. Those who do not have such confidence imagine that their own ways are better than his, and thus they drift away from him and into the paths of sin.
Because of the blinding influences of Satan, the vast majority of mankind have no faith in God, and even when told of his grace through Christ, cannot believe it to be anything other than a pleasant tale. They have no confidence, no faith, no belief in God, hence there is no basis upon which God can deal with them; so his grace which provided salvation is of no avail to them.
“The just shall live by his faith,” wrote the Prophet Habakkuk, and he prefaced this statement by a reference to a person whose “soul is lifted up,” and therefore “is not upright in him.” (Hab. 2:4) Faith in God and in God’s ways implies humility and an understanding of one’s own undone condition. One who exalts himself is not truly “upright,” except in his own eyes. His righteousness is as “filthy rags” in the sight of God.—Isa. 64:6
In Romans 1:17 Paul quotes Habakkuk’s statement, and applies it to our belief in the “Gospel of Christ,” which “is the power of God unto salvation.” (Rom. 1:16) It is also quoted in Hebrews 10:38, and the apostle adds that the Lord has no pleasure in those who draw back; that is, in those who, by losing their faith in him and in the glorious provision of his grace, fail to continue their obedience to him and his will.
In Romans 3:23-25 Paul again emphasizes the vital necessity of faith in the acceptance of God’s grace. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” he explains. Then he adds that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.” All boasting of our own good works “is excluded” by this arrangement, the apostle declares. The “law of works” failed to bring salvation, and we can be saved only by the “law of faith.”—Rom. 3:27
And the faith which saves us through the grace of God must be a living, working faith. “Faith without works is dead,” James tells us. (James 2:17,20,26) This means that a belief in Christ which makes the merit of his blood acceptable for our salvation is one which is demonstrated by a full surrender of ourselves to the Lord and a devoted effort to do his will. It would be meaningless to profess faith in Christ while failing to conform our lives to the pattern he has set for us.
Justified by Faith
We have seen that salvation means to be rescued from death. Since all believers in Christ die in seemingly the same manner as the remainder of mankind, just how can they be said to be saved? A failure to discern the proper answer to this question has led to much confusion. One erroneous conclusion has been that since believers die as do others it must be that the salvation offered in the Scriptures pertains to a special state of bliss after death, and that a failure to be saved before death results in an eternity of torture.
But this is all wrong! There will come a time—during the thousand years of Christ’s reign—when believers will not die, when faith in Christ will result in the renewing of youth; yes, in eternal youth and happiness as human beings right here on earth. This is the provision of God’s grace for the vast majority of the human race, and it was to guarantee this opportunity to all that Christ died.
But prior to the “due time” for this blessing to be offered to the world another feature of the divine plan is being accomplished. It is the selection of a “people for his name.” (Acts 15:14) This “people” is variously described in the Scriptures as the “church” of Christ; the “body” of Christ; the “bride” of Christ, etc. There is offered to these the glorious prospect of sharing a heavenly home with Christ, and reigning with him in his kingdom.
However, this offer has a condition attached to it—those who reign with Christ must first suffer with him, and those who live with him must first die with him. (Rom. 8:17; II Tim. 2:11,12) So they are invited to follow in his footsteps, and to be “planted together in. the likeness of his death.” (Rom. 6:5,8) These are urged to present their bodies “a living sacrifice,” and are assured that if they do so, their offering will be “holy” and therefore “acceptable” to God.—Rom. 12:1
The question naturally arises as to how members of the fallen and dying race can offer themselves in acceptable sacrifice to God. We know that Jesus died sacrificially, not as a condemned sinner, but how could we be “planted together in the likeness of his death”? The answer to these questions is in the fact that believers in Christ receive what the Scriptures describe as justification by faith. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—Rom. 5:1
The world is alienated from God through wicked works, but the believer has been brought nigh to him by the blood of Christ. He is at peace with God, and no longer under condemnation. By faith he has received the salvation provided by the blood of Christ, and God looks upon him as though he had already been restored to perfection, just as all mankind will be restored by the close of the “times of restitution of all things.”—Acts 3:21
But there is only one reason this standing of faith is granted to believers during the present age. It is that they might offer themselves in acceptable sacrifice to God. By faith they have been made alive by the blood of Christ, but their life is returned to God in sacrifice. Paul speaks of this as a “reckoned” matter. (Rom. 6:11) Actually, as the world views the Christian, he is dying just like everyone else. But as God views him, and as the Christian “reckons” it, he is dying with Christ, laying down his life in sacrifice; being “crucified with Christ.”—Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; 5:24; 6:14
The “Great Salvation”
The prize which’ is offered to those who walk in the narrow way of sacrifice with Jesus, and who are faithful even unto death, is described as the “great salvation,” which, as the apostle says, “began to be spoken by our Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” (Heb. 2:3) This “great salvation” is much more than being restored to perfect human life on the earth. It is “glory and honor and immortality.” (Rom. 2:7) It is the “divine nature.” (II Pet. 1:4) It is being made like Jesus and seeing him as he is. (I John 3:1-3) It is sitting with Jesus in his throne. (Rev. 3:21) It is having “power over the nations.” (Rev. 2:26) It is participating in the “first resurrection” to live and reign with Christ. (Rev. 20:4,6) It is being with Jesus and sharing the “place” which he promised to prepare.—John 14:2
Again we are reminded of God’s grace. It was his grace that made provision for the “great salvation” to become the possession of those who suffer and die with Christ. And by his arrangement his grace operates through the same channel to provide this “great salvation” as it does to provide human salvation from death for all mankind, and that is through the redemptive work of Christ, which we accept upon the basis of a faith which manifests itself in a full consecration to do his will.
Is our faith equal to the test which this marvelous offer puts upon it? There may be a certain satisfaction, even a measure of blessing, derived from saying to ourselves and to others that we believe the plan of God, and are glad that Jesus died for us; but has our faith led us to go all the way in laying hold of this provision of divine grace? Have we taken Jesus into our hearts, and made his example the rule of our lives? Have we taken up our cross to follow him? If we have, then by faith the hope of the “great salvation” is our hope; and if we are faithful unto death in laying down our lives in sacrifice, this glorious hope will be translated into reality. Then “this mortal shall have put on immortality.”—I Cor. 15:54
When this hope of the “great salvation” has matured into reality for all who are striving for it, “then,” the apostle explains, “shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (I Cor. 15:54,55) The “saying,” “Death is swallowed up in victory,” is recorded in Isaiah 25:8. It is part of a wonderful prophecy concerning the blessings of life which will come to the world of mankind during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom. In this prophecy the people are represented as saying, “Lo, this is our God; … we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”—Isa. 25:9
Yes, “salvation,” through Christ, is yet to become the heritage of all mankind—salvation to life as human beings. But this must wait, Paul indicates, until those of the Gospel age, who are by faith striving for glory, honor, and immortality, have actually attained their “great salvation.” Then, and not before, will the general salvation of the world become a reality. Not until then will the many promises of “restitution” be fulfilled.
“It Is the Gift of God”
After telling us that we are saved by God’s grace, through faith, the apostle adds that it is not of ourselves, but is the “gift of Cod.” When we consider the heights of glory to which the promises of God encourage us to aspire, it would be futile to think that we could attain such heights by our own righteousness, or strength, or worthiness. Surely we are not “sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” (II Cor. 3:5) It is only “by him,” that is by and through Christ, that we are able to offer sacrifice to God which is acceptable, and in return become partakers of the divine nature.
It is all by God’s grace, and God’s grace is manifested to us through the gift of his beloved Son, while we, in turn, lay hold upon this wonderful gift, accepting it from God through our faith. God gave his Son, and those who believe receive life—in this age, a life which they can offer in acceptable sacrifice to God, and in the resurrection, immortality; and those who believe in the age to come, perfect, unending, human life.
To the woman of Samaria Jesus said, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” And again, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”—John 4:10,14
“If thou knewest the gift of God.” Yes, Jesus is God’s great gift, the gift which manifests his unmerited grace, or favor, which through faith results in our salvation. It is true, of course, that everything we possess is ours by the grace of God, and this includes our faith. “All men have not faith,” the apostle writes. (II Thess. 3:2) Some have a little faith, and some have sufficient to lay hold upon the promises of God, accept the terms of the “great salvation,” and run diligently for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
If we have such a faith, let us rejoice, and let us endeavor to have it increased through prayer and active use. The disciples prayed that their faith might be increased, and we should do the same. Besides, as we become better acquainted with the plan of God its glorious beauty cannot help but increase our faith! As we note the providences of God in our lives, our faith will also be increased.
But happy are we if to begin with, our faith has been able to recognize and accept the “gift of God,” even Jesus—accept him, that is, as our personal Savior, and to drink of the water of life which he has provided for all who come to God through him. If we have partaken of this life-giving water, it should, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman, be in us as a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The implication here is that one of the evidences of having received life from Christ will be our overflowing with the life-giving message to others. Do we have this evidence? Is the water of life overflowing from our hearts to others? Christians are not to be like sponges which merely soak up water, but as wells which overflow for the refreshment and blessing of others. And this will be our experience if Jesus has truly given us the water of life to drink.
“Wells of Salvation”
It is a blessed thought to realize that the water of life which springs up in the Christian even now like “a well” is to continue flowing yet more abundantly in the age to come. Our work is not limited to this present time of sacrifice and suffering. We are being prepared to be the channels of blessing to the world in the next age. To reign with Christ will mean that we will share with him in the work of offering salvation to all mankind.
In one of the prophecies which refers to this future privilege of those who live and reign with Christ, they are represented as “wells of salvation.” Every Christian, to the extent that he is faithful in the use of his opportunities of making known the glad tidings, is a well of salvation, because the truth, when proclaimed, offers the “great salvation” to those who have hearing ears. But how much more true this will be in the age to come!
“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation,” says the prophet. (Isa. 12:3) The restored’ people of natural Israel will be among the first to have this opportunity, but eventually all mankind will be given the privilege of partaking of the water of life made available through Christ and his church. This opportunity for salvation will be given to all the people of the earth, and what a day of gladness it will be! The prophet continues:
“And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.”—Isa. 12:4,5
Truly “he hath done excellent things.” (Isa. 12:5) His abounding grace through Christ has provided salvation for both the church and the world. How can we keep from singing!