“Salvation belongeth to the Lord; thy blessing be upon thy people.“
Psalm 3:8
Pictures of Salvation
- Exodus 14:13
- Deuteronomy 32:15
- Psalm 119:174
- John 4:22
Salvation!?! Saved from what?
A Closer Look
There is more than one way to look at salvation. It’s mostly defined by deliverance from something. Salvation can appear many different ways depending on what is necessary. In a spiritual context, it is an understanding that we don’t have to be dominated by our most base instincts the way animals are. We can choose our pursuits by wisdom and knowledge instead.
Because people are complex and mostly vain, sometimes our pursuits lead us into situations that we cannot manage without help. Quite often, entire groups of people, (i.e. institutions, cities, states, etc.), find themselves in need of supernatural help. As quoted above, salvation belongs to the Lord.
If we look closely, more often than not, we need to be saved from ourselves. Our impatience, shortsightedness, and vanity often lead us to do things that pacify us in the short-term but have undesired consequences in the long term. It takes an energy greater than our own to help us to see ourselves. It is this salvation that is the foundation of the gospel.
Life has its own challenges, but Christ modeled service and love to one another in truth. It is a supernatural stance to pursue the well-being of others as you pursue your own. Often, those greedy for gain that may desire an easier path can’t see their need to be saved from themselves. Sometimes, other people become the collateral damage of another’s ambition and need to be rescued from the trap they’ve been caught in.
With faith, our Father can help us to see how to get out of the things we’ve gotten ourselves into. He can also help us out of those situations that require major intervention like the exodus from Egypt.
“Then the Lord raised up chieftains who delivered them from those who plundered them. But they did not heed their chieftains either; they went astray after other gods and bowed down to them. They were quick to turn aside from the way their fathers had followed in obedience to the commandments of the Lord; they did not do right. When the Lord raised up chieftains for them, the Lord would be with the chieftain and would save them from their enemies during the chieftain’s lifetime; for the Lord would be moved to pity by their moanings because of those who oppressed and crushed them.”
Judges 2:16-18
Salvation:
Digging Deeper
The provision of salvation can come in many forms depending on the need. Our heavenly Father has provided salvation to his people throughout generations, as documented throughout scripture.
One of the primary methods of providing salvation for his people is the gift of those people whose very lives are structured to prepare them for their service to the Father. This usually includes a remembrance of the Father’s ways and a recommitment to follow them in truth.
Consider the scriptures I’ve included on this page. While there are many more like them, these point to the infinite love and wisdom of our Father in providing these servants for our benefit. Recognizing these people can be difficult do due to the fact that their arrival is often during a time of apostasy and chaos.
How jarring must it have been to hear Yeshua tell people that if they didn’t eat his flesh and drink his blood, they could not enter the kingdom of heaven? However, as salvation personified, he was saving the lost house of Israel from the doctrine of the day that was steeped in error. He got their attention!
Who do you follow? Are you confident that you are learning from someone that the Father has chosen? Look at my page on the problem with the Priesthood. We must be careful to own our faith in truth. Asking ourselves some critical questions can really help us to grow. Dig deeper!
“Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be upon your people.”
Psalm 3: 8
“And God observed their deeds, that they sought him with a whole heart, and he raised for them a Teacher of Righteousness to guide them in the way of his heart.”
Dead Sea Scrolls Damascus Document