Q&A - WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "SAVED?" - PART 1

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Q&A – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “SAVED?” - PART 1

John 3:16 For Elohim so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For Elohim sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

This question will take more than one post to answer; so, today, I want to establish the foundation for the answer.  Hopefully, it will only take one more post to answer the question. Of course, the answer will no doubt spin off more questions.  We will deal with them in due course.

Matthew 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

This is the first time the word “saved” appears in the New Testament.  In verses 16-23 of that chapter, Yahushua describes a time when his disciples would be persecuted, tracked down, tried and put to death.  To those who endured to the end, he said they would be “saved.”  This same promise of salvation to those who “endure to the end” is found in Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13. Seminarians would tell you that the “principle of first use” engaged in understanding the meaning of Scripture, would suggest that because of this “first use,” being saved is a condition that can be altered or affected since, at the very least, endurance is necessary to maintain the effect. (There are also four other passages of Scripture recorded after the Book of Acts, that clearly state that the effect of faith in Messiah is conditional upon the disciple’s endurance in one form or another.)

The second time the word “saved” appears in the New Testament is found in this well-known story.

Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, Elohim: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Yahushua said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Yahushua said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23 Then said Yahushua unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Elohim.

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

This story is also recorded in Mark 10:17-26 and Luke 18:18-26.  It is interesting to note that the young man asked what “good thing” he could “do” to have “eternal life.”  When Messiah gave him something to “do,” he was unable to do it.  To that inability, Messiah said that it was difficult for the rich to “enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Finally, the disciples responded to Messiah’s comment by asking, “Who then can be saved?”  

First, this young rich man somehow understood that Yahushua was peddling eternal life; or he would never have come to him to inquire how he could possess it.  Secondly, Messiah associated the eternal life sought by this young man with entering into the kingdom of heaven (a much different thing than “going to heaven when you die”). Finally, the disciples related both of these to being saved.  Note, also, in our opening verses (John 3:16-17), that “eternal life” and being “saved” are linked; though they are not quite to be regarded as synonymous terms.

What was Yahushua actually “peddling?”  What was his message, and the message of his apostles, and the message he commanded to be taught to all of his disciples from the day of Pentecost forward?  It was”

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

(Matthew 4:17)

Tackling the answer to the question, “What does it mean to be saved?” is complicated thanks to the traditions of man, and especially the traditions of the western church, and the churches throughout the world that have been influenced by the western church.  The western world has what I call an empirical mindset.  That means, if something can be reduced to a formula in order to understand it and control it, the western man will do it, and he will do it automatically, because that is his cultural predisposition.  We are taught to think like that from infancy.  The eastern man has no such mindset. An excellent way to explain this is by an illustration I have shared once before in this blog.

100 westerners and 100 easterners were told:  “Cotton does not grow in a cold wet climate.  England has a cold wet climate.  Does cotton grow in England?”  97 westerners answered “No.”  97 easterners answered, “I don’t know.  I have never been to England.”

If you are a westerner, you might instinctively, hopefully silently, have mocked the response of the easterners as being ignorant and naïve. To the westerner, A + B = C. It is a simple formula.  If A is a known condition, and B is a negating condition, then C is the only possible consequence.

Western man studies the Bible and automatically, through no specific fault of his/her own, develops all manner of doctrines based upon A + B = C.  They can’t help it; but it results in erroneous conclusions.  The problem is, they base their hope upon much of their “C’s.”

Salvation is possibly the least understood doctrine of the church.  If you were to ask a dozen professing Christians what it means to be saved, you would likely get at least 5 or 6 different answers; and very possibly all of them would be wrong.  That is because most Christians never read or study the Scriptures to know anything at all based on their own study.  They are content to learn whatever they are to believe by listening to 20-minute sermons on Sunday mornings. Most of those who do actually take the time to read the Scriptures, analyze them based on their intellect and their empirical mindset.

I have listened to far too many Scriptural debates between believers battling each other with their “C’s” instead of what they have received from the voice of the Holy Spirit.  I have participated in quite of few of those debates in years past.  They generally boil down to battles of intellect. Who knows the most Scripture verses that support the variables in their formula to prove their conclusion; and not a revelation of the Spirit.

Many times I have heard Christians approach each other and one ask, “Are you saved, brother?” to give the other one the opportunity to declare his answer in the affirmative; then share a good laugh with each other.  The question, however, seeks an answer based on an empirical understanding of the subject matter.  Is it Scriptural to point to a moment in time when one has been “saved?”  It would seem that it is; but Scripture points not to a moment when one is saved; but the moment in which one begins the journey of salvation.

On the day of Pentecost it was said that IAUE added to the church daily such as “should be saved.”   (Acts 2:47)

Peter, recounting his experience with the household of Cornelius said that Cornelius had been revealed that Peter would come and tell him words, whereby he and his household “shall be saved.” (Acts 11:14)

The Philippian jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved; and Paul said he must believe on the Master Yahushua Messiah to be saved; but then Paul “spoke the word of the Master” to him. We are not told what that word included but we know that after he spoke to him he baptized him and his family. Believing and being baptized are not synonymous.  (Acts 16:30-32)

Romans 5:8  But Elohim commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Romans 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to Elohim by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Romans 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Each of these passages look forward to a salvation that is still before us.  There is an ultimate conclusion to our hope.  There is a future tense to our being saved in which our ultimate salvation will be realized. There is indisputably, an “entry point” at which this journey unto the climax of salvation begins. We would not be called disciples of Yahushua if this were not true; but this is where the empirical mindset poses its biggest problem to understanding this Scriptural question. It does not allow for the consequences of the journey between beginning and ending.

One thing we have not yet done (which seems as though it should have been the first thing to do) is to define our terms.  What are we actually referring to when we say “saved” or “salvation?”  How can we answer our question if we don’t know what we are talking about in the first place?  As obviously critical as that is; it is more important (at least for us westerners) to be made aware of our intellectual conflict with the Scriptures.  In our next post, we will define our terms, deal with the “time” factor (the beginning, the journey and the conclusion), and hopefully discover the answer to the question.