What Does It Mean To Be "Saved?"

Yesterday I wrote about the story of the woman, who honored Jesus by washing his feet; who was labeled a sinner.  Jesus corrected that judgment! 

Today I want to talk a bit more about what it means to be “saved by faith alone.”  Which to me means that faith is our only hope of being with God now and after our physical body leaves us. 

This one theological concept is a well argued. It is historical!  It has been the demise of Christian unity!  It is what originally split the Roman Catholic denomination in two!  And, through history, has been the point of much discussion, sometime quite heated discussion.

And yet it is such a simple thing!  At least to this simple mind!

So the questions I ask are: Can sinners, even huge sinner — whatever that means — be saved?  Or, is there hope for  their salvation?  Are sinners, big and small, able to be forgiven?  Or are we are we forever labeled un-save-able? 

What does it mean “Faith alone?”  What does it mean that we are all justified by “grace through faith” period?

Lets talk about this big word, justification!  

First, what I learned in seminary was that Lutheran scholars throw around BIG words like: justification, salvation, redemption and sanctification in their causal conversations.  It was kind of like people who are name droppers.  It drove me crazy when I first stated classes.  And in my senior year of seminary, when it came time to write my paper for my senior exam, I told my advisor that I would not be using those big word.  That made her very nervous to say the least.  And she advised against that decision.

For the twenty-nine years I have continued to keep my word. I only address them specifically, when questioned.  Mostly in Bible Studies! 

But today I want to rethink my position!  Because I read something, about Paul’s use of justification, that made a great deal of sense for our modern computer age.  And I want to share it with you to see what you think.  

And I quote: “Justification is what a computer’s word processing program does to the margins.  Straightening up the words so they are in the right relationship to the page.

That is what God does for sinners who are out of line.  Messy human lives get straightened out.  Put in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The grace of Jesus Christ makes it all happen…He has straightened out human beings with God and with one another.

For Paul, faith re-centers the mind, heart and spirit so that one operates out of intimacy with Christ.  Christ comes to dwell in the human heart.  And produces a community based not on social distinction, but he love of God. (Feasting On The Word, theological perspective, vol.3 p. 136)

                                                          Unquote

We are saved — safe — not by what we do, don’t do, or say.   Not by how we act!  Not by keeping, or following, all the rules!  We are saved - safe - by our faith.  

Faith alone is our pure hope and the cause of joy!

It is this faith that keeps us on the correct path!  At least most of the time!  Our capacity to love, and to be grateful, is connected to the truth that we have been first given love and acceptance though God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.

The “woman of the village,” I talked about yesterday, acted according to what she had been given.  God’s extravagant love!

Simon and his other dinner guests could only relate to the rules.  They were stuck in law and tradition; and the consequences of breaking one of those laws. And they could not wrap their narrow heads around the truth that God actually came in Jesus skin to reveal another way.  

I read a cool analogy, years ago, about how God forgives.  I will probably not quote correctly, but I hope you get the idea.  It is like God uses a giant eraser and with one simple movement removes all our sins.  Gone with one swipe!  

Bottom line: 

 Sin can always be forgiven.  At least by God!

Faith alone is the key to all forgiveness.