Some time ago, I stood in silence, almost overwhelmed by an eerie feeling that was occasionally interrupted by the voices of visitors. I was at Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp in Germany. Over the gate were the words ARBEIT MACHT FREI, or “Work makes you free.” This lie is woven into the fabric of false teachings and religions that emphasize a self-centered life that does not depend on God for salvation (cf. Gen. 3:1-19).1 Some religions teach that salvation from sin or evil is found in an endless cycle of karma or reincarnation. The belief is that the quality of your life when you are reincarnated depends on how good you are in your present life.
The futility of trying to achieve salvation through these false religions stands in stark contrast to the teachings of the Bible. The Bible is a record of how God has revealed Himself in history. History is the theater where the story of salvation unfolds. God speaks to us not only in history, as recorded in the Bible, but also in action and through the outworking of a story of relationships. The apex of this relationship with God is salvific. God saves through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The redemptive acts of God for us are past, present, and future realities.
I. PAST SALVATION
A. “He has saved us and called us to a holy life” (2 Tim. 1:9). “Thy faith hath saved thee” (Luke 7:50). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Eph. 2:8). Many Bible references speak of salvation in the past tense.
B. The idea of salvation in the “past” refers to our being set free from the “penalty” of sin. By His death, Jesus paid a ransom for our release (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; Heb. 9:15). He died on our behalf as our Substitute (Isa. 53:4-8; Rom. 5:8).
C. Adventists believe that “the death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. . . . And for those who accept this gift, the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death.”2
II. PRESENT SALVATION
A. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18, emphasis added). “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47, emphasis added).
B. The death of Christ “frees” the sinner (Eph. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:18), “redeems” (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12, 15), “justifies” (Rom. 5:9), “cleanses” (Heb. 9:14), “sanctifies” (Heb. 10:29; 13:12), and enables “victory” (Rev. 12:11).
C. Ellen G. White stressed that “sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime. . . . So long as Satan reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which we can reach and say, ‘I have fully attained.’”3
III. FUTURE SALVATION
A. “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Rom. 5:9). “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (8:23).
B. “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, in just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay” (Heb. 10:36, 37).
C. Future salvation in the ultimate sense will be realized at glorification. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17; cf. 1 Cor. 15:52-56).
The story of salvation is not dry or lifeless; it is an electrifying portrayal of a loving God seeking and saving the lost. The psalmist, reflecting on God’s salvific acts in history, proclaims, “We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the people and made our ancestors flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. . . . In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever” (Ps. 44:1-8).
The cross of Christ plays the pivotal role in our salvation. On Calvary, Jesus paid the ultimate price. Our work and all our efforts do not make us free. There is nothing we can do to earn or pay for salvation. “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Rom. 1:17). Today, through faith, we can enjoy salvation. Jesus can empower us with a vibrant Christian experience of victory in Him. And one day soon, He is coming to take us away from this sin-sick world. This great story, from beginning to end, is filled with the grace and presence of God. Amazing grace!
1 Scriptural references in this article are taken from the New International Version of the Bible.
2 Seventh-day Adventists Fundamental Belief, number 9.
3 Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, 561, 562.
Limoni Manu O’Uiha, Ph.D., is an associate pastor at the Palmerston North Seventhday Adventist Church in New Zealand.
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