|
The Truth about Jesus and Soteriology
Jesus Saves |
|
By the Late Dr. Kenneth E. Jones |
|
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are . . . . Beloved, we are God’s children now. 1 John 3:1a, 2a
What do we mean by such terms as “salvation,” “conversion,” “adoption” and “being born again? Why is this so important? Is it necessary for everybody, or only for the wicked people of the world?
Salvation from sin is the result of the marvelous love of God. No one can justify oneself in the eyes of God; the only hope of salvation is to trust in God’s grace and mercy.
There are a variety of words used in the New Testament which express what happens to a person who is converted.
Save (sozo—99 times in the NT). This familiar word is usually translated “save,” though it can mean heal. An interesting thing about this word is that only once in the New Testament is it used with “sin,” though that is the implicit meaning in most cases. “He shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21); “Be saved from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40); “Saved through him from wrath” (Rom. 5:9). But it is usually used absolutely, with no statement of that from which one is saved or delivered.
Lutrosis and apolutrosis (22 times in NT). “Redemption” (1 Pet. 1:18). Represented by two words, one of which means the buying back of a person, and the other means the price of the purchase.
The meaning of this important word is not fully comprehended by a study of its etymology. Neither is its original meaning to be taken literally. There is something wrong with saying that if Jesus paid the price of our salvation, then we need to know to whom the price was paid. The Biblical emphasis of this word is on our deliverance from sin, not on any “deal” with the devil or with God.
The price Jesus paid for our salvation was His death on the cross. He substituted His own death for ours, so that we do not need to die for our sins, as we richly deserved. He died for us, in our stead, and for our sake. The substitutionary aspect of Jesus’ death for our redemption or ransom is clear in Scripture (Mark 10:45; Matt. 25:47-48; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14). These texts echo Isaiah 53:1-10, which so beautifully depicts the way He died for us, in our place.
When Jesus died for our redemption, Paul states that, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Yet Jesus did not become sinful, as a casual reading has led some to suppose. The word for “sin” is sometimes used for “sin-offering” as is the Hebrew word in Isaiah 53:6, 9. So Christ’s death was a sin-offering for us (Rom. 8:3; Heb. 7:27; 9:12; Jas. 1:29).
Apheimi (send away) and charizomai (forgiving by grace), apoluo (66 times). The first means sending away the sin and its memory. The second means “being gracious” about the sin. The third means “to cut loose and send away,” or to pardon. The first and third words are applied to our sins, which are “sent away.” The second word is applied to us so God is gracious to us in spite of our sins, and forgives. By grace we are saved (Eph. 2:5, 8).
Three things need to be said about the forgiveness of sins by God. First, there is no bargaining for God’s forgiveness, as there is in almost all other religions. The forgiveness comes to us by the grace of God, not by our earning it [or] working for it. God forgives us because of His grace and mercy, not because of anything we do to please God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Second, when God forgives, He gives power to overcome sin. He does not intend for us to go on sinning so long as we live, but by His grace we are able to overcome the power of sin and temptation. Third, God’s forgiveness is not merely overlooking or ignoring the sinfulness of sin. Under the influence of some modern psychology, we are led to say, “It was nothing.” Sentimentality, not forgiveness, passes sin off as inconsequential. Sin is considered simply a sign we are human, and therefore less than perfect. But sin is serious, and God never considers it to be less than serious rebellion against Him. So Paul says that he was not sorry that he had made the Corinthians sorry by his strong words against their laxity (2 Cor. 7:8-10). God never minimizes sin, but He can and does forgive those who repent.
Dikaioo (Justify). This is the act of God’s love by which He pardons and receives the individual into fellowship with Himself. This is both the declaration that one is no longer guilty, and also the making of one to be righteous. God, knowing all things, cannot declare this to be true unless He first makes it true.
Herein lies the great disagreement among theologians about justification. Does God make us just, or does He declare us to be just even though He knows we are not? In other words, does the Greek word mean “to declare righteous” or “to make righteous”? Does God merely impute righteousness to the sinner, or does He impart righteousness to him?
Justification is primarily a Pauline word. The verb is found twenty-seven times in the Pauline epistles, and the noun form twice (Rom. 4:25 and 5:18). If this were the only word for salvation it would be difficult to understand, but it is only one of the models for what God does in and for us. No one word can express it all.
Another significant point is that “justify” is used as the opposite of “condemn,” So it is a relational term, and has to do with the relationship of a person with God. Its forensic significance, then, has to do with God’s accepting the person as righteous. But at the same time, the person is regenerated—reborn by the renewing of the power of God, so that he truly is just. The sinner has been brought into a right relationship with God, which is justification, and he is made righteous at the same time through regeneration.
God, in Christ Jesus, did all that was necessary to atone for our sins so that we could be in right relationship with God (Col. 1:21-22). He has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to Himself in the death of Jesus (Eph. 2:15-16). So we are all one body if we are trusting in Him for our salvation. We ought, then, to be reconciled to one another as we are to God. Just as sin separated us from our relationship with God, so God is determined to seek to reconcile us with Himself, thus reestablishing the relationship for which He made us. All these are not different experiences, but ways of referring to the one experience of being saved.
This article comes from a chapter in Kenneth Jones’ book Theology of Holiness and Love (Prestonsburg, KY: Reformation Publishers Reprint 2003) 181-185 Editor’s note: Apheimi is used in Matt. 9:2,5,6; Acts 8:22; Rom. 4:7; and James 5:15. Charizomai is used in Eph. 4:32; Col. 2:13; and Col. 3:13. Apoluo is used in Luke 6:37.
|
