Every Salvation We Need
Now I would remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you.* (1Co 15:1-2)
Paul uses a phrase in 1Corinthians 15:2 that might be a little confusing: “The Gospel… by which you are being saved.”
“Listen, Paul, are we or aren’t we saved? What’s all this, ‘being saved’, stuff! You either are, or you aren’t!”
Good point! When we put our faith in Jesus, Jesus saves our soul, from judgement, for God. And so Jesus saves us; and so we’re saved—safe—forever with Him.
But the word translated as “saved” can also be translated in other passages as, “rescued, liberated, kept from harm, healed, protected.”
Don’t even those who’ve “been saved” still need those things?
We may be saved already—once-for-all!—but we now need Jesus, Savior and Shepherd, to bring His saving grace into every part of our lives.
The point Paul is making here isn’t really that there are still things we need to be saved from. Rather, Paul is making the point that it is the Gospel message which God uses to continue to deliver that salvation.
In other words, it’s not like we believe the Gospel for our eternal salvation, and then roll up our sleeves and get to work saving ourselves from the daily enemies of our soul. No, but just as we received and believed the Gospel for our ultimate salvation, so we continue to receive and believe the Gospel for our present spiritual safety.
It is still the power of God that daily saves us, working through the message of Jesus.
How will we defeat that lingering struggle with sin? By the Gospel which Paul preached.
How will we withstand the faith-eroding pressures of the world? By the Gospel which Paul preached.
How will we overcome the lies, temptations, and accusations of the devil? By the Gospel which Paul preached.
How will we endure the ever-shifting sufferings of life? By the Gospel which Paul preached.
How will we be healed of the debilitating wounds we carry with us? By the Gospel which Paul preached.
Every kind of salvation we need is with Jesus.
And we access it by receiving, believing, and standing in, the Good News-message about Jesus which the Apostles preached and which we still hold forth to each other.
All our salvations are waiting within His Word.
Let us not be like those who cry out in thirst but will not walk over to the fountain. Let us not cry out against God for all we are not getting from Him, and then refuse to immerse ourselves in that which He has abundantly supplied.
Every one of us needs to continue to be saved by Jesus. Jesus wants to continue to save us. The Gospel message about Jesus contains the truths we need. There we will find our ultimate, eternal, salvation, and also the many lesser savings that preoccupy our hearts and minds every day.
Our Savior, Our Shepherd, has all we need, for always and for now.
Photo by McKayla Crump on Unsplash