Saved?

Have you ever noticed how much we (Christians) just have a bad habit of butchering the things that define us by simply just making them an aspect of our culture? This is something I've thought about for sometime. I even have a goal to write a book about it entitled Cultural Jesus or Cultural Christianity (I just can't seem to decide) so look for that on bookshelves like sometime within the next few decades. But one thing I've always noticed (no joke, I did a sermon on it three years ago) is how we take for granted this word: Saved.

Saved is funny word for Christians. We say it all the time with such phrases as "Well, I'm saved so I don't do that," or "Bob went to church and got saved." That's all great but I have one question: saved from what? Saved is a past tense of the verb, save, so therefore something was about to harm you that you needed to be saved from it. But what? Did you save money? Was a bear about to attack you and Jesus ran out of nowhere to stop him?

The dictionary defines save as:

1. To rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss
2. To keep safe, intact, or unhurt; safeguard; preserve

Christian culture defines save as:
1. To have been to the altar and prayed a prayer
2. To go to church
3. To not drink, smoke, cuss, or anything of the sort
4. To listen to bands like Third Day, Caedmon's Call, or this guy below
5. To watch TBN, Daystar, and INSP and to contribute regularly to keep each station on the air

Now I'm not saying that any of these things in the culture definition is bad or necessarily wrong when it comes to your life (so don't worry, you can keep all your Carman albums) but when we make this our definition of the word "saved" we lose appreciation of that word and it's significance to our lives. We start to take for granted this word and that seems to be the root cause of lukewarmness in daily living, in action, and intimate worship and prayer. The Greek word for saved (used in the New Testament) has the same meaning as the word for saved in Hebrew when Israel would be saved from harm by God. So saved means more than becoming part of the Christian culture phenomenon. In fact, it doesn't mean that at all!

Being saved, means exactly the same as it sounds. When you are saved by Jesus, He saves you from something but from what? Well there's more than one.

Hell
This kind of an obvious one. Not exactly that big of a deal. I mean, it's just a place of eternal torment and separation from God so it's not exactly something to get too worked up about. It's just a place and punishment you deserve to be at because of your poor choices and bad judgment and it's only by the grace and mercy of God that you have an opportunity to avoid it. So I wouldn't make that big of a deal out of it.

Death
Not only do you not have to go to hell, but you don't necessarily have to die either. Now I know this sounds for an intro for a bad late-night infomercial but it's true. Because of the fact that Jesus, through the cross saved you from death, means that you can live for eternity as oppose to dieing a horrible death in that place that we shouldn't make a big deal out of. This also means that you can't be killed. If your soul has eternal life dwelling within itself, despite what the flesh may experience or go through, it can't be taken down, regardless of whatever the powers of hell or man may throw at you. But again, no big deal right?

Yourself
I bought a new album off of iTunes and it caused me to buy the book of the same name. It's Save Me From Myself by Brian "Head" Welch (the former guitarist of Korn that got saved). By Head's own account, he was trapped in a world of drugs, depression, and many demons many of us hope we never have. Through his acceptance of Christ and seeking Him, Jesus saved him from his demons and the poor choices he made of the past, hence Save Me From Myself. Through our lives, we have made some really stupid decisions. Some just leave us feeling stupid, some leave us with deep wounds. Some leave us with deep regrets and some leave us with consequences that we can't escape. Bad choices and decisions cannot be changed, but they can be redeemed. I can take back the first 18 years of my life where I fought and welcomed at the same time every loud voice I heard in my head, but Christ redeemed and it saved me from the path that I was on. Maybe you've been saved your whole life and you never really had to have moments of great regret and that's great, but don't forget, Jesus saved you from having to experience that. Through, Christ, you are a new person. A free person. The old man dies and this is so much more than kicking old habits. This is becoming a new person that is clean, that does not have to have the past holding a knife to their throat. Lack of judgment and poor life choices find redemption through Him. This is another thing, that God saves you from, and quite frankly, this one in particular, I'm especially thankful for.

So why is it important to grasp the true meaning of this word? Number one, to grasp what exactly it is that Jesus did for you. To understand what exactly you are saved from. To know what it really is to have an unconditional second chance at life that nobody can take away from you. Number two, when you don't take hold of this definition, you take for granted Christ and that shows in your life. Peter wrote:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
2 Peter 1: 5-9

Peter knew that those that forgot about what Christ did. That took him for granted and saw him more as a cultural icon as oppose to one's personal savior (meaning someone that saves) that they would become "ineffective and unproductive" and not possess the qualities that God wants to instill in us that separates us from everyone else. The qualities that bring peace and that influences others lives.

Saved is more than just a stamp of approval into the Christian culture club. It is something to be thankful for. It is something to tell others about. It is something that we should show in our daily walk and in our own praise of our Heavenly Father. It is something we should also desire to see in others. Saved? More than just a word.