In every church around our community, you will most likely hear the same message at some point speaking about the concept of salvation. Whether this be in the booming voice of a Baptist, the confident solemness of a Presbyterian, the charismatic shout of a Pentecostal, the comforting tone of a Methodist, the liturgical song of a Catholic, or the modern vernacular of a Non-Denominationist, you WILL hear a message of salvation.

The message will touch on some essential points universal to our collective faiths, namely that we are all sinners (those who disobey the Will of God) and need redemption (restoration into the Holy Community of faith that is God’s Kingdom). This comes from repentance of our transgressions and a proclamation of our submission to our Lord (confessing and submitting to Jesus Christ). By doing so we are gifted with the divine rekindling of our place among the Kingdom of God and saved from the consequences of our disobedience.

In short, Christ Jesus saves us from our sins. The end….right?

Well, I’m going to propose a slight observation that should call into question how we so quickly move on from the point of salvation. If the sole purpose of our relationship with Jesus is to be forgiven of our mistakes and then enter into the Kingdom of God, what about all that time in between those moments? What happens following our submission to Christ, can we go and live in introspective isolation until the great day of days comes and we go on to heaven? Well, we could, but by doing so we cheapen the full gift of salvation.

Salvation is so much more than an absolution of sins. It is so much more than a “get out of hell free card,” as I have heard some say. Salvation is the eternal gift of divine communion between the goodness of God within us and the perfection of God around us. We no longer live as isolated slaves to our selfish desires and ignorant goals; we instead live as members of the heavenly community with the ability to share the divine love of God with all those that we meet. Salvation removes our sins, yes, but it also opens our eyes! The Apostle Paul (then called Saul) experienced this eye-opening moment when he finally submitted to the Will of Jesus. In Acts chapter 9 Paul is being prayed over, and it reads, “Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”

Paul’s eyesight was restored through his acknowledgment of Jesus, which then compelled him to be baptized! But that is not the end of the story, it is merely the beginning! Paul then went from a persecutor of the church to one of the greatest Christian evangelists in history! Salvation filled him with a resolve to share such great news with all those who he encountered. It wasn’t just his sins that were forgiven, it was that his heart had been redirected.

As Christians in our communities of faith here in Fairfield, we must not live as isolated bastions of the inward celebratory redeemed. We must not cling to the message of salvation as our own individual church’s message of hope. We must also not look at ourselves or our institutions as the sole proprietors of such a redeeming message. If someone comes to Christ through any church within our community, that person is undoubtedly embraced in the greater family of God. To simply relegate such importance to the name on the church sign or the prestige of the Pastor is a fallacy. It cheapens salvation and cheapens the purpose of the Holy Church (ALL Christian denominations).

We must be sure that those of us who have come to accept Christ as our Lord do not forsake the full gift of salvation. To not merely celebrate what it has done for us individually but rejoice in what it has done for us in the community. We now have the opportunity to bring others into this daily celebration. We should not squander this opportunity.

What an amazing gift that salvation through Christ truly is!

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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX