Salvation means more than forgiveness
JOE MILLER JR.

John 14:23-29

One often hears a lot of talk about salvation from the pulpit. What does it mean to be saved, and why do we need to be saved? When talking about salvation, words such as sin, repentance, and forgiveness usually come into play, and we are referring to the work of Christ Jesus. An old favorite hymn of mine is running through my mind right now that is entitled: Nothing But The Blood of Jesus. Maybe you have heard it before. It tells an eternal truth… only Jesus can take away all my sins so that I can stand before God justified. Salvation is a gift from God through Christ.

Salvation includes the forgiveness of our sins, but salvation is much more than that. Verse 23 contains the phrase, "…we will come to them and make our home with them." Initially I skimmed over this particular phrase because the references to love, troubled hearts, peace, and the Holy Spirit caught my attention.

However, the potential of the Father and the Son coming to live with us is mindboggling and exciting. This phrase reminds me of the perception of salvation among our Eastern Orthodox predecessors in the faith. While the Western Catholic church focused on the depraved nature of humankind with subsequent forgiveness of sin as tantamount to salvation, the Easter Orthodox saw humankind as greatly infirmed with subsequent need of healing.

This healing or transformation of the individual is made possible by the two natures of Christ, and the three persons of the Trinity. Christ is human, and our human nature connects with his human nature. However, Christ is also fully divine, and his divinity transforms us (born again). We become part of the Body of Christ.

Since Christ is also the third person of the Trinity, who shares in the life of the Father and the Holy Spirit, we also share in the life of God. Salvation is more than the forgiveness of sins; it is being transformed as a new person and living with God.

Since this happens to all Christians, we also share in each other's lives within the Body of Christ. The best part is that we do not have to wait to enter the Kingdom of God when we die and go to heaven; God will live with us now if we love Jesus and keep his word. Since we have a hard time maintaining our love for Christ and keeping his word, the Father sends the Holy Spirit in the name of Christ to remind us of who we are.

Do you consider yourself a Christian? Christians go to church. If you have a church, worship passionately. If you do not have a church, find one. East Texas is full of good churches. Email me at newtonumc@ valornet.com with your thoughts.

Joe Miller Jr. is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Newton.