Eph 2:15 NRSV "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,"
1Co 1:18 NRSV "For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
One of the most troubling things about evangelical dogma and doctrine is the notion that the gospel of grace is merely an entry point. I don't think that Paul and the first century apostles saw it that way at all. For them, it was the entry point, but it was also a necessity for continuing the process, and would continue to have importance through out the life of a saint. Yes, I believe that God ultimately redeems all, however I see salvation as a process that plays out in this life to bring peace with the Parent God. All of the versions that I have looked at with the exception of the King James has "being saved" in 1Co 1:18. This reinforces the idea that salvation is a continuing process that plays out over a complete life. I want to reemphasize that I do not believe one can loose salvation. Still, there is a multitude of benefits in hearing the gospel over and over and allowing it to continue to produce peace with the Parent God.
It is instructive to look at salvation as it would have been understood in the first century Roman Empire. Caesar was savior and salvation was the peace that Rome provided. It is not an accident that the first century apostles used that language about Jesus. There are perhaps two other words used in the New Testament that better describes what Jesus did for humanity. Redeemed and reconciled describe what He accomplished at the cross event. As Savior Jesus continually saves his people from their sins. Since the writer of Hebrews tells us that sin is deceitful and deceptive and that it clings to us therein lies the necessity for the gospel to be heard and believed over and often. In fact, it was the reason that the writer of Hebrews encouraged the saints to continue to meet together. It was not as current evangelical pastors use that passage to keep people attending every service. Services that rarely really preach the gospel of Christ. More than not they are services in which the cleric accuses the brothers and sisters before God.
So then, "being saved" is a way of expressing an ongoing process whereby the Holy Spirit uses the gospel of grace to keep the saint in perfect peace. It is the vehicle that keeps the mind stayed on Jesus. I am confident that the first century saints were taught this by their apostles and teachers and practiced that continuously. This underscores the importance of the gospel message. I am amazed however to find that when I go to churches that I hear very little gospel. What I hear is how to use faith as a self help remedy, and how to strive to measure up while falling so short. These messages do nothing to supernaturally transform people. The Holy Spirit does not use self improvement and moralizing messages to transform.
Paul said that he urged, exhorted, begged, beseeched, the saints by the "mercy" of God. What is the mercy of God? THE GOSPEL OF GRACE! In another place Paul said that the grace of God leads to repentance, and that the grace that appeared teaches one to live Godly. It should be so obvious but alas I sigh it is not. Evangelical doctrine is so far off the mark that it presents a different gospel and a different Jesus. The result is that you have people who are reconciled, redeemed but not regularly being saved. It is not like some of the churches that have saints come to the alter every Sunday to get saved all over again because they are lost. That is not what I am writing about. That is silly. Saints are justified. Saints are redeemed. Saints are reconciled. But, in Paul's understanding, saints are BEING saved, an ongoing process. This necessitates hearing the gospel often.
I think back to my days in institutional ministry. I have always been a staunch grace preacher and I always preached the gospel. The Pastor that ordained me always preached the gospel. Now it may not have been the pristine gospel but it was the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and it always, produced saints full of praise. It was always attended by a genuine anointing. The amazing thing about the gospel of grace that it would get little old church mothers that had been walking with Jesus for fifty years happy in the Spirit.
The point of this is that if we are to return to the gospel of grace of the first century we have to be proclaiming it often. It has to be the gospel that emphasizes the finished work of the cross. It has to be a gospel that assures that through the faith of Jesus humanity is reconciled and justified and in good standing with the Parent God.
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