One More Thing with Pastor Tim Burchill 12.18.2023

Jesus, Savior

          In Pastor Jessica’s excellent message yesterday, she made it clear that salvation has more than one meaning in the Bible.  We 21st century Christians almost always use the word to describe spiritual salvation, by which we mean being saved from our sins and their consequences.  But it is a much fuller, richer, and more complex idea than just that.

          Jessica referred to Christian author Marcus Borg.  In his book, Speaking Christian, Borg illustrates the nuances embedded in the idea of ‘being saved.’  He writes:

          One of my professors in graduate school told a story “about an Anglican priest confronted by an evangelical Christian.

          ‘Are you saved?’ the evangelical asked.

          The priest responded, ‘It depends on what you mean by ‘saved.’  Do you mean ‘Am I saved?’ in the past, present, or future tense?  I you mean ‘Am I saved?’ in the sense, ‘Has God already done all that is necessary to save me?’ then yes, certainly.  If you mean ‘Am I saved?’ in the sense ‘Do I presently live in a saving relationship with God?’ then my answer is yes, I trust.  If you mean ‘Am I saved?’ in the sense, ‘Have I already become all that I might become?’ then certainly not.”

          Woah, that’s a lot to take in.  But I like it.  Borg goes on to say that salvation is always understood in three tenses: past, present, and future.  It’s what God has done for us, what God is doing in our lives here and now, and what we are waiting for God to complete in us and through us in the future.

          At Christmastime we call Jesus savior, because that baby becomes a man and that man pays the penalty that should be ours; he is then resurrected and restored to his place with God so that he can fill us with power and purpose day by day; and finally, we who put our confidence in him will go to him upon our deaths so that we might join him in the unending worship of our glorious King. We’re told that Yeshua, or Joshua, (or the Greek version, Jesus), means “he will save his people from their sins.”  But salvation always needs a coming and a going—we are saved from something but we are also saved for something else.  May we enjoy being freed from our sins and their consequences so that we may live lives of sacrificial love for God and others, after the example of the One who has saved us.

P.S.  I read this today online.  How many total gifts are there in the 12 Days of Christmas song? I was surprised by the answer: 364 gifts total.  Click the link if you doubt me.  I do wonder about one of their assumptions, but Wow, that’s a generous true love.