Matthew 19: 25-26
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NASB)
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NASB)
The word salvation is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. It comes from the Latin word salvatio; from salva, meaning ‘safe, saved’. In a religious or theological setting, it speaks to the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences. Depending on the religion, salvation is considered to be caused either only by the grace of God, or by faith, good deeds (works), or a combination thereof. Its use in the Bible is very clear: It is a work of God in behalf of man. Lewis Sperry Chafer states, “It is the result of the work of God for the individual, rather than the work of the individual for God, or even the work of the individual for himself.”
In Matthew 19:16-26, the Bible records a conversation between Jesus and a rich young ruler. The rich young ruler poses a question to Jesus: “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Other words, what can I do to find salvation? Jesus’ responds by addressing the commandments, “…. but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young ruler then asks which ones? Of the commandments Jesus addressed in verses 18 and 19, the young ruler notes he has kept them all, but then asks “what am I still lacking?” Jesus responds by saying, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” We find the young ruler was grieved at Jesus answer and left; “he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”
Yes, he had kept the commandments, his works for God, for which he thought would bring about his salvation, but the idea salvation meant giving up his property and following Jesus, well he wasn’t ready for that. Within Jewish culture those who had property and possessions were seen as being blessed by God; someone in standing favor with God whose salvation no doubt was assured.
As the young ruler was leaving, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were astonished when Jesus made this statement; it went against their cultural perception. Then his disciples respond, “Then who can be saved?” It appears Jesus wanted to make a very important point to the disciples because the writer notes, “And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” An individual can’t earn his salvation, it is only possible through the working of God for the individual. As Paul would write in Ephesians 2:4-9 - “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Lewis Sperry Chafer writes, “As used in the New Testament, the word salvation may indicate all or a part of the divine undertaking. When the reference is to all of the work of God, the whole transformation is in view from the estate wherein one is lost and condemned to the final appearance of that one in the image of Christ in glory. This larger use of the word, therefore, combines in it many separate works of God for the individual, such as Atonement, Grace, Propitiation, Forgiveness, Justification, Imputation, Regeneration, Adoption, Sanctification, Redemption and Glorification.”
Say what we may, it must be conceded, that our transformation at the time of salvation is not the greatest thing man can do for God, but it represents the greatest thing the infinite God can do for man. For God through His working, not our efforts, has moved us from a state of condemnation before Him to one of “like Christ” and we are “conformed to the image of His Son.”
(The inspiration for this article and those that follow regarding Salvation come from Lewis Sperry Chafer work entitled “Salvation”)
In Matthew 19:16-26, the Bible records a conversation between Jesus and a rich young ruler. The rich young ruler poses a question to Jesus: “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Other words, what can I do to find salvation? Jesus’ responds by addressing the commandments, “…. but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young ruler then asks which ones? Of the commandments Jesus addressed in verses 18 and 19, the young ruler notes he has kept them all, but then asks “what am I still lacking?” Jesus responds by saying, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” We find the young ruler was grieved at Jesus answer and left; “he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”
Yes, he had kept the commandments, his works for God, for which he thought would bring about his salvation, but the idea salvation meant giving up his property and following Jesus, well he wasn’t ready for that. Within Jewish culture those who had property and possessions were seen as being blessed by God; someone in standing favor with God whose salvation no doubt was assured.
As the young ruler was leaving, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were astonished when Jesus made this statement; it went against their cultural perception. Then his disciples respond, “Then who can be saved?” It appears Jesus wanted to make a very important point to the disciples because the writer notes, “And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” An individual can’t earn his salvation, it is only possible through the working of God for the individual. As Paul would write in Ephesians 2:4-9 - “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Lewis Sperry Chafer writes, “As used in the New Testament, the word salvation may indicate all or a part of the divine undertaking. When the reference is to all of the work of God, the whole transformation is in view from the estate wherein one is lost and condemned to the final appearance of that one in the image of Christ in glory. This larger use of the word, therefore, combines in it many separate works of God for the individual, such as Atonement, Grace, Propitiation, Forgiveness, Justification, Imputation, Regeneration, Adoption, Sanctification, Redemption and Glorification.”
Say what we may, it must be conceded, that our transformation at the time of salvation is not the greatest thing man can do for God, but it represents the greatest thing the infinite God can do for man. For God through His working, not our efforts, has moved us from a state of condemnation before Him to one of “like Christ” and we are “conformed to the image of His Son.”
(The inspiration for this article and those that follow regarding Salvation come from Lewis Sperry Chafer work entitled “Salvation”)