Try this to get clear on salvation

There’s more to the Bible than salvation, but like nothing else in the Bible, salvation is the center of attention. I believe you and I should share that same focus.

But there’s a problem… at least for me. I can’t define in clear terms the requirements for salvation. Can you? As a Christian, this is a fundamental belief I can’t continue to overlook. And if you’re not clear on it, neither can you.

Let me give an example of how salvation can get muddy.

The virgin birth example

I believe Mary, Jesus’s mother, was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. To me, that’s an important part of my belief in Christ – without it, I find it difficult to hold that Jesus was in fact Christ, God in human form.

But is a belief in the virgin birth required for salvation? No, I don’t think it is.

Here’s why. I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was five years old. At the time, I had no idea what “virgin” even meant. Some might say I couldn’t have received Christ into my heart so young because I didn’t fully understand what it meant. I can only appeal to my own experience and similar experiences of others on this, but I’m pretty sure I did accept Christ that day.

I don’t say this to get into an argument about the importance of Jesus’s virgin birth – many other similar example apply as well. What I’m getting at is this: you and I need to define clearly what’s required for salvation and cut out what’s not… at least for now.

To start…

Salvation is based on what we believe, not what we fail to believe.

As a five year old, I failed to believe in the virgin birth because I didn’t understand it. If I had fully understood it and actively denied it, that might have been more of a problem. But since I didn’t fully understand, I don’t think it stood in the way of my salvation.

But that’s tricky. Almost anytime someone doesn’t believe a specific detail, we could write it off as a lack of understanding. For example, what if someone says they don’t believe Jesus died on the cross? We could assume that’s because they don’t understand how it could happen. But is that on the same level as the virgin birth?

No, I don’t believe it is. So the question is…

What elements of salvation are crucial for a belief in salvation?

That’s the question I’d like you and I to flesh out in detail.

I know, I know – this can get deep. This is the territory of theologians and professional Bible studiers. But as Christians whose job it is to share salvation with others, we better get fairly clear on it. Otherwise, we’re wasting everyone’s time trying to reach the lost world.

I’ve started sharing what I think is crucial in You’re not a Christian if… (Part 1) and plan to expand on that. But more than agree with me, I  hope you can run through this process on your own.

Here’s my challenge for you (and me) in constructing salvation:

Construct salvation so a five year old can believe.

I don’t mean dumb it down. I don’t mean drop out essentials. I mean get specific about what’s actually required in terms anyone can understand.

If you’re a parent, you might have already gone through this. My challenge is to keep salvation that simple… not make it more complicated for anyone over five years old.

Serving Suggestions:

(1) Begin contructing salvation. Write it out in clear, non-Christian terms.

(2) Share some of what you come up with in the comments.