"I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes ..." --Romans 1:16

 

"Surely God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid." --Isaiah 12:2

 

         At the very end of the popular musical "Les Miserables," there is a use of the word "salvation" that has intrigued me for years. Jean Valjean is about to die. He has lived this life full of tumult and grace and struggle and pain. One of the characters, Fantine, prays for him, "Lord in heaven look down on him in mercy."

         Then three of them sing together,

"Take my hand and lead me to salvation

Take my love for love is everlasting

And remember the truth that once was spoken.

To love another person is to see the face of God."

         What does it mean to sing at that point of salvation?

         Does he mean "heaven?"

         Or is this a plea for a validation of a life filled with suffering and grace?

         Or is it a desire to know victory over death and sin and evil?

         Or is salvation an experience of peace in the soul?

         Why is the prayer "Take my hand and lead me to salvation"? Why not simply "Give me salvation"? In other words, is salvation something that we must be led into, something that requires a guide, or more precisely a Savior? Who is it that takes our hand at that moment? Can it be anyone other than Jesus Christ, who has overcome sin and death and evil?

         Paul indicates that for salvation to come to us there must be a Gospel proclamation. There is a need for power, a power beyond ourselves, beyond human reason or strength, beyond our best love, our best and purest spirit. The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

         I Corinthians 1:18: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

         Leon Morris writes, "When the Gospel is preached, the power of God is at work. When the Gospel enters anyone's life, it is as though the very fire of God had come upon him. There is warmth and light in his life. The power of God is not aimless, but directed to salvation. It issues in salvation."

         The prophet Isaiah writes, "Surely God is my salvation." Salvation does not come from my righteousness, my deeds of love, and my obedience. Salvation comes from God, and because of that it is secure. He says "I will trust and not be afraid." Salvation comes from a higher power.

         How would we define salvation?

         First of all it is a general term, and contains many aspects: justification, redemption, reconciliation, forgiveness. So Morris says that salvation includes "all the blessings which God alone can give in answer to the needs and longings of people." It has a positive aspect, in that it speaks of blessings from God such as reconciliation and peace with God. It also has negative aspects; we are saved from God's wrath, from our own hostility to God, from sin, from being lost, from the yoke of slavery.

         Salvation is spoken of in the Bible as what is already received through faith in Christ, and sometimes as an ongoing process and other times as that which is future, our final deliverance from death in the last day. So it is something that remains a concern for us all our lives. We do not move beyond salvation. It is always behind us, within us and before us. I am saved, I am being saved. I will be saved.

         But why do we need salvation?

         Rick Richardson says this is what our culture is largely missing these days. People do not sense a need; they do not feel a danger to their souls. It is as if their souls were asleep. So, before evangelism can take place, he says we need a time of soul awakening.

         This is how Karl Barth puts it; "In this world people find themselves to be imprisoned. The more profoundly we become aware of the limited character of the possibilities which are open to us her and now, the more clear it is that we are farther from God, that our desertion of him is more complete, and the consequences of that desertion more vast than we had ever dreamed."

         For me, the experience of salvation has touched my life in different ways through various life stages. As a youngster, salvation meant the assurance of heaven. I don't know that the fear of death hung heavily upon me, but the invitation to life eternal seemed good. Salvation is knowing where your life is going, even from a young age. There is something real going on in a young person's heart that needs the assurance of the love and provision of God.

         But salvation is more than the assurance of heaven. It is a lived experience. It is new life, a feeling of joy in knowing the Lord. Often in the teen years there are times of anxiety, even despair, and when we come to faith in Christ and surrender to his lordship, there is a gladness that comes to our lives, an enthusiasm or excitement about serving the Lord. There is a time of rapid growth, a love of God's word, a passion about worship, a desire to share with others.

         C.O. Rosenius, the Pietist leader and preacher, put it his way: "If we were wholly awake so that we could see everything as it really is, we would be full of grace and power, filled with joy, love and the fear of God. We would rejoice unceasingly and praise God for his unspeakable grace given to us. We would be filled with love and the desire to serve and please such a gracious God." Salvation brings a sunshine to our lives, a happiness, a gladness in the Lord.

         In the middle years we often go through a time of experiencing limits. Our best efforts often fall short. We become aware that our words and actions have hurt others. Sometimes when people become parents they begin with high ideals of all they will accomplish, of the kind of children they will produce. Somewhere along the line comes the realization that we have not been all we wanted to be for our children. We are not perfect parents. Now salvation speaks of forgiveness. We begin to truly understand the cross. The guilt and burden are lifted.

         There comes a time in life, for some early, for others later on, when we feel keenly the pain of life. We know what it is to be disappointed. Our hopes and dreams break. We experience true loss and grief. This is when salvation means the faithfulness of God. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had in being a pastor, in being able to visit so many older saints. In Jamestown we had 40 shut-ins on the list. I have since realized that they did not all need to be on the list. But it was a great experience to visit and talk to them about their lives. I was always impressed at the amount of hardship they had endured, the tragic losses that had been part of their lives. Yet they spoke of the faithfulness of God. They had been saved from bitterness. Such witness softened my heart, and gave me a model.

         It is said that when people reach about the age of 60 that they begin to evaluate their life. This is where I find myself. How did I do? Have I served the Lord well? Have I been faithful through the heat of the day? For most of us, such reflection comes with a sense of regret. There does seem to be an incompleteness about life. There seems always to be unfinished business. There comes a wondering about priorities, about discipline, about whether we gave ourselves to the right things through the years. The word "judgment" now speaks in a way that it did not in earlier years. What does God think of my life? What will I tell him? Now also salvation speaks with grace and power. Justification used to be a big word. Now it is a lived reality. Justified by faith. My incompleteness does not disqualify me.

         Finally, in the last days of life comes the cry when we are weak, old, not in control. "Lead me to salvation." We might feel cut off, abandoned. Yet God gives us hope. And so salvation again speaks of heaven, and peace calms our fears.

         Do you see that in each state, there is a need to be led to salvation? It is always beyond our reach. It is never our work. It is always Christ who leads us to salvation. Take his hand. Trust him today.

         Amen.