Article 8: Salvation - more than pie in the sky

In our series so far, we have gone from reflecting on God in three parts to the role of scripture to the creation including human beings to the problem of sin that arose. Now we come to the solution for that problem with Article 8: Salvation.

Sin is present in our world and unfortunately within all of us. Sin separates us from God and from each other. As such we are in need of salvation as Romans 3:19-25 declares. It also names that salvation comes through the grace of God by faith in Jesus Christ. This gift allows for our redemption and atonement. How exactly this happens in many ways remains a mystery to our limited understanding, yet scripture offers at least three metaphors to explain this. What is most essential in all of these, however, is that Christ died for us to bring about this redemption and that it works!

Romans 5:1-10 goes on to point out that this is a demonstration of God's love for us. God reached out to us while we were still enemies and offered this gift of life. This not only provides for our salvation but also serves as a model for us in our work in reconciliation with one another. Salvation therefore becomes more than pie in the sky. It becomes a part of our daily lives.

There is an end result of salvation that those who are saved will spend all eternity with God. But we have a tendency to focus on that pie in the sky to the exclusion of the on going work here on earth; of living out that salvation even if it is in limited ways with one another. We must share this faith with others and invite them to the reconciliation with God, but we must also live this out and demonstrate this within our relationships with one another. Our faith is not just about life after death. It is also about life that is lived abundantly and when we live out reconciliation with brothers and sisters, we testify to the fullness of the Gospel. When we reconcile with one another, we live out the gospel and we model for the world what it means to reconcile with God. It is part of our proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.