Man is not saved by works; however, through the new birth, he is “created in Christ Jesus unto” (Ephesians 2:10) and should be “zealous of” (Titus 2:14) good works. The Lord could easily save a man and immediately take him to heaven, but He chooses to leave man here on this earth to do a work for Him. Though the Lord’s work on this earth is made up of many details, it always includes “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Similar to the responsibility to tell others about a known cure for a dreaded disease, every Christian has the responsibility to express to others their knowledge of the cure for the coming judgment of God and how to be reconciled to God.
Man has corrupted the simplicity of salvation. Some say entrance to heaven is based upon following some set of creeds, joining a church, being baptized, or expressing some heartless prayer. Others have suggested that God will put each man’s good works in a balance with his bad works, and so long as the good outweighs the bad, man will find entrance into heaven. Still others suggest there is any number of ways to gain entrance into heaven. How can man possibly wade his way through the confusion and be certain that heaven will be his future destination? To a great extent, this was the question that the Philippian jailor posed to the apostle Paul. Paul boldly answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Paul told the jailor the truth and then prophesied that the family would follow his lead in salvation.
As already discussed, the word salvation is used throughout the word of God, but depending upon the context, the intended meaning varies. Failure to understand the different usages has led many to espouse some of the most egregious false doctrines. It is important to understand that the foundational meaning of the word salvation refers to deliverance. The vast majority of occurrences in the word of God actually refer to physical deliverance rather than a soul’s salvation. The word salvation can often be found within the context to describe the time when someone received deliverance from a specific trial or a threatening enemy. The most common usage today among believers relates to spiritual deliverance offered through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
