0508 SAVE ME!

SAVE ME!

(Walking down the street. A stranger walks up.)

“Hi, there.”

“Hi.”

“Are you saved?”

“Saved from what?”

“Have you been born again?”

“How many times is normal?”

“Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?”

“Oh, that. I’ve gone to church since I was a little baby.”

“”Which church?”

“The one on the corner down the street over there.”

“Oh, THAT one? Wrong church. You aren’t saved.”

(Turning toward another passerby): “Hi, there. Are you saved?” . . . 

“Saved.” The term is used a lot. But what exactly does it mean to be saved? I guess you have to be in danger in order to be saved from it. What is the danger, exactly? And how do you get yourself saved? Let’s explore that topic today.

To be saved. The term is pretty consistently found in passive/middle voice: Be Saved. This might not be such a big deal, but Paul does not word it, “Save yourselves.” (Not such a big deal, perhaps, because Peter said to the crowd at Pentecost, “Save yourselves…”) So it’s not a biblical absolute, but perhaps it captures the heart of the Father most clearly. We need a Savior, not just an encouraging word.

What are we saved from? What is the danger? From this body of sin and death. From sin. From addictive behavior. From hell. From the kingdom of darkness. From God’s wrath. From judgment based on the law. From foolishness and unbelief. From bondage and captivity. We are saved from being on the wrong path, facing the wrong way, and being imprisoned by our own earthly ideas or fleshly lifestyles. Delivered. Indeed.

And who is that savior? Paul had said, “Who will deliver me from this body of sin and death?” Then he gave his answer: “Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.” So it is God who saves us, and He does so through Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ=the anointed one, Jesus=an actual historical figure whose name means Jehovah is Salvation, our=we are now a family united in Him, Lord=owner, boss, supervisor, leader, master. Peter had said there is no other name by which we must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ.

And then comes the important question: HOW do we get saved? Paul gives several clues in Romans 10. So let’s focus on his message and see if it still resonates with us in this day.

First, Paul writes, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

It seems there are two aspects of saving faith: openly declare Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart, and you will be saved. 

To “openly declare” is the same as the word “confess.” And the word “confess” means to say the same thing (con=with, fess=say) or agree with. And what we declare is that Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of the Universe. And He is the master of my own life, as well.

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. . . . 

Again, Paul uses two phrases to tell us about this salvation: Believing in your heart, and openly declaring (“confessing”) your faith. 

Apparently, believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth are at least two of the essential factors in being saved.

In this chapter, however, Paul includes a For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” .  .  Here is a new factor in being saved: Calling on the name of the Lord. It is an interesting concept that we will have to elaborate on some other day, but calling on the name of the Lord also brings us salvation.

We are like the apostle Peter, in the boat, late at night, in the middle of a storm, when we see Jesus walking on the water. If we are bold and decisive like Peter, we will ask the Lord to invite us to come and join Him, walking on the water. But as we do so, we see the wind and the waves and we begin to sink. It is genuinely frightening as we go down without a hope in the world. So we call out with Peter, “Lord, save me!”

That’s it. We have recognized our need of salvation. We have called on the name of the Lord. And He has reached down and saved us. Amen.