Titus 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us ...
The past few weeks many have written about things for which they were thankful. I did not take time to write a daily blog of things for which I am thankful but I will say that Thanksgiving is normally my favorite Holiday. As I contemplate this, one thing stands out to me more than all others. I am thankful for salvation. I am thankful that the Son of God gave his life on a Roman cross so that I could be set free from the curse of sin.
We have been studying "soteriology" in one of my classes. This is a fancy Theological word for salvation. When studying a thing it is always best to first define the term. So I began to question,"what exactly is salvation?" From what are we saved? To what are we saved? Though the possibilities of explanation are limitless, I would like to share the words of Piers the Plowman from the 14th century poem of the same name. This is an imagined scene with Jesus speaking face to face with Satan when he went into Hades after his crucifixion:
Here is my soul as a ransom for all these sinful souls. They are mine: they came from me and so I have the better claim on them. ....You, by falsehood and injustice, took away what was mine. I, in fairness, recover them by paying the ransom. What you took by guile I recover by grace. As a tree caused Adam and all mankind to die, so my gallows-tree shall bring them back to life.
These words sum up the heart of the gospel story. Adam and Eve ate from a tree that brought death to the human race. Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, offered himself on that tree to buy us back from death. So from what did he save us? From eternal death. From eternal separation from His presence. From guilt, shame, debauchery, and any other description you would like to add to the list.
To what did he save us? He saved us unto Himself that we might be called the spotless bride of Christ. I am so thankful to be a part of the bride, aren't you?
Thankfully,
Sullivan Jones
The past few weeks many have written about things for which they were thankful. I did not take time to write a daily blog of things for which I am thankful but I will say that Thanksgiving is normally my favorite Holiday. As I contemplate this, one thing stands out to me more than all others. I am thankful for salvation. I am thankful that the Son of God gave his life on a Roman cross so that I could be set free from the curse of sin.
We have been studying "soteriology" in one of my classes. This is a fancy Theological word for salvation. When studying a thing it is always best to first define the term. So I began to question,"what exactly is salvation?" From what are we saved? To what are we saved? Though the possibilities of explanation are limitless, I would like to share the words of Piers the Plowman from the 14th century poem of the same name. This is an imagined scene with Jesus speaking face to face with Satan when he went into Hades after his crucifixion:
Here is my soul as a ransom for all these sinful souls. They are mine: they came from me and so I have the better claim on them. ....You, by falsehood and injustice, took away what was mine. I, in fairness, recover them by paying the ransom. What you took by guile I recover by grace. As a tree caused Adam and all mankind to die, so my gallows-tree shall bring them back to life.
These words sum up the heart of the gospel story. Adam and Eve ate from a tree that brought death to the human race. Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, offered himself on that tree to buy us back from death. So from what did he save us? From eternal death. From eternal separation from His presence. From guilt, shame, debauchery, and any other description you would like to add to the list.
To what did he save us? He saved us unto Himself that we might be called the spotless bride of Christ. I am so thankful to be a part of the bride, aren't you?
Thankfully,
Sullivan Jones