General Introduction:

In the previous post, we talked about what it meant to be saved. It focused on justification and regeneration. Since salvation is essential to our spiritual journey, it is vital that we get a good understanding of its various aspects. Hence, in this post we will extend our discussion to include another natural question that might follow the “What?” And that is: “Why do I need to be saved?”

Why Do I Need To Be saved?

 Introduction:

Do you know why you need to be saved? When people ask “Why do I need to be saved?”, we usually go directly to the end of life – straight to eternity. The usual answer is, so that when you die, you can go to heaven, or so when you die you will not go to hell”. We act as if there are no benefits to being saved in this life. Many unsaved people have serious questions about eternity, and many young people believe they will not be dying too soon (I do not know how they would know), so they think they do not have to concern themselves with eternity right now. It is unfortunate but it is true, many of the people today are ”right now” kind of people. If it does not benefit them right now, they do not think they need it; it can wait.

When one asks “Why do I need to be saved?” I believe he wants to know specifically, “How is being saved going to benefit me today?” — And even more specifically: “Will I have fewer problems? Will I have a better quality of life? Will I be more prosperous?” This kind of thinking, many times, presents a problem for some believers. Some say that Jesus did not come to improve our current lives. His ultimate purpose was to glorify God; and to think in this way, is missing the point of salvation. Some believers know, however, that in God, we can live a better life during these present times, but they cannot explain the workings of it.

I believe if people could understand the connection between the full meaning of what Jesus did for us on the cross, and God’s ultimate purpose for Him, they would better understand why they need to be saved? This is what I will attempt to do in this discussion. I will begin by discussing God’s ultimate purpose for man from creation; next the salvation work of Jesus, moving to the Apostle Paul modeling the power that he gained as a result of Jesus’ salvation work, and finally, explaining how we benefit from the process.

 God’s Ultimate Purpose for Man

 One important reason why we need to be saved is so that we can glorify God’s name by growing in His image. What does it mean to “glorify his name”? The dictionary’s definition of glorify is to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration (http://www.merriam-webster.com/). This is usually done through testimony, either by word or deed. It is usually demonstrated in the life we live. A life of sin is not what God intended for man when He created him and would not suffice in glorifying God’s name. Originally, He created man in His own image and likeness. Since God is righteous, He created man to be righteous; however, as the creation story goes, He also gave man the freedom of choice. Man made an unwise choice, and as a result, he suffered a great fall. Man continues to suffer the consequences of that fall. Throughout human history, God has been working with man trying to redeem him from his sinful state of being. Although we were born into this sinful world, God has provided a way for us to escape the consequences of sin through His Son Jesus Christ.

 The Salvation Work of Jesus

 Yes, Jesus came to save us from the consequences of our sin; however, that was not His ultimate purpose. His ultimate purpose was to glorify God (John 17:4). Jesus glorified God by demonstrating the tremendous power that His Father had given him. It was an amazing spiritual power that enabled Him to change conditions for man – a power that can only come from God. Hence, we can say that Jesus’ ultimate purpose for coming was to glorify God; however, the means by which He did it was by providing an opportunity for man to have a better life and to gain access to eternal life.

When Jesus announced His ministry to His home folks in Nazareth, He read a passage of scripture from the book of Isaiah that clearly stated that the immediate purpose of His ministry was to make things better for mankind. It read as follows:

 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).

 After He read this passage, He sat down. And verse 20 said all eyes were on Him – looking bewildered and everything. Then in verse 21, He told them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”. In other words, I am the one who God has anointed to help make lives better for people who are experiencing all kinds of afflictions.

Jesus demonstrated an incredible amount of God’s power while He was on earth; but in order for us to be saved, He had to make it possible for us to gain access to that special power. So, for that to happen, Jesus had to die. He had to die so that He could shed blood for the forgiveness of the sins of the world, and He also had to die so that He could be raised up from the dead. His resurrection was necessary for at least two reasons: (1) to show that God had power even over death – no power can compare to that (no sorcerer, no magician, no witch doctor – no power), and (2) so that the Holy Spirit could come to be with us after Jesus went back to be with His Father. This was so we could have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). The Holy Spirit was to give us the power we needed, and to teach us the things we needed to know to begin to live the life God originally intended for us to live now, and to lead us to eternal life.

Since Jesus’ death, many students have developed lists that identify areas in which His death changed our lives, or provided an opportunity for our lives to be changed. Walter Conner (Christian Doctrine, 1937, pp. 200 – 215) listed at least six areas in which we are changed for the better as a result of what God did for us through Christ on the cross. They are: (1) In Christ we have forgiveness of sins, (2) In Christ we are justified, (3) In Christ we are reconciled to God, (4) In Christ we are adopted into the family of God, (5) In Christ we have new life and (6) In Christ we are sanctified. According to these new changes, we were relieved of those powers that held us down; those that kept us doubtful, unsure, insecure, etc.; and we were refreshed so we could share in a more positive power that comes from God. This gives us reason to give praise and honor to God for sharing His almighty power with us through His son Jesus Christ.

The question was posed earlier asking how these spiritual changes are translated into practical terms. In other words: Will I have fewer problems? Will I have a better quality of life? Will I be more prosperous? The answers to these questions are determined by the way we view them. In this new life, we do not focus on things that are seen (temporal things) but on the things that are not seen (eternal things) (2 Corinthian 4:18). So will we have fewer problems? Probably not, but that is not a problem. In our new lives we understand that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD has the power to deliver us from them all (Psalm 34:19). Will I have a better quality of life? I would say “yes”, because as we said earlier, we have been relieved from those powers that were intended to weigh us down and our spirits are being renewed; but we have to claim this. Will we be more prosperous? Again, that depends on how you define prosperity. Money is not the only indication of prosperity, even though it is needed to live in this materialistic world. But that should not be a problem for us because God has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). The amazing power of God also helps us to learn how to be content in all things whether we have a little or a lot (Philippians 4:11-12). Again, I remind you that we are talking about sharing that awesome power that only God can give.

 

The Apostle Paul Explained His Reliance on the “All-Surpassing” Power of God

The Apostle explained how this “all-surpassing power” helped him deal with the multitude of problems he faced in ministering to the people of Corinth (2 Corinthians 4:7-9). His testimony could help us better understand the greatness of that power and how it can be applied to issues in our daily lives. In this second letter to the Corinthians, he explained to them that regardless to the problems he faced in doing God’s work, God had given him a special power that enabled him to endure. And what made this power even more remarkable, is that this power was put into a fragile body (earthen vessel, a jar of clay), that anyone can see that he was not operating in his own power.   This power could only come from the Almighty God. He further explained that “even though the outward body was wasting away, inwardly he was being renewed daily” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

In this passage of scripture, I hear Paul telling us that the answers to all those concerns we have regarding our welfare, lie in the inward disposition of the mind rather than outward circumstances. He expressed the epitome of his attitude in the following passage: “8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” In other words, we can weather whatever storm in which we find ourselves, without losing heart.  This example glorifies God, while at the same time, provides a helpful model for his readers.

We have seen what God has done for us by sharing His power with Jesus, what Jesus has done by sharing His power with His disciples and the world, and what a disciple has done to make his readers aware of this power. The question now become, how do we fit into this progression of things?

 

Our Part in the Process

 As we said in the beginning of this discussion, the real reason why we need to be saved is that we align ourselves with God’s ultimate purpose for us, which is to bring glory to His name by growing in His image. In doing so, we need to follow the examples and the teachings of those before us, particularly, Jesus, but not excluding His disciples who learned from Him. We need to put ourselves in position to receive that “all-surpassing power” that can only come from God, and to grow in that power daily. We must remember that it was Paul’s experience that helped him gain proficiency in relying on this special power. This is evident in the statement he made in Philippians 4:12, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”; And this will be a growing process for us as well. As we grow, however, let us not be ashamed to testify by words and by deeds about the wonder-working power of God. Do not hide your light, but let it shine brightly for others to see so that they may glorify our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

 

Conclusion

In closing this discussion, let us remember, the reason why we need to be saved is not only so that we can go to heaven when we die (or not go to hell), but so that we can enjoy relief from the power of the oppression in this world, by replacing it with that all-surpassing power of God, through His Holy Spirit. Yes, our lives will improve because we know that in this renewed life, we have a whole new way of doing business; and if we are faithful (do not lose heart), not only will we have a productive spiritual life here on earth, but we will gain eternal life. We must remember, however, that the guiding principle here is to ”..seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

 

Points for Consideration and Meditation:

• Consider this: Because of God’s “all-surpassing” power, we can walk in a newness of life in this world today.
• Meditate on this: Are you in position to receive and use that power?