Are You Saved?

Our local paper ran a story last Saturday about a Presbyterian Survey indicating that a goodly number of Presbyterians do not believe Jesus is the only path to salvation. It was a wire story and, although I have been in this town at a Presbyterian Church for more than a decade, no one at the newspaper thought to call up and get a local angle. No matter. That’s what blogs are for.

When I taught freshman English I tried to impress upon the young students that our world was full of concepts. That meant their world was full of concepts. A concept is an idea, a word that is largely empty until we pour meaning into it. Words like “patriotism”, “freedom”, and “beauty”. Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. But so is patriotism, freedom, and, for our purposes here, salvation.

What does it mean to be “saved”? Does salvation mean going to heaven when we die? Does salvation mean having a certain quality of life here and now? Both? Neither?

Salvation is a concept. Its definition varies according to the interpretation given it by any interested party. Certain churches have an interest in telling others that only a belief in Jesus will lead to salvation. In this case it is heaven or hell. Other churches have an interest in telling others that there are many ways to God. There is pretty much everything in between.

A Christian understanding of salvation, if it is to avoid the arena of pure speculation, must be grounded in some Biblical understanding. Churches intent on building a high fence around Jesus turn to texts like John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one come to the Father, but by me.” Or Peter’s confession from the Acts of the Apostles wherein he states that there is “no other name by which people can be saved.”

But there are other witnesses. Consider Luke’s story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. After Jesus goes to Zacchaeus’ house Zacky announces that he will give half of his wealth to the poor and pay back four fold anyone he has defrauded. Jesus announces “salvation has come to this house.”

Now, because scripture can mean pretty much whatever we want, one can argue that Jesus was announcing that Zacchaeus had accepted Jesus as his savior and would go to heaven when he died. But it seems more in keeping with the events of the text to suggest that Zacchaeus’ salvation happened in the moment for the moment and beyond. In other words, Zacchaeus adopted a different lifestyle, one keeping with the principles of the Kingdom of God. As such, he has begun living a different, “saved”, life now. His salvation is a quality of life rooted in justice, not the promise of an eternal heaven.

And there are the many who are healed of disease and affliction to whom Jesus says, “your faith has made you well (whole).” Or, “your faith has saved you.” Does this mean that when they die they go to heaven? Sure, why not. But doesn’t it also mean they are saved now, in that they are whole, well, complete?

But, again, these two things do not have to be mutually exclusive. The Bible is very clear that the saints live eternally with God. But the Bible also makes it clear that God is very interested in the quality of life we have now, and that this quality of life not only encompasses our salvation, but contributes to the furtherance of the Kingdom of God Jesus came to proclaim.

So back to our original point—are there other paths to salvation? If salvation is understood as a trip to heaven by faith in Christ, then no, by definition there can be only one answer. But if salvation is understood as a quality of life in the present which represents the principles of the Kingdom of God, well that is a little more complicated.

I once rode from Albany, New York to Rochester, New York with a Muslim Iman. We were both on the board of directors for a community development credit union we were trying to start in a depressed area of Albany. During the four hour drive we talked about our faiths, what we had in common and what we had as differences. We shared a common concern for the poor and we held each other in equal respect. At the end of the journey we agreed that we did not know about the other’s final disposition, but that when we got to where we were going we would put in a good word for each other.

Which brings me to my final point. What, in the end, is our motivation for talking about salvation? What is it that is finally important? It seems to me that what is finally important is the quality of human relationships. People are more important than concepts. If exclusive Christian ideas of salvation are used as a wedge to drive people apart, I cannot see them as consistent with Jesus ministry in the Kingdom of God. If exclusive claims of Christian salvation are only motivated by one’s own fear and insecurity, then such claims need to be freed by the grace and love of God.

Do I believe there are other paths to salvation? I honestly do not know. I do know that my salvation is secured in the love of God in Jesus Christ, and that salvation means my life now is a joyous celebration and my purpose is witnessing to the Kingdom of God. Does that mean only Christians can live and work in ways consistent with Jesus’ ministry? By mere observation, obviously not. Are these non-Christians living such lives saved? God alone knows. By the standard of Zacchaeus they certainly seem that way. Am I obligated to share my faith with them? Yes, if it is relevant. Am I to love them regardless? Of course. Am I one of these spurious Presbyterians who think “there are other paths to salvation?” I wonder......