(ADVENT 1) Unwrapping Christmas: Salvation

In the 4th chapter of Acts, we saw that Peter and John did what the text described as "a good deed" - through the power of God, they brought healing to a blind man, which infuriated the religious leaders of the day. Peter spoke out, saying:
9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Please pay close attention to verse 12, which reminds us that there is salvation in no other name. Jesus taught that He is the way, the truth, and the life - the one way through which fallen humanity can come to God. The display of the love of God through these men was apparent, with the Scripture telling us that the people recognized "they had been with Jesus." When we believe on Jesus and are saved, our lives are changed, our outlook is transformed, and our hearts reflect the presence of our living Lord.

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It is the first day of December, and coincides with the first item on our list of 25 gifts that God has provided to us through Jesus Christ.  Our Faith Radio Advent Guide: "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," is found in the latest Ministry Magazine or online through our website, has as its theme this year, Unwrapping Christmas, focusing on these wonderful gifts.

The gift for today is: SALVATION.

We go to the words of Mary in Luke chapter 1 after she had been informed by the angel Gabriel that she would be giving birth to the Christ Child, the Messiah, the Savior of the World. She responded by highlighting several gifts from God. Beginning in verse 46, she related:

(46) "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

God. My. Savior.  We have been given salvation, a free gift from God - if only we would receive it.  We do so, according to Romans 10, by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing that God has raised Him from the dead.  We have been saved by grace through faith, according to Ephesians chapter 2.  And, there is one true way to come to God, and that is through Jesus, who died on a cross and rose from the dead so that we might be saved.

But, there does seem to be confusion about how to be saved and what that means.

I referred a while back to the Ligonier Ministries study, The State of Theology.  An article found on the ministry website states:

In John 14:6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Tragically, the 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that the majority of American evangelicals seem to reject this teaching from Christ.*

The Bible reveals that God is pleased only by the worship of those who approach Him through Jesus Christ, since He alone is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tim. 2:5). It is startling enough that 56 percent of U.S. evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions. Yet more concerning is the fact that this percentage has increased by a soaring 14 percent in only the last two years.

Last year, in the American Worldview Inventory from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, Director of Research George Barna noted that 69% of adults in America self-identify as Christian.  Out of those, there are a number of concerning statistics, including these:

• 72% argue that people are basically good

• 71% consider feelings, experience, or the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance 

• 66% say that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue 

• 64% say that all religious faiths are of equal value 

• 58% believe that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things, they can earn their way into Heaven...

Let's narrow this down just a bit - 35% of U.S. adults identify as "born-again Christians".  The numbers  shift just a bit; for instance: "77% say that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue," an 11-point difference. "69% accepted feelings, experience, and the input of friends and family as their most trusted sources of moral guidance," that's a shift of only 2 points. There's a 3-point difference on this one: "61% say that all religious faiths are of equal value," and a 2-point shift here: "60% believe that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things, they can earn their way into Heaven..."

And, Probe Ministries issued a comprehensive study of religious views last year.  An article on the ministry website stated: "over 60% of Born Again Christians are also pluralists;" in other words, more than 6-in-10 born-again Christians, according to this survey, believe there are multiple ways to God - this is consistent with the Cultural Research Center findings.  The Probe summary says:

Based on these results, about one third of Born Again Christians appear to have a consistent biblical view toward pluralism. Another third appear to be totally in line with the pluralist position. The last third are those who want to say that Jesus is the only true path to God AND that Mohammad and Buddha also taught valid ways to God. In church, they may say that Jesus in the only way, but out in the world they act as if Muslims and Buddhists don’t need to know this critical truth. These individuals have an incoherent worldview.

It's been pointed out that when one says that Jesus is not the only way, in some effort to appear loving and inclusive, you are contradicting what Jesus Himself taught - and, you have to consider, who are we to do that?  And, you could add that the most loving position you could take is to tell someone the truth. Mohammed and Buddha are dead, but they did not die for our sins.  Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice so that He could fulfill His mission to be our Savior. 

As we "unwrap" the gifts that God has given us and take a closer look, we can consider the posture of Mary, who recognized after the angel visited her that she was going to be giving birth to the Savior of the world.  Our spirits, like hers, can rejoice in Him - God has freely given us the gift of salvation - and, as we have opened it up and received it, we can be thankful that He loved us so much that He gave His life and now lives so we can walk in fellowship with Him.