Weekly Words

Why I’m Not Saved

If you have hung around Christians long enough you have met some that have gotten on your nerves ….. your last nerve! If it’s not those who cannot seem to manage a sentence without an “amen,” “thank you Jesus,” or a “hallelujah,” then it may be those who seem to use every opportunity, subject matter, joke, or discussion to interject a scripture quote. I particularly don’t care for those who act as Christianity’s vanguard and use some moral and doctrinal checklist that is in their head to tell us what and who is or is not “Christian.” If you are not finding this amusing right now, then I may be talking about you (don’t be too holy for this). Another group that often rubs me the wrong way is those who perpetually herald the fact that they are “saved.” These people talk about being “saved” like it is some badge to wear on your chest or some trophy to flaunt in other people’s face.

Making salvation a past tense reality that one boasts about not only undermines the virtue of Christian humility (or any humility for that matter), but it also does not properly attend to the reality that we are all people that have habits to break, faults to overcome, and potential to fill. This is why I don’t claim salvation in such a manner, nor will you hardly ever hear me say, “I’m saved.” I agree with Karl Barth, a theologian who I disagree with most of the time, when he talks about salvation as the fulfillment of our being. “Saved” in this line of thinking would mean that I have topped out my capacity, lived completely in my purpose, and delivered to God a person that is all that God has desired and created me to be. This is why I’m not “saved.” When we understand salvation as the fulfillment of our being we will soon see that it’s not an event, but rather it’s a process. Though salvation is defined by a destination, it is lived through a journey.

If by saved you simply mean that God’s Love is bigger than my faults, and God’s forgiveness has room for all of my failures, then I would have to admit that I am saved. However, I see this more as a statement about the goodness, greatness, and grace of God, and not a declaration about my status. So I prefer to take the emphasis off me, reject myself as subject, remove the “I,” and say, “God saves.” Yes, God’s grace is greater than my guilt. Yes, God’s mercy is more powerful than my mischief. Yes, God’s compassion looks beyond my carelessness. Still, in the midst of this profound Love, I still find myself headed in the wrong direction, living irresponsibly, and unable to match God’s Love with the commitment of my life. How does being “saved” address all that I need to do and become? Consequently, I prefer to spend less time on the pedestal claiming “I’m saved” and more time on the journey with God working on my salvation. Will you journey with me?

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson