'Salvation is more than being saved...'

[arapahoepark]

I hear the above quote in addition to 'well it's more than that." I quite agree in the anti-revivalist sense (emphasizing a decision, OSAS, etc.). And while undeniably an aim is build the church/congregation but, am I wrong to think the way it's utilized seem to neglect the idea of salvation and the church in favor or something else that I can't seem to find Biblical support for? Sure the cosmos will be restored yet, I can't help but think that somehow it's framed in an abstract corporate, social justice way. Are there other senses of salvation beyond the multifaceted pictures and types (i.e. Exodus of community from sin, conquest over sin and the devil, etc.) @Semper Fidelis is this a missional thing to say?

 

[Polanus1561]

It’s a restoration of true worship

 

[Semper Fidelis]

The phrase is a bit tautological (or maybe the opposite). The person saying it could have in mind that salvation is more than justification. This is true as it entails all that came before and comes after it.

It can be "Missional" if the person takes it that the Church is on a "mission" to redeem the city and the culture in the here and how. Missional creep occurs when the nature of the Church (or, for that matter, the nature of God) is fiddled with.

It is not inherently so, however, because God's promise to His people is ultimate vindication. Our glorification entails that all Christ and our enemies will be defeated.

 

[Jack K]

I have to smile at the phrasing, since salvation means "being saved." But beyond that, I guess I would need to hear it in context to know what the speaker means. If I heard it at my church, the speaker would probably be trying to say that salvation encompasses more than just escaping hell and punishment. Salvation in Christ is also freedom from our sinful corruption and the power of sin over our behavior. And it is a coming victory over the corruption of the world and the evil in it.

One might break this down further to include other elements of salvation (like election, adoption, resurrection unto life), but my assumption would be that the speaker has in mind that we don't just "get saved" as an escape from hell, and are done. Christ's work to overcome sin continues in our sanctification and eventual glorification, and in the coming renewal of the world.

Of course, justice is connected to this. So is our corporate life as citizens of Christ's kingdom. These are biblical concepts going way back. They flourish even more now that the kingdom is inaugurated, and will reach fulness when Christ returns. Whether or not the speaker has a right sense of the "already and not yet" of the kingdom, and of the role of the church in the kingdom in this era, is hard to say without more context.

Generally, I would be glad to hear a church affirm that salvation is bigger than just escape from punishment (so long as that church also still affirms punishment and atonement). Because progressive culture tends to dislike the saved-from-hell element of salvation doctrine, but still likes the sound of the other parts, I can see why you might worry that a speaker emphasizing those other parts has been culturally influenced or is pandering. Sure, that might be a danger. But cutting salvation short is bad too. I often encounter Sunday-school kids from conservative Christian homes who can tell me all about what they are saved from but have little concept of the glorious life and coming world they are saved into.

 

[MyCrows]

As echoed above, context is king. I have labored with people who insist that salvation is only being counted as clean in the sight of God. You believe, you're saved, and that's it.

This was in reference to God's regenerating power, the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, our very sanctification.

However to labor that salvation is only being saved from God's displeasure, and that there is no such thing as sanctification, is a dangerous error. They turn faith into a work of man, that we accomplish ourselves to be right with God, with no reliance on Him whatsoever, and after which our lives before Him are of little consequence. Antinomian nonsense.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 KJV

I can see the language being problematic too, as Jack had mentioned, it could be tied to progressive movements etc.

I would say, judge not by appearance, but judge with right judgment. Each situation is different.