Has the word “saved” lost its luster in your eyes? When you, if you are a Christian, describe yourself as saved, do you feel truly saved, rescued, brought out of certain death? When you think of saved, is it a rescue, a heart-pounding, adrenaline-rushing, panting relief as you remember being delivered from certain death, certain destruction, certain ruin?
I can remember back to my teen years. There were times there when I did foolish things that should have cost me, at the least, great injury. There are times that I could have died. As I think through those scenes, if I will really let myself dwell on those moments, I can still feel the hollowness of fear in my stomach. I can still feel my face flush with the return of blood after it has drained of color. I can still feel my pulse quicken as I realize, without question, I could have been killed.
Have you lost that feeling when you look to your spiritual salvation? Has being saved become more to you about deciding whether or not to take upon yourself a certain religion? If so, you are either not saved, or you have allowed your mind to become dulled to the glory of what it means to be truly rescued.
Listen, if you will, to the words of King David. In this song, David describes being saved by God from physical threats. But the salvation language used by David should be the same language that we would use of our rescue in Christ. All the following verses come from 2 Samuel 22:
2 He said,
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
5 “For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.
17 “He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
When, Christians, have you last exalted the Lord who is your true Rock and Salvation? When did you last allow your heart to pound in your ears as you see that you truly deserved God’s wrath, you truly deserved hell, and God, the very God you were rebelling against, chose to rescue you and make you his child?
Christians, let’s not stop using the word “saved.” IT is a very good word. But let us also not lose the meaning of the word. Hear your rescue in that word. Hear your soul being pulled out of eternal death by the only hands strong enough to bring you to life. Let us sing, shout, and rejoice that our God has truly, amazingly, graciously saved our very souls.
Pastor Travis Peterson 