Salvation

I've been avoiding writing on this topic. Largely because I have a hard time understanding the way that Christianity generally preaches this message, specifically that being saved can be boiled down to a prayer you say that has specific elements (e.g., I am sinner, I am sorry, I believe Jesus is Your son, I believe he died for my sins and that you rose Him from the dead, please take my life, I want to be yours, etc.)

Actually, looking at this list itself - I don't have any issues with the list. They are all beautiful and essential pieces of salvation, of knowing God and our Savior in their fullest. I think what does bother me is an implicit message that we send when we make the prayer into a static list of things you must say. Specifically, it has always made me feel like we are trying to make God into a genie that responds only to a certain set of commands. Like a scene in Backyardigans Episode my daughter just watched where the genie would not grant your request UNLESS you said "I wish" in front of it. This does two really bad things to the message of salvation.

First, it minimizes God. Specifically, this is the God of the universe we are talking about here! He sees through all of our bull straight into our hearts and from what I can tell what the Bible and this prayer are trying to tell us, is that if we will call to Him in our brokenness and except His message, His plan, His way above our own message, our own plan, our own way - He is faithful to meet us and change us and be with us forever.

Second, it places our salvation into our hands. Let me give you some context to illustrate this point. You know all of the stuff in Christendom where we argue about what exactly is necessary to be saved. Some places you must say the sinners prayer, others say the sinners prayer and be baptized, some you have to say the sinners prayer and walk forward in church, some you have to receive the gift of tounges. You know what the problem is with all of this, it places the responsibility for our salvation in the things that we do or do not do. For example, I was in the car with a Christian friend of mine when I told her I never did the come forward thing at church... "uh, uh" I could see in her eyes - "That's the WRONG way to do salvaton." We can also get caught up in the prayer, authenticating one another's faith, "Well did you say this part? If you didn't say this part then your not in?" Or "Did you really understand this part? If you didn't really understand that part then your definitely not saved." Are we serious?? Is this how we really think the God of universe, Jesus Christ our Savior, intended us to approach salvation - in this endless cycle of doubt? Prodding each other with suspicous questions? I gotta tell you, it is one of THE MOST unattractive qualities of the Christian church today and it is not bringing one soul any closer to Christ.

I think this is why we are told to put on the helmet of salvation in the Bible. Not because we are confident in the way we said the sinners prayer or the way our denomination preaches salvation (all people, all broken) but because we are confident in our Savior's faithfulness. We are assured of His righteousness. Because at the moment of salvation we are not right. If salvation is about getting right or doing it right we are all doomed! The only way to describe us at any moment before God is at the center of our lives is wrong, lost, or broken. Salvation is about the end of denying that and resting securely in the knowledge that our Amazing and Faithful God loves us anyway and is faithful to wash us clean. We are meant to KNOW that he is faithful to save, not that we are faithful to have said the sinners prayer the right way.

I get the sense that the sinners prayer was written as a means to simplify and assure worried souls that they were doing it right. And that is so, so noble. Hush child - you've said all you need to say, you are His now. But without understanding it is Christ alone who saves - it can easily become a lie, another trap the enemy uses to keep us believing in ourselves instead of Christ.