Such a Great Salvation: Wholeness - PT 5

Most Christians believe that the primary purpose of salvation is to avoid hell. Although hell is real, that kind of thinking serves to inoculate people from the truth of the Gospel concerning salvation. If we simply ceased to exist at death and if there was no hell, I still believe that Jesus would have still come to earth and die for us. Why? Because salvation is about having a relationship with God. God's main reason for sending Jesus was to restore fellowship with man. One of the most awesome benefits of restoring our relationship with God through salvation it s that we miss hell and gain heaven.

Many people have mistakenly thought that the goal of salvation is the forgiveness of sin to avoid hell. That's not what John 3:16 teaches. Sure, not perishing in hell is a very important part of what Jesus came to do. He died for all of our sins, and the sins of the entire world. And if that was all there is to salvation, that is more than any of us deserve, and it would still be worth preaching. But salvation is much more than getting our sins forgiven so we can go to heaven instead of hell.

In other words, if all you did was ask Jesus to forgive your sins so you wouldn't perish in hell, then you are missing out on eternal life. Sin was a barrier that stood between us and a holy God. It had to be removed. That is exactly what Jesus did, and He did it well. Sin is no longer standing between God and man (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Today is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). Sure that entitles us to live forever in heaven and avoid hell. Praise God! That is beyond wonderful! But the greatest and most purposeful benefit of salvation is that we get to experience eternal life.

Eternal life is much more than living forever in heaven. Jesus defined eternal life as knowing God (Jn. 17:3) Knowing God speaks of having an intimate, close, and personal relationship with God! That is awesome! That is the purpose of salvation! Many people believe Jesus died to forgive their sins, and He did. But many of these same people do not have a close, personal, and intimate relationship with their Father God and with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many have reserved that relationship with God for heaven. They are content in muddling through life singing songs about how, when we all get to heaven, what a day that will be. True, it will be a glorious day! But friends, today is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). We are supposed to be experiencing eternal life (a close, intimate, and personal relationship with our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) now!

What is more, salvation by definition in both the Hebrew and Greek is wholeness, healing, prosperity, deliverance and more. In this teaching series we will be defining salvation, discovering anew the purpose and necessity of salvation, and then discuss many of the benefits of salvation that we are supposed to be experiencing today. In doing so, we will also take a in-depth looking at wholeness, healing, prosperity, and more in how it speaks of salvation and our eternal life we are supposed to be experiencing now.