"Salvation" is so often used to mean "Conformity", "Similarity", "Right Thinking", and "Law Following", so I may stop using that word.
The American founding fathers built the whole concept of our country and laws on Freedom. It's a functional concept. It guides proper thinking about how to treat others. Certainly not perfect, but it's the right idea. It works in relationships too. Have you ever tried to Save someone in a relationship? That's usually not very healthy and can end badly. Have you ever tried to liberate someone? Give them freedom? That works much better :)
People appreciate it when you encourage them to be themselves instead of pressuring them to be something else.
What does our gospel do? Save people or liberate them?
I like this comment from a FB friend so reposting here:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! I kind of cringe on the inside a bit when I hear that word. On a small scale, it saves us but that view alone is limited because there is no response. Saved from something...okay....now what? Is there any other purpose in it besides what's in it for us? In light of Galatians 5, we are liberated so that we can love and serve! One of my favorite messages to give is on Galatians 5, and is called "Free from and Free to." Basically, we are free from the power of sin over us and from a performance based salvation which makes us free to love God, and love and serve others.
another FB comment:
ReplyDeleteBrad, I dropped use of that word "salvation" at the same time I left fundamentalist Christianity. Salvation and Sin always seemed to walk hand in hand in that world. It was a "prison", so your use of the word "freedom" works for me, albeit even freedom seems to not communicate the depth of ones experience when they free themselves of the prison cells of our "conditioning". When you said ""Salvation" is so often used to mean "Conformity", "Similarity", "Right Thinking", and "Law Following", so I may stop using that word." do you notice that each one of those works indicates some "authority" behind the words? When one discovers there own indwelling divinity, then what other possible "authority" could possibly be needed, desired or required.