Biblical Salvation 2

2. Salvation is a "Done Deal."

So in the most literal sense of salvation, we have not been saved yet, for the wrath of God has not yet come upon the world. Nevertheless, we can be saved from the power of sin even in this world.

In a very real and objective sense, salvation is already accomplished, for Christ has already atoned for sins. His sacrifice cannot be undone. Salvation is a "done deal." It will take place for the creation and those who are "in him."

Hebrews 10:14 captures this truth majestically:

"With one offering he has perfected forever those who become sanctified."

We must be very careful as we read this verse to hear it on Hebrews' terms and not on the terms of our current Christian traditions. In particular, Hebrews thinks of human "perfection" and "sanctification" (making holy, making God's) in reference to the initial cleansing event when a person appropriates Christ's sacrifice, things that happen when you first become a Christian (cf. Heb. 9:13-14; 10:1-2). More about these things to come.

Our interest at this point is the fact that Christ has already done it. Hebrews words this verse in a way that says the act that perfects and sanctifies us is already completed. The offering it mentions is the death of Jesus, his sacrifice for sins. Romans 3:25 puts it in this way:

"God in His faithfulness offered Jesus as an atoning sacrifice through His blood."

The idea of a sacrifice is somewhat foreign to us today, but it was part of daily life throughout the ancient world. To keep the gods from getting angry, ancient peoples offered them animals both to appease their potential anger and as a kind of substitute for themselves.

Does God really require blood sacrifices? It is common in many Christian circles today to say that because justice is intrinsic to God's nature, someone has to pay for the sins against Him that people have committed.

On the one hand, there is good biblical evidence that God has set up things this way:

"Nearly everything is cleansed by blood according to the Law, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22).

Yet God could probably declare forgiveness by a divine order if He wanted to do so. The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant say nothing of someone having to pay. Those who represent God in these parables simply forgive by their command.

God thus chooses sacrifice because it teaches us about justice and about the judgment that awaits those who do not ultimately submit to His rule (Rom. 2:25-26). At the same time it demonstrates His great love for us in that God is willing to substitute His own Son for our reconciliation to Him (Rom. 5:8). For the first readers of the Bible, the idea of sacrifice and atonement was something they could understand and identify with immediately.

But with Christ, all sacrifice of this sort is now at an end. With one offering, atonement is accomplished. No amount of action or work on our part could secure what Christ did for us on the cross. It is strictly God's gracious willingness to count Christ's faithful death as atonement that effects our salvation:

"By grace you have been saved through your trust [in God], and this is not something of your instigation. It is the gift of God, not on the basis of your actions, so that no one can boast [about it]" (Eph. 2:8-9).

Ephesians' wording is careful--you are now in a saved state because you have trusted in what God has done through Christ. Although salvation is technically still a future event (cf. Eph. 1:13-14), your faith has secured your reservation. It's a done deal.

As Christians, we do not have to fear the future wrath of God, because Christ has atoned for sins. "We will be saved from wrath through his blood" (Rom. 5:9). As we will see, we are also freed from the power of sin as well through Christ:

"In his death, he died once and for all to sin; in his life, he lives to God. So also you also must reckon yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:10-11).

Salvation is a done deal. All we need to do is sign up for it.