Salvation and Other Theological Terms

We are often quite sure that we understand simple biblical principles like, oh, I don't know, "justification", "sanctification", and "salvation". I wonder sometimes if we are wise in being so confident.

Take, for instance, "justification". We understand that to mean that moment in time when God declares a sinner justified. It references the imputation of Christ's righteousness onto a sinful human being. We get that. Good. We're on our way. Or are we? I would argue that it often means that, but not always, and simply substituting "imputed righteousness" for "justification" can be problematic. For instance, if you read James 2, you find, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?" (James 2:21). If you understand "justified" to mean "imputed righteousness", then we have nullified the Gospel and ended up with a justification by works, something the Bible clearly disputes. So what does James mean? Well, "justification" most accurately means "declared right". Often, then, that is a reference to God declaring the unrighteous righteous. But not always. As an example, Jesus said, "Wisdom is justified by all her children" (Luke 7:35). "Oh," we might be tempted to think, "wisdom was unrighteous, but because of her children she was declared righteous." No, that makes no sense. No, this is a more conventional understanding of "justified" -- declared right. Jesus was saying that wisdom is shown to be right when you look at the results of wisdom. And James was saying that Abraham was shown to be right in his faith because his works demonstrated it. So, you see, "justification" doesn't always mean declaring the unrighteous righteous.

Salvation is another of these terms. Often it references that point at which we called on Christ and were saved from God's wrath ... but not always. Paul says of women, "She will be saved through childbearing -- if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control" (1 Tim 2:15). You see, men are saved by faith in Christ, but women are saved by having children. No, no, no. That's not right. This "saved" references something different. Nor is salvation always a one-time deal. We used to ask people, "Are you saved?" meaning, "Are you a Christian? Have you come to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?" Then we run into this fascinating phrase from Peter:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Wait! This salvation is future tense. This salvation hadn't even been revealed when Peter was writing it. Believers are being guarded for it, but it is for a later time. A friend of mine once said, "I'm not entirely sure where salvation begins or ends." I thought it was odd, but Scripture seems to agree. There is a sense of "already" along with a sense of "not yet".

What's my point? I'm asking you to be careful. Understand Scripture for what it is saying. Don't assume that "justification" always means the same thing or that "salvation" always means the same thing or ... well, you get the idea. Read the Word ... and read it for all it's worth. Shorthand is nice, but don't let it shortchange you.