Salvation

*SALVATION - also see ETERNAL, ATONE, SAVIOR, JESUS, SUFFER, HEAL, WHOLE, COMPLETE, ONE, CONSCIOUSNESS, SUFFERING, ENLIGHTENMENT, MYSTIC, WAY, SAVIOR, GRACE, DIVINE, FREEDOM, LIBERATION, REDEMPTION, HEAVEN, DESTINY

Antonyms: Damnation, Lost, Ignorance, Disconnected, Incomplete,

Definition: In theology, salvation can mean three related things: being saved from, or liberation from, something, such as suffering or the punishment of sin – also called deliverance; being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God – also called redemption; or social liberation and healing, as in liberation theology. (Wikipedia)

The Christian Gnostics emphasized spiritual knowledge rather blind faith as the road to salvation. They indicated that they possessed secret knowledge (i.e., "gnosis" in Greek) concerning the hidden meaning of the "resurrection." This was a part of the secret teachings of Jesus handed down to them by the apostles. This special knowledge was restricted to people who were given the public teachings of Christianity before qualifying to be initiated and receive the secret teachings. In contrast, the very term "Catholic" means "universal", implying that anyone could become a member of the Church by adhering to the public teachings of faith and rituals. The Christian Gnostics were harsh critics of the orthodox Church. The Christian Gnostics accused the Church of watering down the gospel in order to popularize it for the masses. The orthodox Church stressed salvation through faith alone and by the rituals of the Church. This secret gnosis emphasized spiritual "resurrection" (i.e,. spiritual rebirth) and physical "resurrection" (i.e., reincarnation) as opposed to a resurrection defined as people sleeping in their graves until it is time their corpses to crawl out of their graves at the last day. Christian Gnostics held the view that if spiritual resurrection was not attained in one lifetime, then the soul would be subjected to as many reincarnations as it takes until spiritual rebirth is attained. (http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen06.html)

I had a thought that not only do we need to become complete, but in doing so makes God complete - All in All. (Randy, 12/5/08)

There is no way of salvation except by changing one's consciousness, which means trying to do the Will of God. You have to earn your salvation by hard work upon your own consciousness in realizing God.(Sermon on the Mount, p135-7)

The Second Vatican Council in its "Dogmatic Constitution

onn the Church" recognized the possibly of attaining

salvation outside the institutional Church and without

an explicit belief in Christ (No. 16) and thus removed

a longstanding barrier to interreligious relations. (Buddhism,

p18)

The Redeemer is a helper and a shower of the way, but the way

must be trod by the individual himself. Vicarious salvation and a need for

a church as an "ark" of salvation consequently are negated. (Jung, p200)

Salvation does not mean saving yourself from the snares of the devil. There is no such thing as the devil and hell does not exist. It is in not struggling that the process proceeds. It is in surrendering that the victory is won. (Conversations, p51)

Obedience is not creation and thus can never produce salvation. Obedience is a response while creation is pure choice. Pure choice produces salvation through the pure creation of highest idea in this moment now. (Conversations, p175)

The ABC's of salvation are

A - Admit you have sinned - "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (! John 1:8).

B - Believe in the Savior - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begooten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

C - Confess and forsake your sin - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). (Penecostal Evangel, 5/17/96)

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:24)

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn it; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)

God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4)

Salvation is a gift. God reached out to us at the cross, where Jesus paid the penalty of sin by dying in our place, and He gave us external life in His Son. All He asks is that we reach out in faith and take His gift. (Flying, p241)

In the case of SALVATION from bondage to sin in this life, what we want to stress is the good news - the gospel - that we do not have to be enslaved by our fear and hatred and selfishness, that we are in fact free to love, free to be kind and generous and even great of soul. It's not so much that we need to be SAVED from sin as it is that we need to commit ourselves to a life of FAITH. This is especially true in a society where the greatest temptation, is not to murder or steal but, is rather to orient your life toward your own self-satisfaction measured in terms of worldly success or possessions or pleasure. (Common Sense, p152)