September 23, 2002
We are all familiar with the popular verse that defines faith:
(Hebrews 11:1 KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
And how faith relates to salvation:
(Ephesians 2:8 KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
But then we run across verses like:
(James 2:26 KJV) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
To what end is this faith?
(1 Thessalonians 4:7 KJV) For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
So, we arrive at the conundrum: just exactly how do we exercise faith and works to arrive at holiness and salvation?
The evangelical doctrine of salvation rests heavily on the Ephesians passage above. That message places emphasis on “not of yourselves” and “gift of God.” I count myself among evangelicals so I feel comfortable using the “we” pronoun. We believe that salvation is an event, a threshold (as it were) where one deliberately and intentionally passes into a state of being saved from a state of being lost. We also believe in the permanency of salvation, that is, once saved – always saved.
But evangelicals are scorned by those of the “works” camp. The doctrines that advocate a works salvation rest heavily on the James passage. In fact, the entire book of James speaks extensively on works. So these doctrines conclude that it is works that completes or maintains the state of being saved. These doctrines suggest that being saved is not an event or threshold, but a goal for which we engage in a lifelong journey.
I am a visual person and I find it beneficial to associate imagery with concepts. So, let me share with you my imagery.
In computer and electronic terms there are two concepts of data transfer and storage, Digital and Analogue. Analogue is the historical standard that has in recent decades been replaced by digital technology. Lets use the example of a cassette recorder.
Your cassette recorder works by applying or reading magnetic charges of metallic particles that have been emulsified and coated onto a long strip of plastic. The black or gray (sometimes brown) color of the tape is actually this metallic coating. (The tape itself is usually clear.) In record mode, as the tape is moved past the head of the tape player, a magnetic field is exposed to the metallic particles which then retain that magnetic charge. In playback mode, a different head reads those magnetic charges as the tape passes and transfers those varying intensities to a speaker that produces sound waves in the air.
In analogue record, the magnetic charges applied to the tape fluctuate in intensity, emulating the sound waves produced by your voice. During playback, the varying intensity of the magnetic charges on the tape are converted to sound by the loudspeaker.
In digital technology, a transformation occurs so that the magnetic impulses recorded to the tape are of a different kind. The sound waves are converted into data. The data is then reduced to a series of 1s and 0s. The reason for this is rather fundamental. It is far easier to determine if a charge is present or absent as opposed to how strong the charge is.
During playback, the 1s and 0s are converted back to an analog signal that you can hear.
The technology to perform analog and digital recording and playback are significantly different. In analogue, the purity and fidelity (how true the recorded sound is to the original performance) is limited by the ability of the tape to record and retain a wide range of magnetic charges. The problem is, that this limitation is significant.
With digital technology, only the equipment used to process the signal limits the purity and fidelity. The resultant recording, while it scarcely resembles the original in form, will result in stunning realism when played back.
Those persons in the electronics professions may be bristling at my oversimplification, and I realize that this was a long journey to arrive at an illustration, but don’t give up on me just yet. The examples above can show us several things about faith and salvation.
First, as an evangelical Christian, I see salvation similar to a digital experience. One is not on a journey in which sometime they have achieved salvation or over some period of time they earn salvation. Rather, one is either saved or unsaved. There is no in-between area.
What this implies is that we are not the ones who control salvation. That is, we don’t work toward, or earn salvation. We request salvation and it is given to us in the whole in one action.
The second observation is the nature of salvation. While the analogue recorder records a signal that is a representation of the original, it is not pure, true, or lasting. The digital recording, however, is pure, true and virtually permanent.
Throughout the New Testament, we are told that we are reborn, recreated, that is, transformed.
(1 Peter 1:23 NIV) For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
(2
Corinthians 5:17 KJV) Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
(Romans 12:2 KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.
The analogue signal cannot transform itself to a digital signal. It must be processed by equipment so designed to transform it.
Likewise, we cannot become saved through any of our own doing. We must be “processed” by the Holy Spirit into something else. We do not cease to be ourselves, but we are changed into a form that is presented as pure, true, and lasting before the Father.
Finally, I made mention to the fact that the digital signal is a form of the original, but has been processed. We can think of our souls as having undergone this processing when we are saved. We remain ourselves. We retain our personalities, our quirks, our habits and for some of us, our stunning good looks. But the transformation that takes place is one in which the presentation of our soul before the Judgment Seat will be justified.
Remember that we said that we cannot earn salvation, but when we stand before the Judgment Seat, we will be seen as justified by the processing (the price of Jesus' blood) given to us.
Eastern religions teach that we go through purification processes during death and reincarnation. I personally believe that the appeal of this theology is that it allows the individual to remain unconcerned and apathetic about their salvation. Satan wants you to believe you have plenty of time. If he can get you to believe that you have hundreds of lifetimes to get it right, then he has succeeded. But, if there is truly only one lifetime, as the Bible teaches, then it is of the greatest importance that we understand the urgency and simplicity of God's grace.