Speaking of Life 5040 | Personal Salvation
Greg Williams
You have probably heard some form of the statement that Jesus is your personal savior. But have you considered that being personal is more than being an isolated individual?
What does it mean to be a whole person? Persons, biblically understood, are not isolated individuals existing autonomously apart from relationships. To be a whole person requires one to be in relationship with all of creation and certainly with other persons. There is no escaping that established reality. We can’t even come into existence without the relationship we have with a mom and dad.
Being saved personally means that we are being restored for relationship with God, others, and all of creation. We are being made whole in every facet of our being.
The language in Psalm 124 is personal but personal in terms of being a community. Notice all of the pronouns in the passage are plural. There is no recounting of God’s salvation that does not speak in terms of the community as a whole.
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side– let Israel now say–if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 124:1-8 (ESV)
We are often tempted to believe that we are isolated and detached individuals whose identities are rooted in some internal and autonomous existence. But that runs counter to what it means to truly be persons created in the image of God. If it were possible to picture a completely autonomous individual existing detached from all relationships, including God, others, and creation, we would not have a picture of the perfect human and God’s intention for humanity.
Thankfully, we already have a picture of what it means to be truly human, to be persons living in perfect harmonious relationship with the Father, other persons, and all of creation. And that picture is Jesus Christ our Savior. Praise God for our personal Savior who is the savior of the personal.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
