What does it mean to be "saved"?

In church, we use words like "saved," "born again," and "redeemed." But what do they really mean? What are we saved from? How, and why, are we born a second time? And doesn't "redeem" mean turning in a coupon?

I could quote all kinds of Bible verses that talk about sin and evil, and how all of us are born into a fallen world. But the acts of man speak out about it as loudly as the words of God. Look at cruel dictators who torture and kill people. Many times, these men and women started with good intentions, but were corrupted by power and greed. But the evil nature of man is proven even in smaller things: a child unwilling to share a toy, a businessman who puts profits ahead of truth and justice, or a teenager who lies to or disrespects their parents. Many people would say something like, "Yeah, I've made some mistakes, but I'm basically a good person. A loving God wouldn't send me to Hell." There are a few things wrong with this kind of thinking.

The problem is that every man is a "good" person in his own eyes. So whose idea of good matters? Is it a fluid and subjective thing? If so, Hitler can justify his actions as good. He truly believed that he was doing the right thing. Yet so many of us would label him "evil." What authority do we have to decide between right and wrong, good and evil? If these concepts are real, then they must have a definitive source. Think about it: the laws of math, nature, and physics apply to everyone, regardless of belief or culture. They each exhibit absolute truths. Why do we think morality is any different?

So, if there is an absolute moral truth, where did it come from? The Bible tells us that we are created in the image of God, and that He is holy and righteous. These qualities are reflected in us. For instance, when we watch a movie, we root for the good guy to win. If he or she is faced with a "moral dilemma," we cheer when they make the "right" decision. Why? Because our Creator loves right decisions. But if He put within us His desire for justice, truth, and mercy, then where did corruption, dishonesty, and selfishness come from? God's enemy, and ours: Satan.

See, Satan was a beautiful angel. He floated above God's throne and, through his beauty, drew attention and worship to God. Somewhere along the way, though, he wanted to become like God instead of serving Him. So he gathered a third of Heaven's angels and went to war. Satan lost, and God kicked him and his angels out of Heaven. So they hate God. And because of that, they hate us, because God loves us so much. The best way to break the heart of God is to corrupt His most beloved creation, so Satan tricked us into acting selfish. In that moment, mankind broke our relationship with God. A world created in love was forever infected with wickedness. And so were we. Now we have two natures at war within ourselves: the nature to do good, to love, to see justice prevail; and our desire for instant gratification, to steal, lie, cheat, anything to make us feel good.

But what happened to this God who loved us so much? Did He just give up on us? A holy God, a pure God, a God of truth and love, cannot be in the presence of evil, lies, and greed because they violate who He is. So when we chose to break our relationship with Him, what did He do? In His infinite love, He found a man who was searching for truth. A man who had heard the stories of a time before, when we existed in harmony with our Creator, and wanted to experience that more than anything. A man named Abram. God chose him, and named him Abraham. And God became friends with Abraham, and gave him a son, Isaac, who had a son that God named Israel. Israel had twelve sons, and through them, God created a nation of people, chosen because of Abraham's love for God. This nation, Israel, was chosen by God to teach everyone else about Him. But they couldn't live up to their promises to serve Him. So, rather than watch us continue in rebellion to His love, God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to teach us about Him and show us how to live in relationship with Him. But our sin was in the way. See, sin isn't just breaking the law. It's more like having an affair, and breaking the heart of God. And before our relationship with God could be restored, a price had to be paid. Death is the only punishment for sin. But God loves us so much that, instead of killing us, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. No matter how "good" a person we are, or try to be, we cannot repay God for the hurt that our disobedience has caused Him. Only the blood of Jesus can make all of that sin go away. Through His blood, we who were so stained with selfishness and lies, can stand before a Holy God, and He can embrace us as His beloved children.

"But," you say, "if God loves us so much, how can He send people to Hell?" The answer is found in relationship. Let's say I fall in love with a woman and ask her to marry me. She says, "No, I'd rather run around with all of these other guys. Leave me alone." Having rejected my love, she can't expect to go to Hawaii on a honeymoon with me, or to spend her life with me. She made her choice, and, regardless of how much I love her, she will always be separate from me. In the same way, we cannot reject God's love and expect Him to let us spend eternity in His presence.

So back to the questions I asked at the beginning. We are "saved," rescued from sin and separation from our loving Creator God, in this life and the next. We are "born again" when we accept His love, and He adopts us as His children. And "redeemed" means that Christ, through His blood, restored our value, our worth, and traded our sin and impurity for a life of joy in the LORD.

For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.