What is Salvation?

A universal element in the human condition is an awareness that all is not right. Something is wrong—the world does not work the way it might, and humans do not act the way we ought. All religions have sought to explain the reason for this distance between what is and what ought to be. 

In the Christian tradition, we speak frequently of ‘salvation’. But when this word—synonymous with ‘deliverance’—is spoken, it ought always to raise the question, “saved from what; delivered from whom?” Because, to understand what is lacking in this world, we have to understand the fundamental problem. Then, understanding the problem, we can begin to understand its solution.

In the next pages, we will discuss the problem: namely, our separation from God and the result—death. We will then explore the cure to our problem: our reunion with God and our resurrection from death. Finally, we will see how this cure is worked out in the life of each person within the Christian Church. 

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