salvation: n. The process of being saved, the state of having been saved (from hell).
Do you know what a midden is? Do you understand and can you explain crop rotation or stock futures? How about symbiotic relationships or drying out? Just as each human fingerprint is unique, every line of work, endeavor, or interest has its own vocabulary. If you don’t know the meaning of the words, you might as well be listening to a foreign language.
Schooling encompasses teaching the language, its definitions and practical applications. This applies to any field of activity, whether physical in nature or intellectual. For example, an electrician will talk about circuits or amperes, insulators and hertz, whereas an archaeologist may speak of artifacts, grids, or a midden—an area used for trash disposal. Medical terminology is the jargon the medical world uses to describe the body, what it does, and the treatments they prescribe. In sports, the banking and real estate industry, the world of politics, parenting, education—every aspect of life has its own specific terminology.
Religion and all things spiritual are no exception. Salvation and the heart of man, eternal life, righteousness, fruits of the spirit—What do they all mean?
I was raised in a conservative home and an evangelical church. I have no memory of life before church. A base teaching of my childhood religious education was of my need for salvation. I was taught that was accomplished by inviting Jesus “into my heart.” As a youngster, I often reflected on how that could be. I mentally peered into my inner self, trying to locate my heart and ascertain—How could Jesus dwell there?
Much of religious life takes place in the head. Doctrines are presented as the gospel truth. Religious peers and superiors expect obedience as proof of being faithful. Christianity is often laid out in a few, easy steps, followed by an offering plate. The list of accepted and required behavior can be quite long, often with more “don’ts” than “do’s”.
Spiritual life is not the same as religious life. The one emanates from the heart, the other from the flesh.
Body. Soul. Heart. Mind. Humans are a complex creation. We share the commonality of these as they coordinate with one another in living life.
The body is our physical house. It is flesh and blood. The soul is the essence of who we are. It is our personality, our make-up and consists of unique, individual traits. My soul is me. Thought and reasoning take place in the mind. That is where we process ideas, make judgments and assessments, come to conclusions. It is where we make decisions, in concert with our soul.
We have been created with both a physical and a spiritual heart. The physical heart is a muscular organ that pumps lifeblood through the body, flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Many tend it through exercise and health in an effort to extend physical life. There are specialists who are even able to replace a faulty heart with another—a heart transplant. When the heart stops beating, life as we know it comes to an end.
Where is the spiritual heart and what is it? It will never show up on an X-ray or MRI. There is no instrument to check its pressure or rate of beating. And yet we all have one. And the way we live our lives is an indicator of whether it has been touched by God’s hand. Or not.
All of humankind was created with the knowledge that God is. The spiritual heart is the seat of an awareness and consciousness of God, our Creator. “In reality, the truth of God is known instinctively, for God has embedded this knowledge inside every human heart.”[1]
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the heart was cursed as well and in need of redemption. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”[2]
When we acknowledge God and the provisional sacrifice of His Son, the heart is cleansed from its state of depravation and made new. It is a work only He can do. If that does not take place, it is left in a condition of rot and decay. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”[3]
I have discovered where my heart is. My spiritual
heart. It is in the very core of my being and its depth is not limited by my
physical stature. You could never tell by looking at me, but my spiritual heart is
deep within. It certainly cannot be touched, harmed, or damaged by any foe--human or spiritual.
The Spirit of God dwells within me there. It is where He fills me with His presence and His knowledge; it is where He teaches me and gives understanding.
In the same way my physical heart pumps life-giving blood through my body, God’s spirit pumps life into and through my spiritual heart. A renewed spiritual heart is the ultimate heart transplant. It is eternal.
And that is salvation.
May each of you have the eternal, life-giving experience of a renewed heart.
“For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
Romans 10:10 NLT
No comments:
Post a Comment