The Salve in Salvation

Well, this one is different. Rather than a story, I am taking a left turn and talking a bit of theology.

About 60 years ago, there were huge changes taking shape in American culture. It was the 1960’s, and we were tearing up old scripts and pushing into new frontiers. The Vietnam war, the civil rights movement, and student protests were in full force. Music was shifting rapidly. Financial prosperity came to the masses. Some of these changes were good, others were less so, and its mostly a matter of perspective. In the Christian world, there was a significant shift.

In a time where fundamental Christians were seeing many in society rebel against what had been commonly accepted morals, as well as experiencing the vivid life-and-death insecurity that went hand in hand with the Vietnam and Cold wars, a gospel message was distilled and finessed specifically for the times. It went something like this:

God made people. People sinned and are destined for hell. Jesus died in people’s place to take the penalty for sin. People can choose Jesus, repent, and go to heaven. Salvation. Boom.

The good news had been simplified and focused in on the current generation’s societal realities. That message would go on to shape generations of Christian world view, and provided the foundation for your beliefs today.

Its also only partially true.

How did that taste in your mouth? Some of you are pounding the table in agreement, while others might be freaking out and wondering if I’m diving off the cliff of heresy.

What if I told you that the saving from the penalty of sin was only part of salvation, and that we’ve been almost completely ignoring another aspect? What would be the other part?

Healing. No, I’m not specifically talking about physical healing. That happens, and it doesn’t, and I don’t pretend to understand the mind of God with that one. But what does seem clear when I look at scripture is that God is a God of healing, especially in the general sense of restoring brokenness. He loves to mend our bodies- he made them to self heal, which is pretty incredible. He loves to do surgery on our souls, bringing the disintegrated parts of us back to integration. He enjoys restoring our relationships, with himself and among each other. He even likes repairing and remaking the scarred landscapes of the world.

The good news of past generations is less pointed for today, as we are seeing a different cultural reality around us. If you survey today’s young people, they are less likely to be practicing previous generation’s immorality. They aren’t engaging in pre-marital sex as much. They aren’t doing as many drugs. Contrary to what you see on the news, there is actually less violence.

No, today’s generations are increasingly paralyzed by anxiety and loneliness. Suicide is on the rise. We are less concerned with the outer world’s issues and more pressed by our inner world that is falling apart. We are less concerned with the afterlife and more concerned with making it through the week.

What is the gospel for today? We need a salve for our wounds. Salve is the root word of “salvation.” The word actually means healing. We need salvation.

And that is exactly what Jesus offers. Yes, the good news calls for the repentance of sin, but no more than it calls for the healing of broken things. We’ve just been focused on the sin and missed the fact that you really cannot do one without the other. Without healing, true repentance isn’t possible. Though equally only part of the truth, a contextualized gospel message could also be simplified in this way: God made all things good. We were wounded by evil (and by each other) and cursed. Jesus offers healing and restoration. We can find wholeness and salvation in him.

That is why we are Restoration Project. In a broken world, we are contending for men to reclaim who they are- to find healing and become healers. We want to be a movement of men who offer the salve in salvation.

How are you aware of your own need for healing, and how that need has been neglected?

What could you do today to preach the gospel of healing to yourself?

———————-

Cody Buriff, Chief of Resources & Experiences