by Lynn Hartmann
“WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?”
This was one question that my 8th grade confirmands and I had to memorize, along with answers, to be quizzed by our minister in front of our Missouri Synod Lutheran congregation. Scary — both the process and the material taught. The answer focused on the 10 commandments and our sins against them. And being saved by Jesus’ sacrifice for us. The take home message for us was STERN.
That was my last formal training on the topic of salvation—until now. I have just attended a 6-week Faith Forum series on salvation taught by Dr. Mark McInroy. And what riches we have learned!
Salvation is not just one process, but many. We move from one state, often bound in some way, to a greater, more open, state of being. It could be visualized as concentric circles where we are progressively enriched and enrich the world in turn.
Importantly, going back to my Catechism question: “Salvation is not about what we do, it is not about how much good we perform. It’s about what God has done for us.” God’s grace, through Jesus, is the foundation of our salvation.
Guided by Mark’s scholarly, generous teaching, we explored Salvation as forgiveness. “Christ’s merits are given to us so that we might be reckoned righteous . . . when we believe in Him, as though we had merits of our own.”1 We were reminded that we are all adopted children of God. Our place in God’s family is secure. We can rest in this assurance and experience additional fruits of salvation. For example, there is healing that derives from salvation.
We pondered the question, “Of what do your body and soul need to be rid?” For me, contemplation of our 2024 world brings deep concern and anxiety for what may lie ahead. Here is a 20th Century Christian scholar on anxiety: “The first thing that must be said, and which can never be said powerfully and triumphantly enough, is that human fear has been completely and definitively conquered by the Cross.”2 Our human fear has been cured by the love of Jesus. Rest in this.
Next we contemplated Salvation as the process of gaining true humanity. First we must heal the divisions within ourselves; we are self-absorbed, which cuts us off from God and others. Martin Luther: “You are completely curved in upon yourself and pointed toward love of yourself.” With Salvation we can raise our heads, see others, feel their pain, and love them. As Dr. McInroy said, “There is now the dissolution of individual boundaries and joining of the Christian community in a co-humanity.” In Christ our humanity is restored as it was originally intended.
We pondered Salvation as Deification: we “may become partakers of the divine nature.”3 According to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, an early Christian scholar, “Deification is the attaining of likeness to God and union with God so far as is possible.”4 This level of salvation is more than being pardoned, more than being healed. We are in God; and when we are in God, we “dispense to others, and bestow liberally upon others those good gifts which come to us from God.”5
Finally, Dr. McInroy took us to a view of the Eschaton—the end times. As he explained, this is the boldest claim for Salvation, when the entire cosmos reaches its fulfillment as God originally intended. Here God finally achieves God’s purposes for the world. Christ’s resurrection is the first step in the unfolding of the Eschaton. With His coming again, there will be the resurrection of those who belong to Him. In this glorified existence, there will be a more profound experience of relationship than we do or can experience now.6
My experience of this Forum series was incredibly rich. Dr. McInroy is a scholar and a gifted teacher. My quotes here and summary ideas all stem from his remarks and his handouts. I would encourage you to watch this series of Faith Forum discussions, all available on this YouTube playlist.
