MYTH #26-To Jesus salvation is all about heaven!
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The emphasis upon salvation throughout the
years tends to over focus on salvation as the
channel or gateway to heaven. This has become
an overriding theme in Christianity and yet
is a myth. Salvation is so much more than a
gateway to heaven or eternal life.
In the Old Testament Scriptures the concept
of Shalom is a primary theme. Shalom is where
people experience a peaceful and satisfying
relationship with every aspect of life.
Shalom encompasses the idea of peace,
well-being, prosperity, and the experience of
God's blessings. Everywhere in the Old
Testament, peace and prosperity are seen as
God's reward to those whose ways are pleasing
to Him. In Proverbs 16:7 it says: "When a
man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes
even his enemies live at peace with him."
And in Psalm 128:1-2 it says: "Blessed
are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his
ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours."
Where "salvation" or "saved" is used in the
Old Testament, it is in a "quite concrete"
sense that "covers more than spiritual
blessings," such as deliverance from earthly
enemies, well-being and "the effect of God's
goodness on his people". This sense of an
all-embracing salvation is continued in the
New Testament, even though the more spiritual
aspect of forgiveness of sin receives a
stronger emphasis today.
Jesus speaks of a wider sense of what
salvation means. In Luke 7:50, Jesus says to
the "sinful woman" regarding forgiveness of
her sins, "Your faith has saved you", and in
Mark 10:52 He uses the same Greek word for
the blind man to imply restoration of sight.
In Mark 5:28, He uses "saved" with a double
meaning when he told the woman who had been
suffering from bleeding, "Daughter, your
faith has healed you, go in peace and be
freed from your suffering." The word "healed"
there is the word for "salvation". So,
physical healing and spiritual salvation are
found in the same term. Jesus didn't separate
the physical from the spiritual.
