Saved from What?

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

Romans 5:9

Have you ever thought about what Jesus saved you from? When I was a young Christian, it seemed common to hear a person begin to share his faith by asking, “Are you saved?” Of course, if you knew the gospel you would understand that he was asking if you have repented of your sins and placed your faith in Christ alone and his finished work on the cross. If you were not a Christian or did not grow up in the church you may scratch your head and ask, “Saved from what?”
 
There is a wonderful little book by the late theologian R.C. Sproul titled, Saved from What? that answers this question in detail, and I highly commend this book to you if you are interested in reading in greater detail. The first question we must consider is what does the Bible mean by the word “salvation” or the verb, “saved”? The first and most obvious answer is our own eternal destiny by being rescued from our sins. The word is used in the Bible in other ways as well. It may be a reference to physical healing or deliverance from an enemy or rescue in a dire situation where one may perish. Sproul notes, “The common thread that is found in many uses that at the root of ‘salvation’ means being rescued or delivered from some calamity or catastrophe.”[1]
 
The Bible also uses the verb “saved” in the past, present, and future tenses. You “have been saved.” “You are being saved.” And “you will be saved.” This points to the past reality of God determining to save us and sending his Son to die on the cross to absorb his righteous anger over sin, Christ’s ongoing rescuing of us throughout our lives, and our final future experience of the fullness of salvation in the eternal state. This is a lot to think about, but the point is that God saves us from beginning to end and this is all accomplished through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus.
 
But what are we saved from? Typically, we think of it in terms of sin, ourselves, Satan’s dominion, or hell. While all of these are true, there is something deeper and more profound that we need to consider. Ultimately, we are saved from God’s wrath. Read this verse again, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (emphasis added)”
 
Paul says elsewhere, “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thes 1:9-10 emphasis added). This makes perfect sense if we understand the holiness of God and the depth of our depravity. God is of purer eyes to look upon sin. (Hab 1:13) He cannot just ignore our sin. Also, we are far more sinful than we realize, and every act of sin is “cosmic rebellion” against God (as R.C. Sproul called it). We deserve justice which means we deserve God’s wrath. It is Christ’s punishment in our place that provides forgiveness of sin and moves us from being enemies of God to being his beloved children. We are saved from God by God for God. That is amazing grace indeed!

[1] R.C. Sproul. Saved from What? Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002, 20.