I have written in one of my ordinary books this statement: “The purpose of “being saved” isn’t being saved. Rather, it is to be set aside, consecrated, sanctified, set apart and marked for the work of God.”
Let’s break that down a bit, and get “behind the story” as it were. When Abram’s family was told to get up and move to a new land, they were anything but monotheists—they had and worshiped household idols of various gods. They weren’t originally devoted followers of YHWH.
And yet God chose Abram and had him move to a completely different land; from what many have said is the cradle of humanity to a coastal hill country. As the story develops, God makes a promise to Abram. That promise included both a long and an extensive lineage for Abram—something of considerable value and prestige in ancient cultures. But that wasn't all. Those descendants we are told and Abraham is promised will bless the world. I suspect that Abraham didn’t know what that meant and neither do we if we read the story as it was written.
That burgeoning family of descendants eventually came to be called Israel, taking the name of Isaac’s son Jacob who would be the carrier of the promise in his generation. The twelve tribes of Jacob eventually become, despite their own intrigues, detours, and failures, a nation incubated in Egypt and eventually settled in the land first promised to Abram when he moved from Haran. But and let's not read too quickly past this - Joseph's presence in Egypt eventually saves the kingdom by planning for future famine. Egypt lives because of the presence of Abraham's family.
Throughout this early story, we have hints of God’s presence and working among Israel despite what God will eventually call their “stiff-necked and obstinate” way of living with Him. Almost inexplicably, Abram and eventually Israel will be blessed by others. Israel ends up taking much of the wealth of Egypt with her into the wilderness.
The Law of Moses delivered amidst lightning, thunder and clouds, is rather intricate, covering most parts of a society’s needs to regulate itself. What we see in this Law though are moral precepts that were and are somewhat—and sometimes considerably—different than the accepted behavioral norms found in the ancient world and even today in parts of the world. Fairness, justice, mercy, and consideration make their appearances within the Mosaic Law, reflecting the values of God. Israel was chosen not because she was great or for her own benefit. She was intended to be the “light for the Gentiles” in the ancient world—the economy of God on earth. If Israel and other nations had been able to live within the boundaries of this Law’s principles, they would all have lived as God had intended and would have lived in peace and prosperity. But neither Israel or the other nations were consistently interested in doing so.
Eventually, Jesus comes and lives among us showing us how to live, and gives Himself to “save” us. This saving is actually a redemption, a reconciliation of Man to God. This saving isn’t only for the benefit of the “saved,” but for the world—the promise made to Abraham is being fulfilled. The descendants of Israel and of Abraham continue to be those who live in the promise and who live as the people of God on the earth. But saved are saved for the benefit of the world. Our being saved isn’t for us entirely, but for the world. Just as Israel was supposed to be the light to the Gentiles, so is the church. We are supposed to model the economy of God, the community of God's images on the earth.
When the world sees the church, do they see the promise of God, the economy of God, the people who live as God lived? When the world sees me, when the world sees you, do they see someone who embodies the character of God?
The purpose of being saved isn’t to be saved. It is to have been consecrated for the work of God in the world. Not only are we the image of God, called to be most fully that image, but in becoming that image, we bless the world and point her toward God—simply by being who we are.
How are we doing as saved people?
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