Do we really know what salvation means?

Reflecting on Luke 1:57-80

"To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins" (Luke 1:79)

Zechariah was dumbfounded, so shocked he could not speak.
But once he accepted the shock, his tongue was loosed.
By naming his son John, he surrendered to the angel’s message.
His miracle boy would be the herald of the messiah.
The way-preparer for the Prince of Peace.
The messenger for the One Who would make things ‘very good’ again.

To him, John is proof that God is at work for good…
* to come and redeem His people
* to save His people from their enemies, from all who hated them
* to show mercy to their ancestors by saving their heirs
* to rescue from the hand of their enemies
* to enable them to serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness
* to give the people the knowledge of salvation, through forgiveness
* to shine on those living in darkness and the shadow of death
* to guide their feet into the path of peace

Each of these lines could me a reflection on its own.
They each reveal a unique facet of the same precious diamond.
My attention is especially drawn to salvation through forgiveness.
In their minds, the main problem was Rome, their enemies.
Mercy meant rescuing them from sinners, not from their own sin.
Their ‘knowledge of salvation’ was skewed; they did not understand it.
This was especially true of those who thought they were already holy.
The religious leaders were convinced that others were sinners, not them.
They were confident that the messiah would come because of their holiness.

John, the way-preparer, also began his message with the word repent.
On the one hand, this was not unusual; the religious leaders did this all the time.
They pointed at everyone and said repent.
What they meant was stop sinning and be like us!
But John, and later Jesus, challenges their skewed view of repentance.
They, the religious leaders, the holy ones, needed to repent.

This is where I see the uniqueness of Jesus’s message, and John’s.
Jesus’s message was not to point out the sins of others.
Jesus’s message was a call to be honest about our own blind spots.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

If we don’t see clearly ourselves, how can we accuse others of being blind?
Salvation comes in admitting our own weakness and folly, our own blindness.
This is how you can recognize a Jesus follower.
They don’t have time to judge others, they are too aware of their own weakness.
And this is where I sense weakness in me, and in the church in general.
I am very aware of the failures and follies of others.
Much more aware of them, than I am of my own failures and follies.
Similarly the church as I’ve experienced it is the same.
We are known for judging others, pointing out their sin and blindness.
We are more like the religious leaders, separating people by their ‘holiness’.
We see righteousness as standing up against the sin of others.
We make our countries great again by condemning and controlling sinners.
We fail to see that the fruit of the Spirit is self-control.

I have no doubt that other people are sinners, and fall short of God’s glory.
But I also have no doubt that I am too, that I do too!
Salvation is not me being saved from the sins of others.
Salvation is me being saved from my own failures and follies.
By grace I am forgiven, released, restored as a child of God.
And by that same grace so are others.

Christians, like the Pharisees, have their pet sins they like to condemn.
They see it as a sign of their holiness, but it is a sign of their blindness.
By attacking the sins of others, they do what Adam and Eve did.
Adam said, ‘it was the woman!’; Eve said, ‘it was the serpent!’.
Blame-shifting is a smokescreen to avoid dealing with our own issues.
This is Satan’s strategy; get sinners to focus on others.
When Jesus restored Peter, Peter wondered about Jesus’s plans for John.

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them… When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.'” (John 21:20-22)

Christians today should memorize these words of Jesus.
“What is that to you? You must follow me” (John 21:22)
Yes other people are sinners, but what is that to me.
My calling, my challenge, my need, is to figure out how to follow Jesus myself.
And that will keep me occupied until Jesus’s returns.
Actually, this is the best way to do evangelism.
Not by pointing out the sins of others, but being honest and real ourselves.
We lead by example, showing others how repentance works.

Our world needs Jesus-followers who model the knowledge of salvation.
Who do not judge and condemn others, but admit their own failures and follies.
If this would happen, we would see the revival we so eagerly desire.
And our tongues would be loosed with joy, as we experienced God’s mercy.
We would sing for joy in how God patiently deals with us.
And we would sing for joy in how God patiently deals with others.
We wouldn’t accuse Jesus, or Jesus-followers, of being soft on sinners.
We would celebrate this grace and mercy that softens and saves sinners.

May we take our focus off the sins of others, how others fail to follow Jesus correctly.
“What is that to you? You must follow me” (John 21:22)
May we honestly admit and work on our own sins, on our own following Jesus!
This is how the knowledge of salvation through forgiveness will be revealed.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, too many of us have become 'preachy' and 'judgy', and have failed to understand how salvation works. Show us the full meaning of grace to us, so that we can share the full meaning of grace to others.