I bet you've been asked that question at least once in your life (and it came from someone who sincerely desired the best for you.) Depending on which Christian denomination you were raised in, you might have been a bit stymied for an answer. Considered globally, it's a small minority of Christians who hold that salvation is a one-time event. They are mistaken, but innocently so; it is what they have been taught, and they have been shown a selection of biblical passages that seem to support the notion. But those passages are divorced from a multitude of others that give a fuller explanation of Jesus and the Apostles' teaching on salvation - not to mention the Church's uninterrupted historical understanding from the time of Christ until today.
So how do I respond to the question, "Have you been saved?" Here is the brief, nuanced answer that my youth minister (Paul Masek) shared with me many moons ago:
"Yes, I have ... I am also in the process of being saved right now; and in the future I hope to be saved - to obtain final salvation with Christ in heaven."
I think it is a marvelous answer. Let me provide a couple of verses of Scripture in support of each its parts:
Yes, I have been saved
"He
saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in
virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in
the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5)
"Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you" (1 Peter 3:21)
I am being saved
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13)
For
through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail,
but faith working through love." (Gal. 5:5-6)
"..but
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John
1:7)
I hope to be saved
From Ash Wednesday's second reading, "Brothers
and sisters ... We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God ... we appeal to you
not to receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 5:20; 6:1)
"Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today,"
that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:12-14)
_____________
As I said, these verses can be multiplied. Chapter 6 of The God Who is Love
can provide you with more. Hope your Ash Wednesday is going well!
I have been reflecting upon the great people the
Lord brought across my path early in life. One of the most influential, to
whom I return again and again in my mind, was Paul Masek. He was an extraordinary mentor; if you read The God Who is Love, then
you already know how he offered me encouragement and direction at critical
junctures.
I was reminded of Paul again at Mass this past
Sunday, when the music leader performed a version of Psalm 23, "The Lord
is my Shepherd." When I was starting high school things were pretty
rough. I had
seriously committed my life to Jesus about a year before and was heading
into high school with a reputation of being seriously over-religious.
(Translation: I read the Bible and was very excited to share what
God
was doing in my life.) In 1987, even in a Catholic school, that put you on the outside of a lot of social groups.
I
had been introduced to Paul, a young, Catholic youth minister, about a
month before freshman year; and we became fast friends. When I shared my struggles at
school with him he reminded me of the final line in Psalm 23, "Surely
goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (23:6), and then he broke it
open for me: "The psalm says that goodness 'follows'
us all the days of our lives - but have to turn around to see it.
Often times, in the moment, we cannot recognize the good that God is
bringing about. It's only after time passes and we look back, that
we're able to see it."
And he was right. God was deepening my
commitment to
Him by letting me experience resistance. He helped me to
understand, from the start, that committing yourself to following Jesus -
what so many people imagine as "playing it safe" - is the most radical,
revolutionary thing a human being can do. Looking back I
wouldn't trade those early days for anything. God walked with me and
held me incredibly close throughout. And in the end,
high school turned out to be a good experience - both spiritually and
socially; but those are stories for another time. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose" (Rom.8:28). That is true for every one of us, even those who leave this world as martyrs.
Paul Masek is a guy worth getting to know. I highly recommend checking out his blog, book, and the amazing retreat team he heads up, R.E.A.P. (of which yours truly was blessed to be an original member a couple of decades back!).
