THE PURPOSE OF SALVATION (8 OF 10)
Scripture: John 13:1-20
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The Purpose of Salvation (8 of 10)
Series: Discipleship
Christopher B. Harbin
John 13:1-20
We talk a lot about salvation. We talk about heaven and hell, and yet Jesus actually had very little to say about heaven, hell, and the after-life. The vast majority of his words were about living life here on earth. He seems to have been mainly concerned with bringing heaven to earth, rather than introducing us to a heavenly reality in some other realm of existence. That is not to say that Jesus did not teach about an after-life. Instead, it means that Jesus' emphasis was on the way we are to live that heavenly life beginning here and now in this material world. That said, how then should we think of salvation? What should we understand when we read Jesus' words about salvation?
We often miss the bigger picture of Jesus' teaching for focusing too much on little details of his discussions with people or symbols he used which people often did not understand. He spoke with Nicodemus about being born again, but we forget that Nicodemus did not understand him. Jesus addressed the woman at the well in regard to water, for that is what she came to get from the well. The larger picture, however, was not about birth, nor about water, nor bread, nor sheep. As we come to the last supper Jesus celebrated with the disciples, we find John's setting of that event places Jesus in a very different role than we might expect. Jesus placed himself in the role of a servant.
Passover was a celebration of liberty. It was about freedom. It was about enjoying the blessings of God by a people redeemed from slavery and oppression. It was a feast celebrating the best that life had to offer. The Jews would recline at table in imitation of the Roman take on feasting. They celebrated freedom from slavery. John, however, tells us that Jesus wrapped himself in a towel and took up the role of the least of slaves, washing the feet of the disciples.
This action on Jesus' part was somewhat anti ...
Series: Discipleship
Christopher B. Harbin
John 13:1-20
We talk a lot about salvation. We talk about heaven and hell, and yet Jesus actually had very little to say about heaven, hell, and the after-life. The vast majority of his words were about living life here on earth. He seems to have been mainly concerned with bringing heaven to earth, rather than introducing us to a heavenly reality in some other realm of existence. That is not to say that Jesus did not teach about an after-life. Instead, it means that Jesus' emphasis was on the way we are to live that heavenly life beginning here and now in this material world. That said, how then should we think of salvation? What should we understand when we read Jesus' words about salvation?
We often miss the bigger picture of Jesus' teaching for focusing too much on little details of his discussions with people or symbols he used which people often did not understand. He spoke with Nicodemus about being born again, but we forget that Nicodemus did not understand him. Jesus addressed the woman at the well in regard to water, for that is what she came to get from the well. The larger picture, however, was not about birth, nor about water, nor bread, nor sheep. As we come to the last supper Jesus celebrated with the disciples, we find John's setting of that event places Jesus in a very different role than we might expect. Jesus placed himself in the role of a servant.
Passover was a celebration of liberty. It was about freedom. It was about enjoying the blessings of God by a people redeemed from slavery and oppression. It was a feast celebrating the best that life had to offer. The Jews would recline at table in imitation of the Roman take on feasting. They celebrated freedom from slavery. John, however, tells us that Jesus wrapped himself in a towel and took up the role of the least of slaves, washing the feet of the disciples.
This action on Jesus' part was somewhat anti ...
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