Do you want to know the truth about your salvation? Well, this is it. And it’s bigger than you think.
As Christians we will commonly call ourselves “saved.” We will speak about the day we received Jesus as “our salvation.” And we will call Jesus “our Savior.” Now this may sound like an obvious, unimportant question to ask, but what are you saved from?
There are a million different answers you may get when you ask that question. Some may say “from hell,” some may say “from sin,” some may say “from the enemy,” and some may say “from myself.” But have you ever heard anyone say, “from the earth”? The very fact that you have probably never heard of that shows that we do not understand our salvation at all.
We are saved from all of the things mentioned above, no doubt, but Jesus came to save us from the earth (or rather what’s in it) and that has been lost in the minds of many believers today.
Overview
Now before we explain anything, we must lay some foundational things about the world and why the world is the way it is.
Everything in this world is corrupt. Things decay, hurt, break and bruise. Now why should that happen? Why does a punch normally bruise? Why does a bullet normally pierce? Why does fire normally burn? Some people would just say “Well, we live in a fallen world.” But WHY is the world decaying and dying the way it is?
I’ll tell you the one reason why the world is in the state of death that it is – sin, Adam’s sin.
Romans 5:12 (NKJV) …through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin…
All things in this world, apart from Jesus, are dead because of sin. Things are not in this state because of each individual person’s sin. No, death spread to all creation when that one man, Adam sinned. So the earth is the way it is today, and all the hurt you see in it, is due to his one sin in the Garden of Eden
The Death
Now, let’s talk about this “death” that came through Adam. Don’t let anyone tell you that the death that came through Adam’s sin was just “spiritual death.“ They’ll say, “When Adam sinned he just spiritually died. He was just separated from God.“ First of all, there is no verse in scripture that says this. There is no verse that says “spiritual death came through Adam.“ And there is no verse that defines the death that came through Adam as “separation from God.“ It’s not there. Adam did separate himself from God when he sinned, but that is not the death the Bible speaks about. The death that came through Adam was physical death — death that came to his physical body and everyone that was born from him. See for yourself:
Romans 8:10 (NKJV) …the body is dead because of sin… [Adam’s sin]
The death that came through Adam was PHYSICAL death, but people ask, if Adam died physically when he ate of the tree in the Garden of Eden, then why did he live for so many years after? Why didn’t he fall over dead after he ate of the tree. Well, this is important: when the Bible says that “death” came through Adam’s sin, the death it is referring to is a process. It is not just talking about someone merely breathing their last breath. Sure, it includes that, but death in this case is referring to the process of corrupting. So when Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, his physical BODY did die instantaneously, but death in this case is referring to a process of corruption.
Here is the biblical proof of that. Here in 2 Peter, instead of saying that DEATH came into the world through Adam’s sin, he says that CORRUPTION came into the world through lust (sin):
2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV) …the corruption that is in the world through lust.
So the death (or we can say “the corruption”) that came through Adam WAS a physical death and corruption that spread to the whole world. But the death that began working in Adam the moment he ate of that tree was a process. A process of decay known as corruption.
The Root
God didn’t create the world to be corruptible, So where did all the weakness, hurt and decay in the world come from? It came from Adam’s sin. All the hurt, pain and decay that you see in this world today was passed on through one man’s sin. Adam’s sin is the root of all the problems and tribulation you see in the world today. There is no pain or hurt that you see in this world that did not come from sin.
Adam’s sin is the source of all death and corruption in the world. It is the root. That’s where Paul is coming from when he says this by the Holy Spirit:
1 Corinthians 15:56 (NKJV) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
When Paul says, “the STING of death is sin”, Paul is saying that sin is what gives death its power. It is the cause. That is an important point to make. Sin is what gives death dominion. Sin is what causes death to reign (Romans 5:14).
If there were no sin, then there would be no death. And if there were no sin then all would be free. And if there were no sin then God’s life would reign and have its dominion through us. And if there were no sin, then we could be strong and full. And if there were no sin, then Heaven would rule through us, and death would have lost all power… if there were no sin.
Oh, if only we had a savior from this root of death! Oh, if only we had someone to save us from our sins! Oh, if we only had someone to come down out of Heaven and break our bondage to this awful root! If there were no root, then there could be no bondage to its fruit! If only we had someone to save us from this sin, the root of all death.
John 1:29 (NKJV) “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
How can we as believers say that we are saved from our sins and yet still feel in bondage to the death and corruption in the world we live in? You say, “I’ve never said I was in bondage!” But every time you see the sickness, the pain, the killing and the tragedy in this world and think that this just happens and there’s nothing that can be done about it, you are submitting your mind to a mentality of bondage (see Romans 8:21-22).
If sin is the root of all death, corruption and pain in this world, then how can we say we are saved from sin and yet still claim its fruit!? If sin is the power of corruption and death, and sin is not present with us, then why do we feel bound to the corruption in this world? We’re not!
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NKJV) (3) …His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness… (4) …having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (that inherent sin from Adam).
Let me tell you, the moment a person becomes righteous, justified from sin through the blood of Jesus, is the moment they become free from the whole world and all of the corruption in it.
Being righteous and cleansed from all sin is God’s way of redeeming you from the earth and the corruption in it. Not “righteousness” as in doing right! Your right deeds cannot redeem you or keep you from corruption. It’s the righteousness that comes as a gift from Jesus that has redeemed us. His righteousness is your ticket out.
This world is bound to corruption and death, but only because of sin. Therefore, when God creates you in true righteousness and holiness through Jesus, you have escaped all of the corruption in the world. The sting (the power) of death is sin. And if Jesus has made you clean and righteous, then “O death, where is your sting (Where is your root? Where is your empowerment?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
Jesus deals with the root. Jesus is not saving you from problem to problem. Jesus dealt with the root of anything you could ever encounter in this world by dealing with sin. If Jesus can effectively deal with that root, then Jesus has effectively delivered you from this entire world. Look at Galatians 1:4:
Galatians 1:4 (NKJV) …[Jesus] gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
What does this verse say Jesus came to save us from? The present evil age. But how does it say He did it? By giving Himself up for our sins!
The reason why this age is bound to hurt, suffering, and corruption is because of sin! So, if Jesus bears sin in His own body on the cross and takes it away from you, then you have just been delivered from the world you live in. How wise is Jesus? Jesus has taken away from us the cause of all corruption, so that we would be delivered from this world, even while still walking in it.
The Paralytic
Jesus being our savior from sin takes on new meaning when you realize what sin is. Look at this example of a paralyzed man (a paralytic) that was brought to Jesus to be healed:
Matthew 9:2 (NKJV) Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.“
“What, Jesus? This is a paralytic that was brought to you to be healed! What are you doing forgiving his sins?” When this man was brought to Jesus, he was bound to all the corruption that is in this world. And when Jesus saw his faith, rather than merely heal the man, Jesus said the words “Your sins are forgiven you” and set him free from every evil thing in the whole world.
And then Jesus looked over at the scribes and said this:
Matthew 9:6 (NKJV) But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins“—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
Jesus forgave this man of all sin. And then He turned to him and said “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” and this man was healed. But let me ask you a question? When was the man free from that paralysis? Let me tell you, this man’s body may have been healed when Jesus said “Arise” but this man’s last moment as a paralytic was when Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven you.” This man’s healing was just a manifest token of the fact that he was free. When Jesus forgave him, making him as if he had never sinned before in his life, this man walked out of the corruption that is in the world. You are not free from the point you see it manifests in your body. You are free from corruption from the point you were made righteous!
Righteousness Is A Door
Righteous is like a door through which one enters to escape the world (Psalms 118:19). Jesus described Himself as a door in John 10. But most people don’t understand why.
John 10:9 (NKJV) I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…
Jesus says that He is a door for His sheep to enter so that they can be saved. But saved from what? Well, we have to find out where the sheep are in order to know what they are exiting when they go through the door.
Now pay close attention and follow me with this. In John 10:16 Jesus says that His sheep are in “a fold.”
John 10:16 (NKJV) And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring…
When Jesus talks about the sheep being in “a fold”, He is referring to “a nation.” That’s why Jesus, speaking to the Jews says, “I have other sheep that aren’t of this “fold” (this nation, the Jewish nation). Them I must also bring (the Gentiles).”
There is so much more explaining that could go into this, but Jesus is speaking about bringing the sheep out of the fold! Jesus is saving the sheep from the “fold” and rescuing them through the door! To say it plainly, Jesus saves us from the nations, from the world!
John 10 is completely in symbol, but Ezekiel 34 explains it a little clearer:
Ezekiel 34:12-13 (NKJV) (12) As a shepherd seeks out his flock… so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered… (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries…
Jesus doesn’t say the sheep are in the FOLD here. Here, He says that the sheep are amongst the PEOPLES and the COUNTRIES and He will set out to deliver them. This can get very deep, very quickly but hopefully you see the point. When Jesus says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved”, He is speaking about being saved out of this world.
Being made righteous through Jesus is like walking out of a door from the present world. The moment you step foot through His righteousness was the moment you became an alien, a stranger to the world and its corruption.
Revelation 5:9 (NKJV) And they sang a new song, saying: “…For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…”
Stranger
And this leads us to our last point—Abraham.
Genesis 15:6 (NKJV) And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
This verse is where Abraham was declared righteous by God. But there is an important thing to note about this passage. It’s only AFTER Abraham is declared righteous in this verse (Genesis 15:6) that God starts calling Abraham by the name “stranger.” He began saying that Abraham was a “stranger to the land that he dwelt in.” One occurrence is in Genesis 15:13, immediately after Abraham was declared righteous, but another occurrence is Genesis 17:8.
(Note: If you read those verses mentioned above, they will mention the country of “Canaan.” Canaan was a country in biblical times, but it is also the symbolic word in the Bible for “Earth” (Compare Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:3).)
Do we believe it is a coincidence that only AFTER Abraham is made righteous, God begins to call him a stranger to the earth (Canaan). Not at all. That’s how it works. Righteousness separates people from the corruption that is in the world. And that’s what happened to Abraham. He became a stranger to this world when he was imputed righteousness.
Righteousness is like a door through which one runs to be saved from the earth and ALL it’s corruption. This is how three men walk through flames without even smelling like the fire (Daniel 3:27). This is why lion’s mouths are shut to do no hurt or destruction (Daniel 6:22, Isaiah 11:6-9). This is why the 12 disciples were perfectly kept in the midst of the most brutal cities of Israel (John 17:12-16). Why? Because Jesus delivered them from fire, lions, and other men? No, because Jesus redeems from the corruption that’s in the world. And He does so, through righteousness.
Righteousness is the exit from earth.
Extra Verses
Jesus contrasts what it’s like to be IN HIM versus what it’s like to be IN THE WORLD. If you’re a part of the world you have tribulation, if you’re in Him you have peace from that tribulation, because Jesus came to save us from the world.
John 16:33 (NKJV) These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
And in this verse, John tells us what happened to us when we first believed and were born of God? What did we receive? What did we overcome?
1 John 5:4 (NKJV) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Reform Church 
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