Salvation of the Mind
The salvation enacted by Jesus was God entering the creation order to restore all things to Himself (John 3:16). The Greek word used repeatedly for salvation in the Bible indicates rescue or safety; deliverance in the areas of the spiritual, physical, and emotional. It includes provision for safety, healing, and peace. Jesus is God’s rescue mission to enact these things.
Jesus is always working to bring believers into a total awareness of His fullness within them. As we walk in intimacy and relationship with Him, we have the joy of uncovering what was already there from the beginning - we are one with Christ. We renew our minds in relationship. We better understand our personal purpose in God’s kingdom. This is what Paul intends when he tells the Philippians to “work out their salvation.”
Philippians 2:12-13 (NASB) “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Jesus is always drawing our minds out of the old creation order and its darkened way of thinking into the glorious light of the new creation reality (Ephesians 4:18). As our minds change, so do our actions. In this way, we are being saved. He is rescuing us from our destructive ways of thinking and behaving as He reveals more and more of the fullness of His Son in us. The Body of Christ is an entirely new humanity that experiences a progressive renewing of the mind as time moves toward the end of the age. We are God’s change agents that will usher in the final consummation of His kingdom on earth.
On the Cross, Jesus effectively enacted salvation for all of humanity, but we are left with the choice of whether or not to accept His free gift. When we say “yes,” we are saying yes to a lifetime of relationship, discovery, and freedom from old ways of thinking. We are saying yes to the complete and total fullness of God.
Colossians 2:9-12 (NSRV) “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.”
Renewing our minds to walk in His ways is one of the most important things we can do as believers (Romans 12:1-2). As I am transformed, I begin to experience the world as Jesus does. I am brought into greater and greater awareness of the life, joy, peace, and abundant life that Jesus won on my behalf (John 10:10).
