Salvation is what God is all about; always was about and always will be! Few, though, understand salvation. Some understand what it is: to trust in the God's sacrifice of His own flesh for the sins of mankind (1 John 2:2). Many either do not understand "trust" or fail to trust. Jesus used, as an example, the trust the Hebrews had in the Lord when they held up and depended on Jesus to crucify the Serpent (John 3:14). Some of the Hebrews had confidence that Jesus would slay the Beast long before God came in the flesh. They had great confidence in the Lord.
Many who proclaim Christ as their Savior fail to trust him. They turn to vain philosophy and psychiatry when Jesus is the solution to their "psychosis."
"Psychosis" is from Greek psukhōsis ‘animation’, from psukhoō ‘I give life to’, from psukhē ‘soul, mind’. (Wikitionay, "psychosis"). Troubled people turn to the vain philosophy of men (Col 2:8) to repair their souls! Psychologists are in the business of trying to save troubled souls. According to their own words, "There is no cure for psychosis" (Psycheguides.com; "Psychosis Treatment Program Options"). That confirms what the writer was taughtin graduate school; that psycholgists cannot fix anything and credible ones don't claim that they can. Even with that honesty, people with troubled souls seldom turn to God who can fix anything (Mat 19:26). He even repairs anxiety:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7 ESV)People think that Jesus came to provide peace on earth, but he did not; he came to provide peace within the souls of people! (Mat 10:34). Jesus came to provide hope. When people trust in Jesus, they have hope. What is that hope? "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (Lev 3:26) which is restated in the New Testament by Paul: "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation" (1 Thes 5:8).
"Hope" is some to some event to which those born again look forward. "Salvation" is sometime subsequent to when Christians first believe: "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Rom 13:11).
Salvation and its timing is not a New Testament notion; it was the plan from the beginning. Isaiah knew what salvation entails and when it would occur.
Thus saith the Lord... My salvation is near to come (Isa 56:1). Isaiah knew Jesus and foretold that salvation is in the future. Of course, from Isaiah's time it certainly was, but he was prophesying; it was the future of those in latter times as well.
Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). Salvation is where God is. Isaiah understood that God would prepare a city as a sanctuary from Satan. Isaiah all but said Jesus's very words:
Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. (Isa 56:5).The Father would build a house, which in scripture is referred to as the City of God - New Jerusalem (Rev 22:2). That great City has been prepared in Heaven but it will exist eternally on it's original foundation as New Jerusalem.
The Father's house is eternal safety from Satan in God's sanctuary. Thus, salvation comes when the souls of Christians enter the Mansion which God has prepared. While Christians still live, they are safe from the wiles of Satan who is unable to destroy the souls of the faithful: "And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand" (Job 1:12). That is the condition of those who are faithful today. Why would God have different expectations for Job than for the rest of Christiandom?
It has been taught that God changed the rules for salvation between the old and new covenants. Both are Abrahamic Covenants in that the prosperity that God promised the Hebrews was salvation, and the land was more than Israel but eternal Jerusalem - the City of God. The Abrahamic Covenant was for all Abraham's seed. Isaiah understood that Gentiles would become Hebrews by adoption:
The Lord God, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. (Isa 56:8)It should be obvious that salvation is for everyone, and everybody are spiritual Hebrews. God waited for the Gentiles to be his people, and salvation would not come until that time. Salvation came on Calvary when God provided His own flesh for the sins of mankind. The Serpent was vicariously crucified that day when the unrepentant thief died on his tree. However, effectually, people are saved when delivered from the cunning of Satan. That is always sometimes in the future: "shall be saved" indicates that (Acts 2:21). Paul said, "To die is gain" if in Christ (Phil 1:21).
Why is dying gain? It's the time of salvation for Christians. Until then, God keeps Christians safe from "the hand" of Satan. Satan will never be allowed to kill the soul of those who are born again, but he can and will tempt and provide tribulation to undermine their faith.
Faith is a shield (Ephes 6:16). It keeps the hand of Satan from destroying the souls of Christians. Why would Christians need a shield of faith? Because Satan can steal souls by cunningness (Gen 3:1). Christians must trust Jesus for the condition of their souls; neither philosophy nor psychology (merely the study of the soul) can fix broken souls. Faith is for the duration of life or it would not be faith; it would be doubt and delusion - which psychiatrists call "psychosis."
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