Saved by Personal Realization, or Saved by God's Grace?

Are you saved by coming to a realization of God’s love for you, or are you saved by the love of God graciously given to you?

I ask this question, and make this distinction, because I hear people say our biggest problem is that we don’t embrace God’s unconditional love for us. As Christians, this may be true, but I get the impression that people also apply this to the lost, and their understanding of the gospel message. For, I also hear people apply God’s unconditional love to mankind simply because we are human and made in the image of God. The implication is that God loves everyone because they are human, and salvation comes when we simply realize His love for us.

What ever happened to the separation between man and God because of Adam’s sin? Didn’t Jesus die to reconcile us to the one who is justly angry with us because of Adam’s fall, and our resulting guilt? Did His death remove God’s wrath from all human beings? If so, then what is Hell, and why would the Bible describe anyone going there? If God’s wrath is no longer hanging over any human being, then aren’t all saved?

I sure hope you don’t see this as splitting theological hairs, because in reality it is a matter of grace, and understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ. For, if God’s love is hanging over every human being then our realization of this “truth” is the only thing keeping us from Him. The problem with this is that salvation then becomes a matter of personal enlightenment, and not God’s mercy from start to finish. God’s unmerited favor is not gained by independent enlightenment. We are all under the wrath of God, and the good news is that God alone gives us eyes to see His salvation. This is a gift of God. This is His unmerited favor. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 describes that we were blinded by Satan and that our remedy is not realizing what already exists, but instead it is the power of God that creates our faith.

In the beginning, when God said, “Let there be light” there was no choice to be made; light simply came into existence. This is the connection Paul makes (in 2 Corinthians 4) to our salvation.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

God's wrath is real, people are blind to the gospel, and if you know His love for you then you have been delivered from God's wrath by His grace in both providing reconciliation through Jesus, and in creating light in your previously dark heart, so that you might rightly see Jesus.

May God be praised for His glorious grace!