Salvation From What?

We often hear the words “Salvation or Saviour ”  commonly mentioned in Judeo-Christian theology.  Actually, most ancient theological texts make mention of a Messiah as part of the message passed on to humanity through the prophets (God’s messengers), thus acknowledging the need for fallen mankind to connect with their creator. This is true for the ancient Arabic scriptures of the Koran as well as the Puranas and Vedas of the Hindu religion written in Sanskrit.

In the Koran, Mohammed repeatedly mentions Isa (Jesus), the son of Miriam (Mary) as the Messiah and his followers as the ones who hold the truth. Actually, Jesus is also referred to as the Spirit of God by Mohammed.  In the Hindu Vedas, we have “Prajapatti” or man-God of the people, who is to come and die for our sins.  

It seems like the only faith that puts an emphasis on the fact that our souls are in serious danger after death is Christianity.  It not only gives our souls an eternal value by making us have eternal consequences to the decisions made during our existence in our mortal and finite bodies; but puts the responsibility to choose God’s moral standards entirely upon ourselves. 

Hinduism leaves the fate of our eternal existence to a mere mathematical formula used by the creator god (Brahma) that balances good vs evil deeds, of which we have no actual account or possibility to calculate.  Salvation can, therefore, be possibly achieved through good works.  I say possibly because we leave it all to destiny and karma hoping that we will have a better existence in our reincarnation (which by the way is an invention by man to keep the lower cast oppressed – I explain this further in my book “From Karma to Christ”. If you need more information, please search the word “Dalit” online and you will find many documentaries on this matter.)

Muslims leave the destiny of our eternal existence at the mercy of Allah, who once again takes into consideration our good and bad deeds (salvation through works). By keeping the religious rituals and the month of Ramadan, one can cleanse their own sins. They do however emphasize the fact that there is no reincarnation and that after death we either end up in hell or heaven.  What seems to be interesting is that one of the primary rewards in heaven (especially for those who die in Jihad) is 70 virgins awaiting to give you sexual pleasure throughout eternity.  This clearly reveals to us that women don´t have much value in this faith, which is evident in the culture and lifestyle of those that practice Islam.

When it comes to Christianity, however, we are from the very beginning made hopeless and helpless when facing our sins and fallen nature.  Unlike other faiths, there is no possibility or formula to pay for our sins (penitence) while on earth.  There are no second chances or forgiveness after death.  We will pay for our sins throughout eternity in hell unless we are saved from that destiny. 

This is where God becomes our Savior in the form of Jesus Christ and all we have to do is surrender to God´s plan of salvation instead of trying to constantly make up our own. God Himself cleanses us, He suffers the deadly consequences of our sins upon His body, He goes to the pits of hell and defeats death, and upon His resurrection from the grave, we are empowered against our fallen nature in order to become new creatures in Christ.