Steve,
While reading through the Old Testament and the New Testament I sometimes encounter the phrase “Eternal Life” and, sometimes, the word “Salvation.” Do these two topics mean the same thing? or do the have a different meaning.
Dan
Hi Dan,
“Eternal life” is the life of Christ given to those who are in Him (1 John 5:11-12). This life is not only everlasting, but is of a different nature from our native life. It is the life of God imparted, by the Holy Spirit, to humans in order to make them children of God, and to enable them to become like Christ internally and externally.
Salvation is definitely a word that, at least, overlaps the meaning of this phenomenon, but when people think of "eternal life" merely as an endless extension of natural human life, then they usually are focusing only upon the post-mortem benefits of salvation.
While you will find no scripture speaking of "salvation" as, specifically, a rescue from hell, there are numerous passages mentioning that Christ saves (delivers, rescues) us from sin, from an aimless and unprofitable life, and from bondage to the sinful world (e.g., Matt.1:21; Rom.6:18, 22; 1 Peter.1:18; Gal.1:4).
The classic metaphor for salvation, in the teaching of Christ, is that of something that was "lost" as having been "found." In Luke 15, the examples of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost (the "prodigal") son—all being recovered by the one who had lost them— are intended to represent such salvation.
Thus, "salvation" involves restoration, not mere rescue. In the parables, referenced above, the focus is not so much upon the loss felt by the lost object or person as upon the loss to the owner/father, and upon the rejoicing of that person upon the recovery of what was valued and missed.
In biblical salvation, what is recovered is the proper relationship between the believer and God Himself. This restoration involves the correction of all that was wrong in the relationship prior to salvation. It includes a life brought under proper subjection and obedience to Christ as Lord and King.
Salvation, thus, restores the Creator/creature relationship, in which the latter renders proper honor, worship and submission to the former. It also involves a trusting daily relationship, involving the acknowledgement of God's authority in the direction of all one's ways, and the presentation of requests to God with the expectation of their being granted according to His will.
In general, salvation reorients the entire life goals and values in accord with those of God Himself. The call of the Gospel is never represented in scripture as a call to go to heaven, but as a call to the kingdom and glory of God (e.g., 1 Thess.2:12; Eph.1:6, 12, 14).
As sin itself is described as having "fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23), so salvation restores in us the proper concern that God should be glorified in all that we do (e.g., Matt.5:16; 1 Cor.10:31). Anything less than this is less than what the Bible means when talking about salvation.
Blessings!
Steve Gregg