Psalm 91 - God's Salvation
Psalm 91 is a song of deliverance, a wonderful promise of God’s provision, but its sweetest line is its last: With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation (Psalm 91.16). Salvation is indeed the grand theme of Scripture. It is a scarlet thread that binds everything together: from the fall and the protevangelium (first gospel) in Genesis 3.15, to the coming of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. Story after story relates how the lost are found, the oppressed are liberated, and the infirm are healed. Israel was released from Egypt’s bondage (Exodus 15-2), Jonah was saved from the belly of the great fish (Jonah 2.9), and three young men were delivered from a fiery furnace (Daniel 3.26). In one sense the whole of the Bible is a song of deliverance. Certainly, nothing can hinder the Lord from saving whether by many or by few (1 Samuel 14.6).
Psalm 91 reaffirms the principle that God’s favor rests upon those who love Him, acknowledge His name, and call on Him. This is a common theme in Scripture. For example: call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me (Psalm 50.14). Of course, Jesus both taught and modeled such behavior: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11.9-10). Those who call on the Lord may be assured that He will show them His salvation; that is, He will rescue, protect, answer, abide, deliver, honor and satisfy the one who loves, acknowledges and calls on Him (Psalm 91.14-16).
The Bible may be properly understood as a history book – a history of salvation. It records the things that God has done for His covenant people and it promises that He will continue to perfect His salvation in the lives of his elect until that it is perfected.
Biblical images for salvation describe what God has done, is doing and will do on behalf of men and women who suffer from the misery, mortality and meaninglessness of the human condition. Salvation refers both to an active process and to its resultant effect, both to a verb (save) and to a noun (salvation), though it is the latter that is the special focus of this article. (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, p. 752)
The Old Testament is filled with stories of deliverance. Asa is typical of one who at times was obedient, and, other times, disobedient. Though not entirely exemplary, he was nonetheless reckoned a righteousness king. He did away with the sodomites (male cult prostitutes), removed idols from holy places, and destroyed pagan altars and fertility shrines. However, despite Asa’s spiritual diligence he was not exempt from danger; after ten years of peace and prosperity (2 Chronicles 14.1), he was attack by a vastly superior force led by Zerah “the Ethiopian” (2 Chronicles 14.8-15). In response to his first great military crisis Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army” (2 Chronicles 14.11; cp. Exodus 14.14). One would think that after such a great success Asa would know where to turn in times of trouble. Unfortunately for Judah, when they were besieged a second time by their brothers in the north (Israel), rather than turning to the Lord as he had done before, Asa made an alliance with Ben-Hadad of Aram. Hanani the seer censured him with these words: For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war (2 Chronicles 16.9). The Lord who changes not may always be trusted to be true to Himself. Believers in every age who turn to Him will be saved.
The doctrine of salvation is saturate with God’s grace and to understand it fully is no small task. The psalmist says that God will permit the one who calls on Him to feast his eyes upon His salvation (Psalm 91.16). What an invitation this is! Job tells us that the enormity and wonder of creation is but the fringe of God’s handiwork (Job 26.6-14); if this is so, how much more is the wonder of His grace. The intricacies of salvation are quite fathomless; who would presume fully to understand the richness of His grace? Yet we are invited to try. Consider the words of another messianic Psalm: In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. So I said: “Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you (Psalm 102.23-28).
Old Testament narratives of deliverance make it clear that freedom from physical danger is not enough. Although the prophets admonished the Israelites to circumcise their hearts, examples of such spiritual propriety are rare. Absolute obedience to the law was impossible for those infected by Adam’s sin. How could one be saved? Jeremiah wrote: “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. … This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31.31-34). With respect to the doctrine of salvation the New Testament puts more emphasis on personal salvation and less on national redemption.
Just as one encounters physical danger, so he faces spiritual danger. Sin (Romans 6.12), Satan (1 Peter 5.8), the wrath of God (Romans 5.9-10) and the great day of judgment (1 Thessalonians 2.16) are perils that threaten one’s eternal soul. “By far the most common New Testament use of salvation, however, has to do with salvation from sin (‘and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins,’ Mt 1:21 RSV). To be precise, one is saved from the penalty of sin (Luke 7:48, 50), from the power of sin (Rom 6:12-14) and from the practice of sin as a way of life (1 John 3:9-10; 5:18)” (DBI, p. 753).
Jesus Christ – the name and title denote His office and function: He is the Prophet who announces salvation (Luke 4.18-21), the Priest who forgives sins (Hebrews 4.14-16), the King (Galatians 2.20; cf. Hebrews 7.11) who reigns in the heart of the believer. He is the Son of God who took upon himself the penalty of sin and confers eternal life on all who believe in him (John 3.16). His redemptive work is a fait accompli that is applied to hearts of all who believe. Although salvation’s work is finished in Christ, it is not yet finished in the believer’s life. Nonetheless, what has begun will be completed (Philippians 1.6).
SALVATION IS COMPLETE IN CHRIST
By grace you have been saved through faith and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2.8-10). Salvation is God’s work, not man’s. Paul is emphatic that salvation requires no human initiative or work. That salvation’s work is finished is evident “…when the apostle says that God, ‘when we were dead in trespasses, gave us life in Christ – by grace you have been saved’ (Eph 2:5). A little later he repeats the essential thought, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith’ (Eph 2:8), where again the perfect tense points to a salvation already accomplished. The aorist of an event in the past is found when we read, ‘Not from works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us’ (Tit 3:5). Again, Christ ‘delivered us from the power of darkness’ (Col 1:13). Paul leaves his readers in no doubt as to the reality of salvation as an accomplished fact. It happened in the past” (Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, p. 860).
SALVATION IS ONGOING
There is a sense in which salvation is an ongoing work of grace. For example, we read: The gospel is the power of God for salvation and it is God’s righteousness being revealed in it (Romans 1.16-17). There is a force of the Holy Spirit now at work: Paul says, I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6.2). Salvation is not something that can be put off for a more convenient moment. God, at this moment, is at work in those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1.18). Moreover, the ongoing work of grace is evident in the struggle with the sin nature. Yet, the Bible tells us that the believer may enjoy at least some victory over his sin nature. Paul writes: What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7.24-25). Salvation equips the believer for the life he must live in the present (Ephesians 6.10-17). He has put on the new self (Christ): But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge of the image of its Creator (Colossians 3.8-10).
SALVATION IS ON ITS WAY
As much as salvation is rooted in the past and lived out in the present, it remains a future event. For example, Paul writes of a time coming when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11.26). The believer too awaits the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2.13). His citizenship is in heaven and he looks forward to the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21.1). Paul speaks about salvation being nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13.11). Although the Christian may endure many hardships in this present life he knows the Lord will one day rescue him. From prison Paul writes to his young protégé: The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen (2 Timothy 4.18). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22.20).
AN AFTERWORD
Theologians sometimes discuss an order of salvation (ordo salutis). Although there is some difference of opinion on this matter, the Reformed view is generally as follows: election, effectual call, regeneration, faith, repentance, justification, sanctification, and glorification. One may rightly argue that some salvific elements are simultaneous. In some ways this sequence of salvation events is as much logical as it is biblical. The main point remains – that salvation is wholly of God. It is His work and we may do nothing to merit His favor.
Psalm 91 reaffirms the principle that God’s favor rests upon those who love Him, acknowledge His name, and call on Him. This is a common theme in Scripture. For example: call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me (Psalm 50.14). Of course, Jesus both taught and modeled such behavior: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11.9-10). Those who call on the Lord may be assured that He will show them His salvation; that is, He will rescue, protect, answer, abide, deliver, honor and satisfy the one who loves, acknowledges and calls on Him (Psalm 91.14-16).
The Bible may be properly understood as a history book – a history of salvation. It records the things that God has done for His covenant people and it promises that He will continue to perfect His salvation in the lives of his elect until that it is perfected.
Biblical images for salvation describe what God has done, is doing and will do on behalf of men and women who suffer from the misery, mortality and meaninglessness of the human condition. Salvation refers both to an active process and to its resultant effect, both to a verb (save) and to a noun (salvation), though it is the latter that is the special focus of this article. (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, p. 752)
The Old Testament is filled with stories of deliverance. Asa is typical of one who at times was obedient, and, other times, disobedient. Though not entirely exemplary, he was nonetheless reckoned a righteousness king. He did away with the sodomites (male cult prostitutes), removed idols from holy places, and destroyed pagan altars and fertility shrines. However, despite Asa’s spiritual diligence he was not exempt from danger; after ten years of peace and prosperity (2 Chronicles 14.1), he was attack by a vastly superior force led by Zerah “the Ethiopian” (2 Chronicles 14.8-15). In response to his first great military crisis Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army” (2 Chronicles 14.11; cp. Exodus 14.14). One would think that after such a great success Asa would know where to turn in times of trouble. Unfortunately for Judah, when they were besieged a second time by their brothers in the north (Israel), rather than turning to the Lord as he had done before, Asa made an alliance with Ben-Hadad of Aram. Hanani the seer censured him with these words: For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war (2 Chronicles 16.9). The Lord who changes not may always be trusted to be true to Himself. Believers in every age who turn to Him will be saved.
The doctrine of salvation is saturate with God’s grace and to understand it fully is no small task. The psalmist says that God will permit the one who calls on Him to feast his eyes upon His salvation (Psalm 91.16). What an invitation this is! Job tells us that the enormity and wonder of creation is but the fringe of God’s handiwork (Job 26.6-14); if this is so, how much more is the wonder of His grace. The intricacies of salvation are quite fathomless; who would presume fully to understand the richness of His grace? Yet we are invited to try. Consider the words of another messianic Psalm: In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. So I said: “Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you (Psalm 102.23-28).
Old Testament narratives of deliverance make it clear that freedom from physical danger is not enough. Although the prophets admonished the Israelites to circumcise their hearts, examples of such spiritual propriety are rare. Absolute obedience to the law was impossible for those infected by Adam’s sin. How could one be saved? Jeremiah wrote: “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. … This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31.31-34). With respect to the doctrine of salvation the New Testament puts more emphasis on personal salvation and less on national redemption.
Just as one encounters physical danger, so he faces spiritual danger. Sin (Romans 6.12), Satan (1 Peter 5.8), the wrath of God (Romans 5.9-10) and the great day of judgment (1 Thessalonians 2.16) are perils that threaten one’s eternal soul. “By far the most common New Testament use of salvation, however, has to do with salvation from sin (‘and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins,’ Mt 1:21 RSV). To be precise, one is saved from the penalty of sin (Luke 7:48, 50), from the power of sin (Rom 6:12-14) and from the practice of sin as a way of life (1 John 3:9-10; 5:18)” (DBI, p. 753).
Jesus Christ – the name and title denote His office and function: He is the Prophet who announces salvation (Luke 4.18-21), the Priest who forgives sins (Hebrews 4.14-16), the King (Galatians 2.20; cf. Hebrews 7.11) who reigns in the heart of the believer. He is the Son of God who took upon himself the penalty of sin and confers eternal life on all who believe in him (John 3.16). His redemptive work is a fait accompli that is applied to hearts of all who believe. Although salvation’s work is finished in Christ, it is not yet finished in the believer’s life. Nonetheless, what has begun will be completed (Philippians 1.6).
SALVATION IS COMPLETE IN CHRIST
By grace you have been saved through faith and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2.8-10). Salvation is God’s work, not man’s. Paul is emphatic that salvation requires no human initiative or work. That salvation’s work is finished is evident “…when the apostle says that God, ‘when we were dead in trespasses, gave us life in Christ – by grace you have been saved’ (Eph 2:5). A little later he repeats the essential thought, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith’ (Eph 2:8), where again the perfect tense points to a salvation already accomplished. The aorist of an event in the past is found when we read, ‘Not from works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us’ (Tit 3:5). Again, Christ ‘delivered us from the power of darkness’ (Col 1:13). Paul leaves his readers in no doubt as to the reality of salvation as an accomplished fact. It happened in the past” (Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, p. 860).
SALVATION IS ONGOING
There is a sense in which salvation is an ongoing work of grace. For example, we read: The gospel is the power of God for salvation and it is God’s righteousness being revealed in it (Romans 1.16-17). There is a force of the Holy Spirit now at work: Paul says, I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6.2). Salvation is not something that can be put off for a more convenient moment. God, at this moment, is at work in those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1.18). Moreover, the ongoing work of grace is evident in the struggle with the sin nature. Yet, the Bible tells us that the believer may enjoy at least some victory over his sin nature. Paul writes: What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7.24-25). Salvation equips the believer for the life he must live in the present (Ephesians 6.10-17). He has put on the new self (Christ): But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge of the image of its Creator (Colossians 3.8-10).
SALVATION IS ON ITS WAY
As much as salvation is rooted in the past and lived out in the present, it remains a future event. For example, Paul writes of a time coming when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11.26). The believer too awaits the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2.13). His citizenship is in heaven and he looks forward to the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21.1). Paul speaks about salvation being nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13.11). Although the Christian may endure many hardships in this present life he knows the Lord will one day rescue him. From prison Paul writes to his young protégé: The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen (2 Timothy 4.18). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22.20).
AN AFTERWORD
Theologians sometimes discuss an order of salvation (ordo salutis). Although there is some difference of opinion on this matter, the Reformed view is generally as follows: election, effectual call, regeneration, faith, repentance, justification, sanctification, and glorification. One may rightly argue that some salvific elements are simultaneous. In some ways this sequence of salvation events is as much logical as it is biblical. The main point remains – that salvation is wholly of God. It is His work and we may do nothing to merit His favor.