Secular Salvation Series

not the Gospel. It will not save from sin and give eternal life, and so it must always be kept in

balance lest we reduce our Sovereign and Sacred Savior to the level of a mere secular Savior. God

can use anybody to save on this level, just as He used a Roman soldier to save Paul. We do not want

to minimize secular salvation, for the whole point of this message is to bring its significance to our

attention. On the other hand, it can be promoted to the point where that is the only salvation that

matters. And people can be blest with a better life, but left to die in sin with no Savior of their eternal

soul.

Secular salvation is the foundation for the very popular health and wealth gospel that is being

preached in our day. To reject it is to reject the reality of secular salvation, which we have seen is

clearly biblical. But to focus on it exclusively is to preach another gospel, for secular salvation is not

the Gospel of Christ. The Gospel is that we, even though fallen sinners, can be rescued and reconciled

to God and have eternal life because Jesus died for our sins and rose again from the dead and

conquered death. By trusting him as our Savior we can have eternal life freely given to us by the

grace of God. This is the only eternal Gospel.

Secular salvation is a delight, but there is nothing exclusive about it. Secular salvation happens to

non-believers as well as believers. Barabbas was saved when the people cried out for Jesus to be

crucified rather than him. Non-Christians experience secular salvation all the time. They are rescued

from danger, disease, and every bad thing you can imagine. It was not only Paul that was saved from

violence, for many in the empire were saved from injustice because of Roman law. Secular salvation

does not depend on the beliefs of the people being rescued. Secular salvation is what we get when we

go to the doctor and get medicine or surgery that saves our lives, and this is available to all people,

even the atheist. Anyone can be saved in this sense.

In the city of Lystra Paul spoke to the pagans there and refers to God's secular salvation as a basis

to get them to listen to the Gospel. In Acts 14:17 we read, "Yet he has not left himself without a

witness. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he

provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Here are pagans who have

experienced secular salvation by the providence of God in nature and history. The grace of God is

universal in this realm of secular salvation. Everyone is saved in some way on this level. Sometimes

Christians think that the non-Christian cannot experience true joy, but this is not so, for God makes

joy a part of secular salvation that anyone can experience.

Secular salvation is one of the wonders of the world and the more we see it the more we will

glorify God for his grace, mercy and love for all people. All salvation is to make us exalt the God of

all salvation. He is the ultimate instrument of all secular salvation. He can and does use all kinds of