The idea that Jesus somehow took all our sins upon himself as a sacrificial lamb so that we can have eternal life in Heaven continues to persist to this day. But was that really the message of Jesus?
What Jesus really did was show us a way to live in peace and harmony with one another, God’s plan for us. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom. It does mean the absence of conflict in our relationships with each other, but it also means health, justice and contentment or prosperity, abundant life. Prosperity here does not mean the excesses of the rich and powerful glorified so much in contemporary literature, but having enough. If all the riches of the world were distributed equally, everyone would have what they need with some to spare, some to give to those who don’t. That is what abundant life means.
Salvation is the realization that the Way of Jesus is the way to Shalom, the way to wholeness or completeness. Faith alone is not enough. It must be followed by action. You may have heard the expression:
Love is an action verb.
The first step to Shalom is to Believe, believe that Jesus is the Way and then actually go his way.
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