Listen to this post NOW on Beyond Everything Radio!

Every religion offers a version of salvation. This sounds cynical, but salvation is the primary commodity sold by the business of religion. Atheism is not exempt from this claim. We choose or reject our religions primarily based on cultural, social, and familial beliefs, more so than the claims of religion itself or the sacred texts which are upheld as infallible. This is proven by the fact that most subscribers don’t even read these texts, yet alone study them.

This means that salvation according to one’s religion differs from that of our cultural environment. In this post, I’ll first define salvation, and then I’ll summarize how this religio-cultural definition varies among traditions.

Salvation is a shared Definition:

The term for salvation in the Hebrew scripture is “jeshua,” it means deliverance, victory or help. If you spot the connection to the name Jesus, then welcome to the biggest story in over 2000 years. The term “najaat” in Arabic means the same thing in the Quaran. The Greek term “soterion” is used in the New Testament and also means deliverance, rescue, healing, and safety. In Hindi the term is “moksh.” This reveals complete agreement across all religion as to the technical definition of salvation.

Religions differ about “what”we are being saved from, and“how” salvation is obtained. These “recipes for salvation” are integral to every tradition and constitute their fundamental beliefs.

Consider these over-simplified comparisons:

1. Judaism: salvation is primarily corporate and limited o the restoration of the Hebrew nation to power and peace in distinction from all others. It’s achieved by obedience to the Jewish religion (law) and in some sects via association with cultural judaism.
2. Islam: salvation is personal and based in true belief, good works, and obedience to the five pillars of Islam and the teachings in the Quran.
3. Hindu: salvation is freedom from the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth by recognizing one’s unity with the supreme Reality or Brahman. The yoga’s are means to this discovery.
4. Buddhism: salvation (as an incarnation of hinduism) similarly reaches Nirvana by escaping the endless cycle of suffering through freedom from our attachments and over-identifications and by living the 8-fold path.
5. Sikhism: similar to Hinduism and Buddhism, receives God’s grace by meditation and service.
6. Christianity: salvation has a different “What” for every denomination and tradition. (Some are saved from sin, others Hell, others God) Therefore, Christianity created what it calls “essential doctrine” to determine true believers from those who follow heresies which have emerged over the years.

If your culture disbelieves reincarnation, it’ll be hard to believe in a religion that saves you from it.

There is only one exception to religious salvation….Experiential Salvation or what is called Christ following.

The Christian religion doesn’t exist anywhere in the bible. Had early Christ followers remained true to the teachings of Jesus, the Christian religion would never have existed. There is a huge difference between placing one’s faith in the Christian religion, and placing one’s faith in Christ.

Jesus’ message was and is subversive and deconstructive to institutionalized religion. Jesus did not come to inaugurate a new alternative religion, but to free all people from religious oppression and overreach, by eradicating religion as the“middle man.” Humanity was like a turned off phone which couldn’t receive a communication signal. Religion was the only phone booth which required payment and placed conditions on those seeking communication to God. Christ restored service by essentially placing a fully activated phone in the hands of each person. In reality, our gap isn’t cell coverage, but sin (the one thing that people universally agree exists). Because God is the most merciful, the most beneficent, grace is offered to all humanity, by way of Christ atoning for the sins of all humanity in his sacrificial death. He thus fulfills the law of retribution on himself, and liberates everyone unto God through restoration. Faith is simply (believing) that His work extends of restoration extends to each of us. In other words, do we believe we are holding a phone?

The soteriology of John the Baptist was “Repent and believe”. The soteriology of Jesus was “Follow me in loving God and loving others.” The soteriology of Paul is “All have sinned and have been justified.” These all agree with each other but are vastly different than the soteriology of Evangelicalism which says, “Pick Jesus’ alternative religion or else God will torture you forever.”

Christ following (faith in Christ) remains the only alternative to religion, and what is amazing, is that this is possible from within all religions. Jesus reminds people to “Worship the Lord God and him only shall you serve.” (Luke 4:8) Jesus never said: “Worship me” He only said “follow me.” Yes, it’s true that the disciples did worship Jesus as the son of God once they witnessed his glory and his miracles. The same experience may be true for us as well, but it’s not commanded.

If we can trust Christ has brought God to us by way of loving God and others (Golden Rule) then Christ can bring us to God in how we follow the Ten Commandments, the Levitical law, the five pillars, the eight fold path, or the yogas, or a life coach. We can add all the religion we need or desire but it’s never the religion that saves us. We can deconstruct from all the religions in the world, but freedom won’t be the absence of faith, but the faith that God speaks directly on the phone given by Christ.

Evangelicalism has mistakenly concluded that only one religious salvation can save us. The truth isn’t that one road leads to God, it’s that no road does. All religions try, but there exists no single ritual or sacrament or incantation that takes us to God. Only Christ makes this connection possible, because through Him, God dwells directly within us. This is what John 14:6 actually means. There are no converts to Christ, only people completed by Christ and the way He saves us is different for everyone.

The bible reveals that not everyone will even be aware that Christ is at work in their salvation.

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? “ (Matthew 25:37)

This is how we connect all world religions and their shared definition of salvation to a single omega point in Christ. All belief systems came and paid homage to the Christ in the manger, all are free to do so today. No religion is violated by honoring Christ as He was honored in scripture. And when each religion prays and finds that connection to their Maker, eventually we all discover that this Christ is the “how” not the “what” of everyone’s salvation. Every sacred texts reveals this Christology is universal. This is how we all find unity, despite diversity of traditions.

When this reality hits you, prepare to enter a brand new world, because you will see things with a new set of eyes. This is experiential salvation. It’s a process of discovery, not an event, not a transaction conferred by religion. It’s the awakened soul who lives humbly without certainty. Who compassionately listens, whose heart fulfills the greatest commandment of loving God and loving others, this is true submission, devotion, and belief.