Originally posted by divegeester
[actually I'm not 100% on this - depends on definition of "salvation"]
Therein lies the rub. I shall put forward my own theories on the definition of "salvation" below. And the requirements for attaining it.
1. Salvation is not an otherwordly phenomenon, but is of this world, for the living. We see this in the bible, with certain passages expressing the expectation that the kingdom will be realized within their lifetime. When this did not happen, salvation, and the kingdom, were transferred to nebulous, otherworldly realm. This is a post-Pauline deviation.
2. Salvation is not an individualized phenomenon, but is a collective one. We see this in the Old Testament, with the Israelites being judged as
a people. The atomization of salvation is a post-Pauline deviation.
With these points firmly in mind, I will hereby define what salvation IS and how to achieve it.
1. Salvation is the actualization of the Kingdom of God.
2. The Kingdom of God will be present upon the earth and will be inhabited by the living.
3. Jesus will not return bodily to inaugurate the Kingdom. He will return "in spirit" to inspire his followers to do so. The fact that Jesus has not returned after 2,000+ years should be sufficient evidence of this. He is waiting for us to act.
4. The Kingdom is all around us, but men do not see it. We have the power, at any time, to do what is necessary to inaugurate the Kingdom. Instead, we actively collaborate on a daily basis with the perpetuation of mammon. All the while we sit around, either actively or passively participating in the iniquities of the world, while we hope Jesus will fly down and deliver the Kingdom to us on a silver platter, without us ever having to break a sweat in its realization. It is small wonder that this has not happened. Nor will it.
5. The Kingdom will be realized when people quit collaborating in the train of iniquities that keep the world of mammon functioning, day in and day out. When they drop out of that world and form their own communities, the Kingdom will be at hand.
6. What will the Kingdom look like? The closest examples we have are the Hutterite communities of the western US and Canada. If we collectively abandon the iniquities of the world of Mammon and form our own communities, with the Hutterites as a rough template, the Kingdom of God will have been inaugurated, and salvation will have been realized. And the "spirit of God" will flood into that Kingdom and give it his blessing.
You see? There you have it.