Salvation Lies Without

As Eastern spirituality is exponentially permeating Western culture, many of its teachings are becoming commonplace. We are so bombarded with the maxim, Salvation lies within, that many people have not even entertained the possibility of an extrinsic salvation. But one thing we do all seem to affirm—we need salvation. The nature and definition of salvation may differ from religion to religion, however we can all agree that something ain't right, and this something needs changing.

I am often baffled as to how this whole salvation lies within doctrine has gained so much territory. When one looks into his own heart, into the depths of his soul, he will not find the solution; he will find the problem. It is the self that needs to be saved, not the self that does the saving. The English writer, G.K. Chesterton once received an invitation to respond to a question sent out by The Times, asking, "What's Wrong with the World?". Chesterton delightfully responded in the form of a letter which read: "Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton". How such simple words express such a great truth!

In Paul's Epistle to the Romans, he states that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Rom 8:7). Take notice that the mind is not at enmity against God, but is enmity against God. The mind does not have a problem that needs correction; the mind is the problem, and it needs transformation. This transformation, of course, cannot be conducted by the self when it is the self that needs to be transformed. A laptop with a dead battery cannot reboot without any help from outside; it has no power, and thus no ability to reboot.

Salvation can come from no other place than the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is to Calvary where we must fix our eyes. For it was there that Christ has redeemed mankind and gave us the gift of eternal life. It is by His blood, that was shed for the sins of the world, that the self may be transformed into the creature that God intended it to be. Through Christ, and Him alone, can the darkest and most wretched of souls come out a saint on the other side. The answer indeed is not found from within, but from without. "Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah." (Psalms 3:8).