The From's and To's
The sermon emphasizes the importance of focusing on what we are saved to, rather than just what we are saved from, in order to understand our purpose and live a life of purpose and service to God.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the importance of understanding the distinction between what we are saved from and what we are saved to, arguing that the evangelical Church has focused too much on the negatives of salvation. He points out that while Christians are saved from sin and wrath, they must also recognize the positive aspect of being saved to serve the living God and await His Son. Tozer highlights that being preoccupied with the negatives leads to a life of negation, which detracts from the fullness of the Christian experience. He references Paul's teaching in 1 Thessalonians to illustrate that true salvation involves a turning towards God and away from idols. The sermon calls believers to shift their focus from merely escaping the past to embracing the new life in Christ.
Text
The evangelical Church today is in the awkward position of being wrong while it is right, and a little preposition makes the difference. One place where we are wrong while we are right is in the relative stress we lay upon the prepositions to and from when they follow the word saved. For a long generation we have been holding the letter of truth while at the same time we have been moving away from it in spirit because we have been preoccupied with what we are saved from rather than what we have been saved to. The right relative importance of the two concepts is set forth by Paul in his first epistle to the Thessalonians: "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:9-10).
The Christian is saved from his past sins.
With these he simply has nothing more to do; they are among the things to be forgotten as the night is forgotten at the dawning of the day. He is also saved from the wrath to come. With this also he has nothing to do. It exists, but not for him. Sin and wrath have a cause-and-effect relationship, and because for the Christian sin is canceled wrath is canceled also. The from's of the Christian life concern negatives, and to be engrossed in them is to live in a state of negation. Yet that is where many earnest believers live most of the time.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Priorities
- The Importance of the 'To'
- The Christian's Freedom from Sin and Wrath
- Saved from past sins
- Saved from the wrath to come
- The cause-and-effect relationship between sin and wrath
Key Quotes
“One place where we are wrong while we are right is in the relative stress we lay upon the prepositions to and from when they follow the word saved.” — A.W. Tozer
“The Christian is saved from his past sins. With these he simply has nothing more to do; they are among the things to be forgotten as the night is forgotten at the dawning of the day.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should focus on the positives of our salvation and live a life of purpose and service to God.
- We should not be preoccupied with our past sins, but rather leave them in the past and move forward in our relationship with God.
- Our purpose in life is to serve the living and true God, and we should strive to live a life that reflects this purpose.