Saved Alone
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed
his people. Luke 1:68
The story of Horatio Spafford’s reason for writing the hymn, “It is Well” is amazing and eye-opening to me. I love to read that story and I love the hymn. Hearing it recently I thought of the words in the telegram that Mrs. Spafford sent to her husband after the accident which took the life of the couple’s four daughter’s. To inform her husband of their latest tragedy she sent two words, “Saved alone.” The thought of her having to send the telegram, as well as the thought of him receiving it, gives me chills. That the man was then able to turn that into an anthem of faith, hope and praise is beyond anything I can imagine. But today, it is the two words of the telegram that are speaking to me. “Saved alone.” Reading the story yet again, I was stopped at those words. Anna Spafford meant them literally. Her four precious daughters were dead and she was not. But, think about those words, saved alone and ask yourself, who isn’t?
I have been in church services where many people approach the altar for the prayer of salvation. Many think that prayer will change their lives. It can but only if the individual lets it. In those services there can be ten people or a hundred. The next day the church marquee may well read, “94 saved!” Really? I always wonder about those signs but that thought is a digression. The real thought I am trying to express is that whether one kneels with a group of people at a church service or a revival, or whether they kneel, or cower, or stand, or lie in their bed, each and every one of us is saved alone.
Salvation is not a group effort. When a person chooses Christ as his or her personal savior, it is exactly that, a personal choice. We are not saved en masse. Each of us is saved alone. Once we have recognized our need for a savior and further acknowledged that Jesus is the one and only choice, we enter into a relationship with him. That relationship should change all our other interactions. It should teach us to love and serve better than we ever have before. You may worship in a group. You may serve in a group, but at the end of the day, it’s just Jesus and you.
God does not speak to me, or guide me the same way he does my husband. We know that Horatio Spafford felt compelled to cling to God, to worship him. We do not know if Anna felt the same way. For Anna Spafford the words “Saved alone” are sad, devastatingly sad. For us, for you, for me, for any individual who seeks the saving grace of the Cross, saved alone, is the only way to be saved.
The Spaffords lost their daughters. The words “Saved alone” meant that their home, once filled with five children, the four daughters and a son who had already passed away, was now the shelter of just the two of them. For us, the words saved alone, means never being alone again. Accepting salvation, embracing the saving power of Jesus Christ means that he is our constant companion.
A quick word about the some huge number saved signs. I have nothing against altar calls. Sometimes it takes that invitation, that even though it is offered in a group setting, somehow feels personal. What I wonder is if 94 are “saved” on Sunday evening, how many are living in the grace of that salvation by Tuesday morning? Faith is not about big numbers. In fact it only takes two, Jesus and one other person, any person, willing to be saved alone.
because he has come and has redeemed
his people. Luke 1:68
The story of Horatio Spafford’s reason for writing the hymn, “It is Well” is amazing and eye-opening to me. I love to read that story and I love the hymn. Hearing it recently I thought of the words in the telegram that Mrs. Spafford sent to her husband after the accident which took the life of the couple’s four daughter’s. To inform her husband of their latest tragedy she sent two words, “Saved alone.” The thought of her having to send the telegram, as well as the thought of him receiving it, gives me chills. That the man was then able to turn that into an anthem of faith, hope and praise is beyond anything I can imagine. But today, it is the two words of the telegram that are speaking to me. “Saved alone.” Reading the story yet again, I was stopped at those words. Anna Spafford meant them literally. Her four precious daughters were dead and she was not. But, think about those words, saved alone and ask yourself, who isn’t?
I have been in church services where many people approach the altar for the prayer of salvation. Many think that prayer will change their lives. It can but only if the individual lets it. In those services there can be ten people or a hundred. The next day the church marquee may well read, “94 saved!” Really? I always wonder about those signs but that thought is a digression. The real thought I am trying to express is that whether one kneels with a group of people at a church service or a revival, or whether they kneel, or cower, or stand, or lie in their bed, each and every one of us is saved alone.
Salvation is not a group effort. When a person chooses Christ as his or her personal savior, it is exactly that, a personal choice. We are not saved en masse. Each of us is saved alone. Once we have recognized our need for a savior and further acknowledged that Jesus is the one and only choice, we enter into a relationship with him. That relationship should change all our other interactions. It should teach us to love and serve better than we ever have before. You may worship in a group. You may serve in a group, but at the end of the day, it’s just Jesus and you.
God does not speak to me, or guide me the same way he does my husband. We know that Horatio Spafford felt compelled to cling to God, to worship him. We do not know if Anna felt the same way. For Anna Spafford the words “Saved alone” are sad, devastatingly sad. For us, for you, for me, for any individual who seeks the saving grace of the Cross, saved alone, is the only way to be saved.
The Spaffords lost their daughters. The words “Saved alone” meant that their home, once filled with five children, the four daughters and a son who had already passed away, was now the shelter of just the two of them. For us, the words saved alone, means never being alone again. Accepting salvation, embracing the saving power of Jesus Christ means that he is our constant companion.
A quick word about the some huge number saved signs. I have nothing against altar calls. Sometimes it takes that invitation, that even though it is offered in a group setting, somehow feels personal. What I wonder is if 94 are “saved” on Sunday evening, how many are living in the grace of that salvation by Tuesday morning? Faith is not about big numbers. In fact it only takes two, Jesus and one other person, any person, willing to be saved alone.
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