In most Christian circles the term Salvation is the most widely used term you will here. It has to do with the very roots of the Bible. It is a term that would have never been coined in reference to eternal life had it not been for the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. When humanity was first created they were created beautifully perfect and complete in terms of a relationship to God and the creation around them. They were crowned with beauty and honor—the glory of all of God’s creation. Dominion was given to them over all things, Gen. 1:26-30. Because of disobedience to a simple command of God they fell into a pit—a pit they needed pulled out of.  This God did by symbolically taking the skin of an innocent animal and clothing them with it. These new threads are symbolic of what God does for every man, woman, and child that comes to Him to be “saved” and forgiven of sin—He clothes us with His righteous robe, Is. 61:10; Gen. 3:21; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21; Is. 45:24; 1 Cor. 1:30. It is a beautiful picture of God’s love for us all.

But is that all there is to Christianity? Many believe so. If you are one that does then you probably have never heard of the “Fullness of Salvation,” “Fullness of God,” or the “Fullness of Christ.”  (see John 1:16; Eph. 3:19, 4:13). These descriptive terms do not get tossed around too much but they really should be. In the Garden story above the problem of sin in the life of mankind began with disobedience. If therefore disobedience to God resulted in a separation then the opposite is also true. Obedience with faith can result in the life God originally created mankind to have being alive and working in you. It begins with Salvation-being obedient to the call of God on your heart to be saved and receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord, John 1:12-13; Rom. 10:9-10.  From that point onward we are Christ’s and nothing can pluck us from His hand, John 10:28-30. But the conception of eternal life does not end there; our life will proceed towards the “… the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” as we live within the boundaries of the “Fullness of God!”