--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But as soon as we grasp this—and I…" description: "\"“But as soon as we grasp this—and I appreciate it takes quite a bit of latching onto for people who have spent their whole lives thinking the other way..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b30/n-t-wright-1173_relationship-with-go_but-as-soon-as-we-grasp-this-and-i-appre_827524.png" --- # But as soon as we grasp this—and I appreciate it takes… ![“But as soon as we grasp this—and I appreciate it takes quite a bit of latching onto for people who have spent their whole lives thinking the other way—we see that if salvation is that sort of thing, it can’t be confined to human beings. When human beings are saved, in the past as a single…” quote by N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b30/n-t-wright-1173_relationship-with-go_but-as-soon-as-we-grasp-this-and-i-appre_827524.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b30/n-t-wright-1173_relationship-with-go_but-as-soon-as-we-grasp-this-and-i-appre_827524.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b30/n-t-wright-1173_relationship-with-go_but-as-soon-as-we-grasp-this-and-i-appre_827524.png) > ““But as soon as we grasp this—and I appreciate it takes quite a bit of latching onto for people who have spent their whole lives thinking the other way—we see that if salvation is that sort of thing, it can’t be confined to human beings. When human beings are saved, in the past as a single coming-to-faith event, in the present through acts of healing and rescue, including answers to the prayer “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” and in the future when they are finally raised from the dead, this is always so that they can be genuine human beings in a fuller sense than they otherwise would have been. And genuine human beings, from Genesis 1 onward, are given the mandate of looking after creation, of bringing order to God’s world, of establishing and maintaining communities. To suppose that we are saved, as it were, for our own private benefit, for the restoration of our own relationship with God (vital though that is!), and for our eventual homecoming and peace in heaven (misleading though that is!) is like a boy being given a baseball bat as a present and insisting that since it belongs to him, he must always and only play with it in private. But of course you can only do what you’re meant to do with a baseball bat when you’re playing with other people. And salvation only does what it’s meant to do when those who have been saved, are being saved, and will one day fully be saved realize that they are saved not as souls but as wholes and not for themselves alone but for what God now longs to do through them.”” [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Salvation is not merely personal redemption but a call to fulfill humanity’s God‑given purpose of caring for creation and community. **In simple terms:** Salvation means serving others, not just yourself. Key Takeaway Live out your faith through service. Themes salvation service creation community purpose Mood reflective inspirational Type theological motivational When to use this quote - church ministry - environmental activism - community building - personal discipleship Key Concepts theology anthropology ecology Questions to Reflect On - How can you embody your faith in everyday actions? - What does “being saved as a whole” mean for you? A Different Perspective It can be hard to balance personal spiritual growth with societal responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Relationship with god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-with-god/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Salvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvation/) ## Related quotes > [I have no faith in our hypocritical, false, hysterical, uneducated and lazy intelligentsia when they suffer and complain: their oppression comes from within. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/i-have-no-faith-in-our-hypocritical-false-hysterical-uneducated-and/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“...I think everything has value, absolute value, a child, a house, a day's work, the sky. But nothing will save us. We were never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-rule/i-think-everything-has-value-absolute-value-a-child-a-house-a-day-s/) [Jane Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-rule/) > [Standing strong, when you know you might fall. Staring back at who you used to be. How far you have come, you finally see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bognar/standing-strong-when-you-know-you-might-fall-staring-back-at-who-you/) [Jenna Bognar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bognar/) > [We are not one people. we are many. people for Freedom and a people for salvation of our Country. in acquiring the two, conflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/we-are-not-one-people-we-are-many-people-for-freedom-and-a-people-for/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“When you begin to serve people, salvation locates you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-you-begin-to-serve-people-salvation-locates-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Heartbreak can be a blessing from God, It might be a very worst nightmare that leaves you crying in the middle of the night.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brokenhearted/heartbreak-can-be-a-blessing-from-god-it-might-be-a-very-worst/) Brokenhearted > [You can enjoy the ideas of salvation, as long as you realize that there's no one to be saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-enjoy-the-ideas-of-salvation-as-long-as-you-realize-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [A heartbreak is a blessing from God. It's just his way of letting you realize he saved you from the wrong one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-heartbreak-is-a-blessing-from-god-it-s-just-his-way-of-letting-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A heartbreak is not a pain but a blessing from God. It's just his way of letting you realize he saved you from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronak-gurung/a-heartbreak-is-not-a-pain-but-a-blessing-from-god-it-s-just-his-way/) [Ronak Gurung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronak-gurung/) > [A heartbreak is kinda like a blessing from God. Its just his way of letting you realize he saved you from the wrong one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-heartbreak-is-kinda-like-a-blessing-from-god-its-just-his-way-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A heartbreak is a blessing from God. It's just God's way of letting you realize he saved you from the wrong one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-heartbreak-is-a-blessing-from-god-it-s-just-god-s-way-of-letting/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [We do three things, three things, friendship with God, friendship with one another, and open friendship for the sake of the world. Here's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-middendorf/we-do-three-things-three-things-friendship-with-god-friendship-with/) John Middendorf > [Single? No! We were never single. Were always taken. Remember? God said: You are mine- Isaiah 43:1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeferson-bregano/single-no-we-were-never-single-were-always-taken-remember-god-said/) [Jeferson Bregano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeferson-bregano/) > [God desires a personal relationship with each of us. It's in this relationship that we find strength, peace and hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-desires-a-personal-relationship-with-each-of-us-it-s-in-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God has perfect timing...Never early...never late...It takes a little patience...It takes a lot of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-perfect-timing-never-early-never-late-it-takes-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by N.T. Wright > [“This means that the church, the followers of Jesus Christ, live in the bright interval between Easter and the final great consummation. Let's make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-that-the-church-the-followers-of-jesus-christ-live-in-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The very mention of crucifixion was taboo in polite Roman circles, since it was the lowest form of capital punishment, reserved for slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-very-mention-of-crucifixion-was-taboo-in-polite-roman-circles/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Sunday, kept as a commemoration of Easter ever since that event itself (a quite remarkable phenomenon when you come to think about it), is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/sunday-kept-as-a-commemoration-of-easter-ever-since-that-event-itself/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The point of trying to understand the cross better is not so that we can congratulate ourselves for having solved an intellectual crossword puzzle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-point-of-trying-to-understand-the-cross-better-is-not-so-that-we/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“there is no such thing as a god’s-eye view (by which would be meant a Deist god’s-eye view) available to human beings, a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-god-s-eye-view-by-which-would-be-meant-a/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The “goal” is not “heaven,” but a renewed human vocation within God’s renewed creation. This is what every biblical book from Genesis on is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-goal-is-not-heaven-but-a-renewed-human-vocation-within-god-s/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“having a hard enough time explaining to his disciples that he had to die; they never really grasped that at all, and they certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/having-a-hard-enough-time-explaining-to-his-disciples-that-he-had-to/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“If we are talking about the victory over evil and the launch of new creation, it won’t make much sense unless we are working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/if-we-are-talking-about-the-victory-over-evil-and-the-launch-of-new/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The personal message of Good Friday, expressed in so many hymns and prayers which draw on the tradition of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-personal-message-of-good-friday-expressed-in-so-many-hymns-and/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“To recognize that the Psalms call us to pray and sing at the intersections of the times--of our time and God's time, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/to-recognize-that-the-psalms-call-us-to-pray-and-sing-at-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Successful resistance to temptation may result in an increase of moral muscle, but that is because one is going to need it. A temptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/successful-resistance-to-temptation-may-result-in-an-increase-of/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours” (Matt. 5:3) doesn’t mean, “You will go to heaven when you die.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/blessings-on-the-poor-in-spirit-the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-yours-matt-5/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“As C. S. Lewis regularly remarked, the chronological snobbery of the modern age (i.e. the assumption that anything that comes after around 1750 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/as-c-s-lewis-regularly-remarked-the-chronological-snobbery-of-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The kingdom of God is, at its heart, about God’s sovereignty sweeping the world with love and power, so that human beings, each made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-kingdom-of-god-is-at-its-heart-about-god-s-sovereignty-sweeping/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“pre-Christian Judaism, including the disciples during Jesus’s lifetime, never envisaged the death of the Messiah. That is why they never thought of his resurrection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/pre-christian-judaism-including-the-disciples-during-jesus-s-lifetime/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) [Explore all 278 N.T. Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More Relationship with god quotes > [God has perfect timing...Never early...never late...It takes a little patience...It takes a lot of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-perfect-timing-never-early-never-late-it-takes-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God desires a personal relationship with each of us. It's in this relationship that we find strength, peace and hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-desires-a-personal-relationship-with-each-of-us-it-s-in-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Single? No! We were never single. Were always taken. Remember? God said: You are mine- Isaiah 43:1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeferson-bregano/single-no-we-were-never-single-were-always-taken-remember-god-said/) [Jeferson Bregano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeferson-bregano/) > [Like say no be GOD , I for don kpeme .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-say-no-be-god-i-for-don-kpeme/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To pray without expectation is to misunderstand the whole concept of prayer and relationship with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/to-pray-without-expectation-is-to-misunderstand-the-whole-concept-of/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. 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When human beings are saved, in the past as a single coming-to-faith event, in the present through acts of healing and rescue, including answers to the prayer “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” and in the future when they are finally raised from the dead, this is always so that they can be genuine human beings in a fuller sense than they otherwise would have been. And genuine human beings, from Genesis 1 onward, are given the mandate of looking after creation, of bringing order to God’s world, of establishing and maintaining communities. To suppose that we are saved, as it were, for our own private benefit, for the restoration of our own relationship with God (vital though that is!), and for our eventual homecoming and peace in heaven (misleading though that is!) is like a boy being given a baseball bat as a present and insisting that since it belongs to him, he must always and only play with it in private. But of course you can only do what you’re meant to do with a baseball bat when you’re playing with other people. And salvation only does what it’s meant to do when those who have been saved, are being saved, and will one day fully be saved realize that they are saved not as souls but as wholes and not for themselves alone but for what God now longs to do through them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "N.T. 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