Is salvation only about escaping hell?
No. Salvation is not merely a fire escape from hell. It also gives believers abundant life, and the Spirit's fruit—love, joy, peace, and more—demonstrates the inner result of salvation in the believer. This transformed life contrasts with mere escape from judgment.
Les explains that salvation is not just a fire escape or only to escape hell fire. He points out that believers are also saved to have life abundantly, as Jesus said. The nine fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance—are the abundant life, divided into three segments of three. The first three, love, joy, and peace, are the inner results of salvation in the believer's life, what we can experience simply by believing the Gospel. Against such things there is no law, and they enhance life. Les contrasts a community where everyone lived this way with the chaos and full police blotters of those who practice the previous verses' works.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.