In church, we often encounter a family of terms like salvation, Savior and saved.
The preaching of the gospel urges hearers to be saved. We encounter hymns such as the beloved one that testifies, “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me” or one that exclaims, “What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord!”
All of us inherit a sinful nature with the result that we choose to commit acts of sin. The result of sinning is that all of us are lost until the Savior finds us and we respond to His invitation to receive Him for the gracious gift of forgiveness and bestowal of eternal life.
Range of meanings
In the Bible, the term salvation has a range of meanings. It sometimes refers to physical deliverance, such as saving a person from death. In Mark 3:4, the question is posed “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” Such is the meaning when used by one of the criminals crucified alongside of Jesus, “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39). When Peter attempted to leave the boat and walk across the stormy waters, he quickly found himself about to drown beneath the waves. His call to Jesus was simply but urgently put. “Lord, save me” (Matt. 14:30).
The idea of being saved is also used in the Bible to speak of national deliverance from a natural calamity or an enemy nation. For example, God’s mighty deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt is summarized as, “So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians” (Ex. 14:30). National deliverance was expressed by the prophet Jeremiah in the words, “Do not be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity” (Jer. 30:10).
Eternal deliverance
The meaning that is most glorious is that in the Bible, salvation has to do with the spiritual and eternal deliverance God has provided fallen and sinful humans through sending His Son as our Savior. This salvation is God’s work of saving believing sinners by forgiving our sins and bestowing on us eternal life.
This doctrine of salvation begins with where we are in our lostness and does not stop until it brings us as fully forgiven sinners into full, final, and glorious restoration to God’s favor and fellowship.
For a number of weeks to come, we will be looking at several biblical ways of speaking of the great salvation God has provided by sending His only Son into the world as our Savior.
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