Not So Simply Put

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.  John 5:24-25 NASB

What is salvation?  We don’t earn salvation nor deserve it yet our gracious, magnificent God freely offers salvation to all and freely gives it to those who receive and declare Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 

Not so Simply put, salvation means that we have been saved from the wrath of God, saved, delivered, from the results of our sin (our actions that break God’s law)—and Salvation is only possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, crucified. 

A fair question to ask when we are left marvelling at God’s grace is “how does Jesus love me so much ?! I didn’t “do” anything great or good to be saved?” 

But my friends, the very fact that He wants us saved is a beautiful part of salvation. 

We don’t earn it nor deserve it yet our gracious, magnificent God freely offers salvation to all and freely gives it to those who receive and declare Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 

Many Christians, ourselves included,refer to the walk with Jesus as being saved. Again, What is salvation? Is it a destination, a state of mind—What does the Bible say about being saved?  What is the definition of salvation for a Christian?

I was looking for a Bible definition of salvation, and found it sort of summed up in one word: deliverance. But deliverance from what? 

When the Israelites came out of Egypt and reached the Red Sea, check out Exodus 14:13-14 NET Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the LORD that He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. The LORD will fight for you, deliver you, and you can be still.”

In that moment God provided a physical deliverance for Israel from the armies of Egypt.

In the New Testament, the term salvation describes two pieces of our Christian life today:

Being delivered from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death... 

Romans 6:22-23 NET But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

Being delivered from mortality and given the gift of eternal life....

John 3:14-15 NET Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. 

And so when we say Salvation is so very important that is a huge understatement. Salvation isn't just a prayer we long for it is the will of God brought to action in the saving of souls from eternal fire and instead bringing us to the foot of His throne for eternity!