What Is Salvation?

What is salvation? Is it a way to heaven? Or is it just a system of suggestions?

So many people with so many answer. Who's right? Let's find out.

Before we get into the content, let's mention that there's a quiz at the end of this study. Reading is a great way to learn. Testing what you remember is an even better way to retain what you read.

If you don't have time to read it all, bookmark this page. Then come back, read all of it and take the quiz. You'll really be glad you did.

And now, the main event!

What Is Salvation?

Basic Biblical Idea of Salvation

Let's start with the simplest idea of what salvation is. The Bible gives us a good idea of the basic definition of salvation. So what does it say?

It's simple. "Salvation” simply means deliverance or rescue. It really means being saved from something or someone who threatens. It's that simple. Let's look at a few biblical examples of this stripe of salvation:

• Salvation can mean rescue from danger or enemies (Exodus 14:13; 1 Samuel 17:37; 2 Samuel 22:2–3).
• Salvation can refer to God’s deliverance of His people from oppression and trouble (Psalm 34:17–19; Psalm 40:16–17; Isaiah 43:2).
• Salvation can also refer to spiritual rescue from sin, death, and judgment (Matthew 1:21; John 3:16–17; Romans 1:16; Hebrews 2:3).

That's it! At its most basic level, salvation simply means to be saved from some outside threat. It's as simple as that!

Meaning of Salvation in More Detail

The biblical definition doesn't just stop there. Salvation takes on a whole new meaning once Christ becomes the center of it all by dying on the cross. In that sense, we see details in both the Old and New Testaments. Let's look at a few examples:

• God Himself is the only Savior of sinful humans (Isaiah 43:11; Jonah 2:9).
• God planned and initiated salvation because human beings couldn't save themselves (John 1:12–13; John 6:44; Romans 9:15–16).
• God has provided salvation by grace through faith, not as a result of human effort (Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:4–7).
• This salvation centers in the Person and work of Jesus Christ (John 3:14–18; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 2:2).

We see a more developed picture now. Instead of the simple idea of salvation from an outside threat, we see a specific threat, sin. The perpetrator is humanity itself. The Savior is God Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ alone. The message is called the gospel.

When we hear the gospel and believe in faith in Jesus Christ, we experience salvation. There's no other way to do that.

But what is salvation? What does it look like? Let's find out.

What We Are Saved From

Let's ask some more questions: What is salvation for? What purpose does it serve?

I remember my pastor telling a story. He was sitting on a hill high above a big city. This was a common place to do that. So there were several other people there.

My pastor was only a seminary student then. While they sat gazing at the valley below, someone spotted a sign that blinked "Jesus Saves" over and over.

"Jesus saves?" someone commented. "Saves from what?"

My pastor had the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with that man. He explained to him what it meant to be "saved."

But if we want to answer the question "What is salvation?", we have to answer this one too: Saved from what?

Let's answer that now:

The Power and Penalty of Sin

What is salvation? First, it's being saved from sin. That's our sin. The sin that Adam passed down to us.

Don't get me wrong. We aren't completely saved from all the consequences of sin while we're here on this earth. We still have to put up with the presence of sin.

What we're saved from is the power and penalty of sin. Let's look at what the Word says:

• Sin is a universal constant along with its guilt: All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:9–12, 19, 23; Galatians 3:22)
• Sin also enslaves: People apart from Christ are under sin’s dominion (John 8:34; Romans 6:16–20)
• Sin brings spiritual death and separation from God: Because it's universal, all will die separated from God unless something is done (Ephesians 2:1–3; Colossians 2:13)
• Salvation frees from sin’s penalty: This means now and ultimately later from sin’s presence (Romans 6:22–23; Romans 8:1–2)

There's still some saving to do. Although Christ's work on the cross is done, the process in us isn't finished. But what's done is done.

The power and penalty have been dealt with for all who believe. The presence, well, that's an issue God will deal with later.

God’s righteous wrath and coming judgment

The second threat that God saves us from comes from God Himself. He is holy. He must punish sin to remain holy and just. After all, you can't have Hitler, who died in his sins, traipsing around heaven forgiven!

Sin must be dealt with. All sin. Everyone's sin. How did God save us from all this? Let's look to the Word again:

• We are under God's wrath: God’s holy wrath has been revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness to satisfy His holy nature (Romans 1:18; Ephesians 5:6)
• We will be judged because of our sin: Because of this, there is an absolute certainty of judgment and accountability before God (Hebrews 9:27; Acts 17:30–31)
• God saves us: Salvation serves as deliverance from wrath and condemnation (John 3:17–18, 36; Romans 5:9–10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10)

To put it bluntly, we become the biggest losers in the galaxy. We lose all the sin, guilt and condemnation because God saves us from it through His Son Jesus Christ. The cross makes us spotless in God's si

What We Are Saved To

Salvation isn't just about loss. No siree. There's even more gain than loss. What does God give us?

God gives us EVERYTHING? What kind of EVERYTHING? Let's look:

Reconciliation and peace with God

When we were born, we were born separated from God. Because of this, we were at war with God (Romans 8:7). That had to be fixed. But how?

It wasn't simple. A lot went into it. Let's look:

• We are justified: God declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of Christ (Romans 3:24–26; Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
• We are forgiven: Along with the removal of guilt, God transforms our guilt into complete forgiveness (Colossians 1:13–14; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 10:17–18)
• We find peace with God and access into His grace: This gives us a new relationship status (Romans 5:1–2; Ephesians 2:13–18)

All this adds up to a new standing before God. We stand right before God because He made us right.

Adoption into God’s family

With peace restored and our new standing firmly in place, God also gave us a new relationship with Him. Before we were His enemies. Now we are so much more than that.

What are we? Let's look:

• We are His children: Through faith in Christ, God introduces us into His family (John 1:12–13; Galatians 3:26)
• We are adopted: As sons and daughters, we have full rights and inheritance (Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 4:4–7)
• We have relationship: The Spirit’s witness and intimacy with the Father (“Abba, Father”) (Romans 8:15–16)

What's most amazing about all this is that God could have made us anything. He would have had every right to make us slaves in His house (Psalm 84:10). He could have simply made us friends (James 2:23). Instead, we live forever as members of His family.

New life now and glory to come

The last thing we're saved to is the result of everything we've learned so far. We get a completely new life while the old dies away.

What does that life look like? Let's look:

• We experience new birth: God gives new spiritual life by His Spirit (John 3:3–8; 1 Peter 1:3, 23)
• We become a new creation: God transforms our life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4–11)
• We experience sanctification: God sets us aside for holiness and Christlikeness (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:12–13)
• We gain glorification: God will perform a final perfection and resurrection glory with Christ in the future (Romans 8:18–23, 29–30; 1 Corinthians 15:51–57)

This new look is all about God. By His hand, we experience all of this. That's where we're going next.

God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

We can't answer the question "What is salvation?" without also viewing our faith through the lens of God's sovereignty. Some want to downplay God's sovereignty so much He isn't sovereign any more.

Like one seminary instructor put it, "God is so sovereign, sometimes He doesn't have to be!"

Ridiculous! That's like saying, "Water is so wet, sometimes it doesn't have to be!"

God's sovereignty isn't a characteristic outside of God. It's part of His makeup. It's who He is. So it make sense He would be involved in salvation at some level this way.

What is salvation in relation to God's sovereignty? Let's look to the Word again:

God’s eternal purpose and gracious choice

God chooses us. How do we know that? It's simple.

The Bible tells us that. Here are some Scriptures to explain how this happens:

• God’s saving plan: He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3–5, 11; 2 Timothy 1:9–10)
• God’s mercy and compassion: His plan of salvation isn't conditioned on human will or effort (John 1:12–13; Romans 9:10–16)
• God's will: He is working out His plan according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11; Isaiah 46:9–10)

God’s effective action in saving sinners

We also know that, in God's plan, He takes the initiative. If He hadn't, we'd still all be lost!

Here's what the Word of God tells us:

• The Father’s work: He draws and gives people to the Son (John 6:37, 39, 44–45; John 10:27–29)
• The Son’s perfect, sufficient work: He accomplishes this through His death and resurrection (John 19:30; Hebrews 2:9–10; Hebrews 10:11–14)
• The Spirit’s work: He is regenerating and renewing (John 3:5–8; Titus 3:4–7; 1 Thessalonians 1:4–5)
• Completed salvation process: God completes it through His power so that no one may boast (1 Corinthians 1:26–31; Ephesians 2:8–9)

How a Person Receives Salvation

On the other side of the issue is human responsibility. Some hold so tenaciously to God's sovereignty, that they forget that our sovereign God also made every human being responsible to heed His call.

Don't get me wrong. It's not a matter of degrees. God is absolutely sovereign in everything. Yet, God still holds us human beings responsible to believe. Both are true simultaneously.

You may be going, "Wait a minute. How can God be totally sovereign and still hold us accountable. If it's up to Him, where do I fit in?"

People smarter than I am have been debating that for a long time. Here's the simple answer:

We don't know.

We just know that, even though God is completely sovereign and chose us, we are still responsible to choose God. What's most amazing is that God remains righteous through it all. In other words, even though two seemingly contradictory ideas exist next to each other, God still makes it all work.

The bottom line? We are responsible to choose salvation by faith. That's the simplest we can understand it.

What is salvation in relation to human responsibility? Here's what the Bible says:

The biblical call: repent and believe

Those who hear the gospel receive the call to repent and believe in faith. This is the heart of Christian salvation.

What is salvation in relation to repentance and belief? Let's look:

• Repentance: This is a God‑wrought change of mind and heart that takes action and turns from sin to God (Mark 1:15; Acts 3:19; 2 Corinthians 7:10)
• Faith: This is trusting personally in Christ—who He is and what He has done—as Lord and Savior (John 1:12; John 3:16; Romans 3:21–26)
• Repentance and faith together: These are inseparable responses to the gospel (Acts 20:21; Acts 2:38; Acts 16:31)

One note about these two before we move forward. These aren't two separate actions. Both are necessary as we will see from the Word. You can't follow Christ unless you turn your back to the world. You can't turn your back on the world if you don't follow Christ. It's that simple.

The promise and assurance given

Salvation isn't just the potential to know and see God. It's a promise that God will complete the process when we believe in faith.

What is salvation when it comes to the future? Once more, we'll look to God's Word to help us:

• God’s promise: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13)
• The call to confession: Those who confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in His resurrection will take part in what is to come (Romans 10:9–10; John 11:25–26)
• Christ’s assurance: He will never cast out those who come and that none of His sheep will be lost (John 6:37–40; John 10:27–29)
• The believer’s security: God has grounded our salvation in His love and power, not our own merit (Romans 8:31–39; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 1:3–5)

What Is Salvation at the End of All this?

What does this all mean? It means that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. He died so that our sins might be forgiven. There is no other (Acts 4:12).

How does this happen?

• Believe in Jesus because He's the only Way to heaven.
• Leave the world in your dust and follow Christ.
• Never turn back from following Him.
• Experience the benefits of being a child of God forever.

This is true salvation. This is the love and grace of God. God bless.

What else is in the Bible? Find out right here!

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