What is Salvation?

I was asked on a previous post by Anonymous, “What is salvation according to the Bible? How can one have assurance?” If you are the anonymous commenter, I would like to talk to you rather than just write you a response. My phone number is (936)465-7616, but since you probably will not call, I will do my best to answer those questions here.

I got to looking in the Bible to get references to quote and not just canned phrases that I have grown up on, and I found that I want to quote the whole New Testament. If you are questioning your salvation or wanting to be saved, I would commend actually reading the Bible and not just taking my word for it. Check out the Bereans (Acts 17:10-15). Read the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read Romans, but when you get confused and overwhelmed by that, read Ephesians and Galatians. Read Acts, which is the story of the Church proclaiming Jesus as the Christ immediately following the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus, if you do not know, is the central figure on which the whole Bible, all of Christianity, and salvation focuses. Read any part of the New Testament and you will be saturated with Scripture on salvation.

I will do my best to explain salvation here, but truly, you should allow the Holy Spirit and teachers much wiser than I to teach you through the Word of God. There are so many terms that need to be defined and expounded on with other Scripture that I would have to write a book to fully explain it. Some of these include grace, mercy, love, sin, hell, God, redemption, propitiation, repentance, and so many more. Since the Scriptures are already written (as well as numerous other great books), I will allow them and the Holy Spirit to expound on these truths.

What is salvation according to the Bible?

·         Salvation is a free gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:4-7, Romans 6:23)

·         Salvation is the Great Exchange; we get Jesus’ righteousness and He takes on our sin; we get heaven and He takes on the judgment and wrath that we deserved because of our sin. (1 John 2:2)

·         Salvation is God redeeming His people back to Himself. (Colossians 1:14)

·         Salvation is about God’s people being restored back into a right relationship with God. Salvation is God coming to get us. Salvation is passing from death to life. (Colossians 1:13, 1 John 3:14)

·         Salvation is having a hope for eternity with God. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

·         Salvation is not earned, merited, or deserved, but is given to us by the mercy of God. (Romans 9:14-18, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, Romans 3:28)

·         Salvation comes through believing that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Savior, that He lived a perfect life and fulfilled the Law that we could not, that He died on the cross for your sins, that He rose from the dead, beating sin and death, and that His perfect blood sacrifice pays the debt that you owed God because of your sin. (Romans 3:23, Acts 13:38-39, Acts 10:43, Romans 8:3-4)

·         Salvation is about repentance, turning from our wicked ways to God. (Acts 2:38-39)

How can one have assurance?

·         A changed heart, which amounts to changed behavior. However, changing your behavior in hopes of changing your heart is not Biblical and leads to death. (1 John 3:6, Romans 6, Romans 7:4, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:11-14, and many more)

·         The gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38-39, Titus 3:4-7, Acts, and many more)

·         Keeping His commandments. (John 17:3, 1 John 2:3, 1 John 3:24, and many more)

There are so many more assurances and evidences talked about in the Bible, but we have to be careful that we seek not the assurance of salvation and the evidences of salvation. We seek to know God and get God; not just get the benefits, the proof, and the stuff. Salvation is about God’s merciful, and gracious love, not our boasting that we have received it.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  - John 3:16

“But God shows His love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

My prayer for you is that God would move in your heart to cause you to desire to know Him, love Him, and pursue Him with all of your life, because he knew you, loved you, and has, was, and is pursuing you, even now.