Good Salvation Sunday to my Faith, Grace, God, and Dachshund family. I pray that everyone is having a great Sunday, I know you are having a great Sunday if you are reading this post because God woke you up this morning. As I meditated on what I would say to this group today I had two things on my heart, one was provision and the other was salvation, I believe Holy Spirit wants me to share salvation with the group today.
I will assume most people in this group know Jesus and have a personal relationship with him if not I will leave a few scriptures that will guide you through repentance and confession. There is more to salvation than having fire insurance, yes it does keep us from going to hell, but it includes much more. I remember the day and time I gave my life to Jesus right to the minute because it was such a life changing experience for me. It was like the weight of the world being lifted off my shoulders. At that point I knew I wasn’t going to hell, but I didn’t know what else came with salvation. Below is the Greek biblical definition for salvation.
sozo {sode’-zo}
from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz, “safe”)
(1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
(1.a) one (from injury or peril)
(1.a.1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
(1.b.1) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue
In the Bible, salvation is a deliverance from a state of danger or sickness to a state of wholeness, safety, or prosperity. In the ot, it is often identified with military victory (e.g., Psa 20:7). In the ot, God saved (יָשַׁע, yāšaʿ) the Israelites from Egypt (Exod 14:30). Salvation also may involve prosperity, safety, and the reversal of negative circumstances (e.g., 1 Sam 2:1). The nouns related to Hebrew yāšaʿ have a wide range of meanings, such as deliverance and vindication[1]
When we confess Jesus and give our life to Him, He gives us much more in return. I know some of you in this group have rescued a dachshund from an animal shelter that was going to put the dog down if no one rescued the fur baby in thirty days. It was like that with us, Jesus not only saved us but He rescued us from certain death and destruction. You saved your fur baby you took him or her home gave them a bath, feed them, love them. You took him or her to the vet when they were sick, you help them in your arms when they felt unloved, you protected them from anything you thought might harm them. In return the puppy loved you unconditionally.
The same way you rescued the puppy form the pound Jesus did the same thing for us with one exception, when Jesus saved us, he set us free from the enemy, He took us out of darkness and brought us into the light, and He gave us the free will to choose. We have to make a choice everyday who we are going to serve. Salvation encompass healing, protection, deliverance, victory in our battles and soundness of mind. Salvation is not just about not going to hell, but God wants you to live on earth a life of victory in Jesus. Everything that Adam lost in the garden, Jesus died and gave it back to through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Romans 10:9
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
[1] Joel T. Hamme, “Salvation,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
