My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Praise the LORD. God is good, praise Him; for His mercy endures forever. Grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Biblical Words for Salvation

God freely offers us eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. But understanding the exact process of receiving this life is vital in our spiritual life. There are three pictures mentioned in the Word of God:

1. Salvation,
2. Redemption, and
3. Justification

“ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”( Romans 6:23).

1. SALVATION:

Salvation (Gk.soterio) means “deliverance”, “ bringing safely through”,” keeping from harm”; God revealed Himself as the One who saves His people in the Old Testament.

“The LORD is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? “( Psalm 27:1).

Jesus is the light of the world. He is our salvation. He saves His people from their sins. The LORD is the strength of my life. Jesus is LORD! Another important verse about salvation:

“ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”( Isaiah 53:5).

Christ was crucified because we have sinned and are guilty before God. As our substitute, He took the punishment due us and paid the penalty for our sins- the penalty of death. Therefore, by believing Christ died for us, we can be forgiven and have peace with God.

“ Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed”. ( 1 Peter 2:24 )

This healing refers to salvation with all its benefits, spiritual and physical. Sickness and disease are the result of the fall and Satan’s activity in the world. “ For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”(I. John 3:8). Christ gave gifts of healing to His church and commanded His disciples to heal the sick as part of their proclamation of the kingdom of God.

Salvation is described in the O.T. as ‘the way” or road that leads through life to eternal fellowship with God in Heaven. This road of salvation must be walked to the very end. We describe salvation as one way with two sides and three stages.

• Christ is the one way of salvation
• Salvation is a gift of God’s grace received through faith in Jesus Christ.
• The three stages of salvation:
  • Past: forgiveness of sins, passed from spiritual death to life.
  • Present: He saves us from bondage, power and dominion of sin.
  • Future: Our deliverance from God’s coming wrath.

2. REDEMPTION:

The root meaning of “ redemption”( Gk. Opolutresis) is a ransom by the payment of a price. The expression denotes the means by which salvation is procured, namely, by the payment of a ransom.

1. The N.T. represents humans as alienated from God, under the dominion of satanic powers, slaves to sin, and in need of deliverance from sin’s guilt, punishment and power.
2. Jesus Christ secured the ransom by shedding His blood and giving His life.
3. Believers redeemed by Christ are now free from the law and free from sin’s slavery, and Satan’s dominion. Freedom results in righteousness and love.
4. O.T. Redemptive event was the Exodus from Egypt, by shedding of the innocent blood.

“ In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”( Ephesians 1:7).

We were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. We are redeemed from spiritual death, poverty and sickness. We do have eternal life (zoe), Prosperity and Divine Healing.

3. JUSTIFICATION:

“ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans 5:1).

“ To be justified” ( Gk. Dikaioe) means to be acquitted, declared “ not guilty” ( in a judicial sense) and “ declared righteous in God’s sight” ( in a theological sense ). God forgives the repentant sinner, who becomes as if he or she never sinned. Justification is the judicial act of the conversion experience.

God the Father, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, imputes, or credits the righteousness of Christ to the believer. Paul says this “ credited righteousness” is not really our own, but Christ’s ( Phil.3:9). God the Father sees believers wrapped in the perfect righteousness of Christ. In the court room, Jesus Christ is our advocate, or attorney, who is able to present us before the Father as being credited with His righteousness. Justification is a gift of God. By faith we are forgiven because of His atoning death and resurrection and given eternal life. Romans 5:1; 6:23; 8:1-3; 5:17.

God bless you. Until next time, This is Rev. C. Peter Chandran. Let us pray for one another and the salvations of the souls.