Save, Saved, Salvation -

Throughout the New Testament the words “save,” “saved,” and “salvation” have their root in the Greek #4982 “sozo” which means to save, to rescue, to deliver, to protect. “Sozo” is also translated in the New Testament with the words to heal, preserve, save, do well, and to make whole.

The Greek #4991 “soteria” (which has it’s origin in “sozo”) is the main word translated “salvation.” “Soteria” is also translated to deliver, health, salvation, save and saving.

One can learn the full meaning of a Greek word by studying the scriptures where it is used and the way it is interpreted. You can easily see from the previous definitions that “salvation” means much more than a soul’s preparation for Heaven.

In Romans 1:16,17 the Apostle Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation (“soteria”) to everyone that believeth... For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith...”

The Knox translation says, “...(the Gospel) is an instrument of God’s power that brings salvation to all who believe in it...”

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the instrument that God has chosen to bring the knowledge of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ to the world. The Philipp's translation reads, “...I see in it God’s plan for imparting righteousness to men...”

Psalms 3:8 says that “salvation” belongs to the Lord. Neither man nor religion can bring salvation to the human race. God is the only one that can formulate or offer a plan of salvation. All man can do is seek the knowledge of God’s plan of salvation and then follow it.


God’s Plan of Salvation -

In Mark 16:15,16 Jesus said, “...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (sozo); but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

God’s plan of salvation is methodically laid out in the Gospel. You can either believe it and be saved, or reject it and be damned. The choice is yours.

In John 10:9, Jesus said, “I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved (sozo)...” Jesus Christ is the door to God’s plan of salvation. It was Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection that procured an eternal salvation for all of mankind.

John 3:17 says, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (sozo).” The purpose of Jesus coming to the earth was to obtain salvation for all of mankind.

In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said, “...the Son of man (Jesus) came.... to give His life a ransom for many.” The word “ransom” comes from the Greek #3083 “lutron” which means the payment price for setting slaves or captives free. Jesus gave His life as the ransom payment to set mankind free from the slavery of sin.

Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; he hath put Him to grief; when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin.... He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied.... for He shall bear their iniquities.”

Jesus’ suffering in the garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross was the payment price for all of mankind’s sin. His death and resurrection forever purchased our salvation and has given us access into the grace and mercy of God. When we believe on His suffering, His death and resurrection, and truly commit our lives to Him, then we can receive the full measure of God’s salvation.


Repent and believe the Gospel -

In Mark 1:15, Jesus preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

The word “repent” is the Greek #3340 “metanoeo” and means to change one’s mind. Therefore, one must first repent, or change the way that he has been thinking, and then place his faith in the salvation that is offered through the gospel.

II Cor. 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation (soteria)....”

In Acts 16:30, the Philippian jailer asked, “...Sirs, what must I do to be saved (sozo)? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (sozo), and thy house.”

Romans 10:9,10 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (sozo). For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (soteria).”

Salvation is realized when you believe in your heart that Christ has fully paid the price for your sins and that God has raised Him from the dead. And then, Romans 10:10 says that you must confess your faith in Jesus with your mouth.

In Luke 12:8,9 Jesus preached, “...Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” This verse of Scripture plainly tells us that you must publicly confess Jesus and your allegiance to Him to the world around you.

John 3:36 says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” It’s simple; you either believe in Jesus or you do not believe.

I Timothy 2:4 teaches that it is God’s will for all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God does not want anyone to perish or to die in their sins. But every man and every woman must make their own choice.

II Peter 3:9 says, “...(The Lord) is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The Amplified says, “...this salvation is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God.”

Salvation cannot be procured through religious works or religious ceremony. Being baptized as an infant, joining a church, or fulfilling religious duties does not save you. No amount of holiness or penance can pay the price for your sin. Isaiah 64:6 says that all of your righteous acts and deeds are as filthy rags before the Holy God.

Salvation can only be realized when you accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead for the payment price for your sins and iniquities.


Salvation in the Name of Jesus -

Acts 4:12 makes this statement, “Neither is there salvation (soteria) in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (sozo).” The salvation plan created by God is only through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You favorite church cannot save you. Your favorite religion cannot save you. Salvation in the Name of Jesus is the only way to the Heavenly Father.

In Luke 24:46,47 Jesus said, “...Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

In Acts 2:21, Peter preached, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the lord shall be saved (sozo).” Whosoever means anyone; regardless of nationality, station in life, color of skin or religious affiliation. Anyone can be saved by calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.


The Washing of Regeneration -

Titus 3:5 makes an astounding statement, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved (sozo) us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

The word “regeneration” is translated from the Greek #3824 “paliggenesia” which means a spiritual rebirth or renovation. What makes “paliggenesia” an interesting choice of words is that it is a compound word derived from #3825 “palin” which means to bring back, and #1078 “genesis” which means the source, the beginning, the genesis. So, the literal definition of the word regeneration (“paliggenesia”) is to be brought back to the Genesis.

Paul was trying to explain in vivid terminology the full meaning of salvation. Salvation does not merely mean that you are ready for Heaven. Salvation carries with it the idea that everything that has been forced on man because of sin has now been completely removed in Christ.

In God’s eye we have been brought back to the time of innocence and pureness that was found in the Garden of Eden. Brought back to the Genesis. The day when God first formed man from the dust of the earth, as though sin, death, fear and shame have no hold on us whatsoever.

That’s why Paul wrote in II Cor. 5:17, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Philipp's translation says, “...if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether...” The Basic translation says, “...he is in a new world...”

The salvation that Christ brought to the world gives every man and every woman a chance to start all over again. No matter what mistakes they have committed in the past; no matter how much harm they have done to others or how much harm has been done to them; in Christ, all things are become new. The TCNT says, “...your old life has passed away; a new life has begun.”


Salvation’s all inclusive meaning -

As mentioned earlier, the word “salvation” is also translated to heal, to preserve, to make whole, et al. Salvation is an all inclusive word that is used in the Gospel to represent all of the redemptive acts and provisions of God.

When the woman with the issue of blood was healed, Jesus turned to her and said in Mark 5:34, “...Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole (sozo); go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Her healing or physical wholeness is part of the salvation that God provides through Jesus Christ.

When Blind Bartimaeus was healed, in Mark 10:52 Jesus said to him, “...Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole (sozo). And immediately he received his sight...” The same faith that we use to procure forgiveness for our sins can be used to heal our body.

The crippled man was healed in Acts 14:9,10 when Paul, “...stedfastly beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed (sozo), said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” The same faith that brings salvation can also bring healing to our physical bodies.

James 5:15 says, “And the prayer of faith shall save (sozo) the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” Salvation is for the whole man. Spirit, Soul, and Body.


Is your Soul saved when you are born again?

When a person is truly “born again,” what changes? Is his soul saved? Is his heart changed? What does the Bible teach?

I Peter 1:9 says, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation (soteria) of your souls.” The phrase “the end” comes from the Greek #5056 “telos” which means the last in any succession or series of events; that by which a thing is finished, its close. Strong’s Concordance says that “telos” has its origin in the Greek “tello” which means to set out for a definite point or goal.

Peter was telling us that there is a process or a definite goal to our faith. It is a succession of events that continues on until some goal is reached. And the goal or the purpose of our faith is the salvation of our souls; indicating that the salvation of the soul does not happen at one moment in time; but rather, it is a process that occurs over a span of time.

James, in the beginning of his epistle declares that he is writing to the brethren or to Christians (those that have been born again); and yet he writes in James 1:21 that they are to, “...receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save (sozo) your souls.”

James is telling born again believers in Christ that the Word is “able” to save their souls, indicating once again that the salvation of the soul is a process or a journey.

Philippians 2:12 tells us to, “...work out your own salvation (soteria) with fear and trembling.” The Amplified says, “...cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete your own salvation...” William's translation says, “...keep on working clear down to the finishing point of your salvation...”

The Bible clearly teaches that our souls are not saved at the moment of regeneration. Our souls are in the process of being saved and that salvation will culminate at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ or at the time of our physical death.

Then, what is changed when we are born again? What part of our being receives the force of eternal life when we confess Jesus as Lord?

Hebrews 4:12 says that the living Word of God is able to divide asunder and to separate the soul from the spirit. The soul of man and his spirit are two separate and distinct components of our preternatural, extrasensory, nonphysical being.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary says, “The language of Hebrews 4:12 suggests the extreme difficulty of distinguishing between the soul and the spirit. The spirit may be recognized as the life principle bestowed on man by God and the soul as the resulting life constituted in the individual.”

I Thessalonians 5:23 teaches that we are triune beings. We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body.

The body is the “earth suit;” that part of our being that allows us to function in this physical world. The soul is the bridge between the spirit and the physical. The spirit is that part of our being that touches the realm of the spirit and carries within it the seed of life. James 2:26 states that the body without the spirit is dead.

I Cor. 2:14 says that “...the natural (psuchikos) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.... because they are spiritually discerned.” The word “natural” man comes from the Greek #5591 “psuchikos” which is the adjective form of the word translated “soul,” the Greek #5590 “psuche”.

In other words, the man of the soul cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God. Spiritual truths are discerned by your spirit.

Galatians 3:3 says that man’s walk with God begins in the spirit. Philipp's translation says, “...a man begins his spiritual life in the Spirit...”

II Thessalonians 2:13 says, “...because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation (soteria) through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.” Salvation comes to an individual through the sanctification of the spirit.

In other words, at the moment of the new birth your body does not change, your soul does not change, but your spirit receives the “zoe” (the eternal life of God).

This sanctification of the spirit is also referred to by the Apostle Paul in Romans 2:29 by the phrase “circumcision of the heart;” “...circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter...” Circumcision of the heart happens when we are “born again.”

In John 3:6 Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Jesus taught that we must be “born of the spirit.”

In Romans 8:10 the Apostle Paul write, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” Conybeare says, “...your spirit is life (or, your spirit is alive), because of righteousness which dwells within it...”

John 3:36 says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life...” The word translated “life” is the Greek #2222 “zoe” which means “life, as God has it; that which the Father has in Himself.” The word “zoe” is the life of God that is imparted to man’s spirit when he believes upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation (soteria) by our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 5:9.


(See notes: Regeneration, Soul, Grace, Repentance)