What is the Meaning of Salvation According to the Bible

What is the Meaning of Salvation According to the Bible?

Part I

Many Christians look to Jesus as Savior first because the sacrifice of Jesus and His salvation for us by the shedding of His blood is the first thing that we think of when we think of Him. Jesus represented the meaning of salvation on the Cross and is our salvation. Jesus is accepted as Lord when we first believe, the Lord of our lives. The abundance of His mercy is felt and immediately becomes real to each of us who are His. The name "Jesus" means salvation. The cultural meanings that are attached to the word salvation vary and can mean different things based upon our understanding. Our understanding was based upon our knowledge of the word salvation in context with what we have heard before we became His. The immediate felt knowledge of salvation is powerful and in Jesus we understand it. The Holy Spirit shows us what it means, what Jesus means.

The Jews of the first century who believed and became Christians knew the scriptures that we call the Old Testament. There was no New Testament at the time. When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount He taught from the scriptures of the Old Testament. The scriptures quoted by Paul and the other Apostles in our New Testament are from the Old Testament. In other words, the meaning of the word "salvation" had its context in the scriptures of the Old Testament, in the recorded situations that it applied to, who it was that spoke of salvation and the instances that the LORD spoke of salvation. Salvation was understood in the context of these scriptures and the meaning of the First Advent of Jesus Messiah was understood in this context. Salvation has more well-known meanings by the acts of God when He delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt. Christians may be familiar with these things depending upon the particular denomination that we have been taught in.

In general we understand that Yahweh delivered the Children of Israel from slavery and bondage in Egypt. The Children of Israel were given their freedom by the Hand of Yahweh. Freedom, liberty, and the things we hold dear are understood to be derived from the salvation of the LORD and without him people are enslaved at the hands of men. We can understand this on a national level due to the types established by Yahweh. The salvation brought to people by Jesus is personal freedom and liberty that transcends any situation the believer is in. If the scriptures that Jesus taught from are examined in reference to salvation it is possible to see the meaning of it in terms of the acts of Yahweh throughout the whole counsel of God that is in the Bible. It may be more possible to understand on a personal, familial, and national level what salvation means and what freedom is.

Paul has been called the theologian of the New Testament and for good reason. The Letter to the Romans brings to life the meaning of salvation under the New Covenant in comparison and contrast to the Old Covenant. The great teaching of Romans 8 has meaning in the definitions Paul presents and we can apprehend what salvation and freedom means. It is clear that Jesus has brought a permanent state of salvation and freedom to us.

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: ⁴That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ⁵For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Romans 8

The word translated as "salvation" is found in the Bible from Genesis to the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John. It occurs 164 times in 158 verses. The first verse cited containing the word translated as "salvation" is found in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 49, verse 18.

I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

Genesis 49:18

Taking this sentence and translating it literally it can read:

"I waited for Yeshua Yahweh."

When the Egyptian army chased after the Children of Israel, they became fearful when they first noticed this fact. They knew that the Pharaoh meant to destroy them if he could catch them. Moses responded to their fear with an admonition.

¹³And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. ¹⁴The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Exodus 14:13-14

Moses instructed them not to fear and to stand still! The same name of God is used in this situation, they will see:

Yeshua of Yahweh

He said that they would never see the Egyptians again and that Yahweh would fight for them and that they should not do anything. Consider the fact that they were being pursued by the entire army of the Egyptians who were expert at fighting and capable of killing them. It is difficult for people to hold their peace under duress, especially when they expect to be killed. Paul tells the Ephesians to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" in verse 6 of the sixth chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians. They were not to be strong in their selves but in the Lord and the power of His might. They were told the same thing that Moses told the Israelites to "stand", to remain still. The Ephesians lived in the place where the greatest worship of Artemis, Diana, was held and Ephesus was rife with demons. He said to put on the whole armor of God so that they could "stand" against the wiles of the devil. God will war against the devil, He fights for us! The faith that we have been given protects us. His very Word fights for us. The Bible says of God that He will keep us on our feet and that we will not prevail by strength. We are totally dependent upon God!

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

I Samuel 2:9

God defeated the Egyptians and wiped them out. In chapter 15, verse 2a of the Book of Exodus Moses records that he sang:

The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God

This verse literally translates as

Yahweh my strength, voice, Yeshua! He! God!

The word translated as "song" is more literally "voice" in the sense of the voice in song. Think of how our voice changes and how things are voiced in a song as compared to speaking. In reading the sentence it is poetic and meant to be spoken, more than read. It is ironic that mainline churches are trying to make God a female, or at best, gender neutral. God revealed Himself to Moses several times and in no way does Moses report that he got the sense that God is a woman. I think most men could sense the gender identification of a person and we are made in His image. It follows that Moses would have noticed the gender of God. Could it be that Moses shouts to the future as well as those present when he was here that Yahweh is Yeshua, is He, is God. After the revelation of Yahweh to Moses and the people by so great a miracle as defeating the entire army of Pharaoh in their sight Moses would have been careful to faithfully report the identity of Yahweh accurately. Yahweh is salvation, is Yeshua, is He, is God.

The Old Testament is ignored by some churches or dealt with lightly. It is bad enough the culture and churches that promote secularism and are ashamed of the Gospel take the whole Bible lightly. The Old Testament gives us vital information: how to know who God is.

The next verse where salvation occurs is telling, a warning. Jeshurun is another name for Israel and means upright, coming from a root meaning straight. Israel became prosperous and rejected God by incorporating gods and goddesses such as Baal (Bel) and Ashteroth (Artemis).

^{15But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat,
thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which
made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. ¹⁶They
provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked
they him to anger. ¹⁷They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods
whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers
feared not. ¹⁸Of the Rock that begat thee thou
art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
^{19And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of
the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
Deuteronomy 32:15-19
"Rock of his salvation" can be translated as Rock Cliff of
Yeshua. The word translated as "Rock" also can refer to and does
refer to God. It is not an ordinary rock though. It is a rock face,
a promontory, such as a mount like the Rock of Gibraltar. When Jesus
called Peter a rock he was calling him one of the stones that is from the face
of the cliff and Jesus referred to Himself as the kind of rock that is a
mount. The connection of the name of Jesus and the Rock is established
early in scripture and obviously Jesus was aware of scripture since He is God
and He is the Word. Following gods that are not God, Israel sacrificed to
demons and this is abomination. It is true that sin is sin, but
abomination is something that provoked God to anger and wrath, provoking Him to
judge people and a people. Israel was not mindful of the Rock that caused
Israel to be born, in the sense of acting as a midwife. Israel forgot
God. The word translated as "God" is El. The words
translated as "formed thee" are interesting in that the Hebrew
literally means "spiraled you", suggestive of DNA.
¹And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine
horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I
rejoice in thy salvation.
I Samuel 2
The phrase "because I rejoice in thy salvation" is literally
"I rejoiced in Yeshua".
The beginning of Hannah's prayer can be rendered more literally as
And Hannah prayed and said, My heart leapt for joy in Yahweh, my ray of light
lifted in Yahweh, my influence enlarged over my enemies, I rejoiced in Yeshua.
The Hebrew word qeren is a ray of light that emanates from a person or
God. The idea is that the influence of the Spirit of God's presence is of
His abundance, His shekinah light.
¹³And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day:
for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.
I Samuel 11:13
The word translated as "salvation" in the verse above means
"rescue" and not the same word "Yeshua".
"Wrought" is more literally translated as "made" in the
sense of accomplished.
Saul said that no one could be put to death because Yahweh had made
(accomplished) rescue in Israel. Saul apparently prevented execution for
the sake of Yahweh.
⁵For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and
the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and
didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay
David without a cause?
I Samuel 19
This verse is part of the pleading of Jonathan on behalf of David.
David was becoming more popular among the people that Saul ruled over, his name
considered precious in their eyes. He was loved by Saul's daughter, Michal,
and was about to become the son-in-law of King Saul by marriage to her.
King Saul's son, Jonathan, was the best friend of David and loved by David as a
brother. Saul was afflicted with bouts of anger, Yahweh had sent spirits
to afflict Saul causing immediate and radical changes in mood with outbursts of
violence. Saul proposes to Jonathan and all of his servants to kill David,
spurring the defense of David by Jonathan. In spite of the obvious anger
and violence shown to David by King Saul, David had just slain the enemies of
Israel in obedience to Saul. Saul perceived this as a threat to his
security and authority.
Jonathan reasons with King Saul that Yahweh had accomplished a great rescue
for the whole nation through David who killed the Philistine. Jonathan
says that killing David would be a travesty as David is innocent and King Saul
has no basis to kill David.
¹And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that
the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the
hand of Saul:
II Samuel 22:1
Chapter 22 of the Second Book of Samuel is the same composition as that of
Psalm 18. The entire chapter is inspiring and builds momentum and strength
as it is read. The word translated as "spake" means
"spoke" in the figurative sense. This sentence can be translated
as David composed the words of this song to Yahweh in the day Yahweh had
delivered him out of the hands of all his enemies and out of the hand of
Saul.
Yahweh had delivered David out of the hand of all his enemies. King
Saul pursued David so that he could kill him and Yahweh delivered David out of
his hand as well. The word translated as "hand" means the hollow
of the hand and is the firm grasp of someone. David is recognizing that
God has delivered him and that the victories over his enemies and Saul come from
God. Yahweh is described in detail as to what He is and what He means to
David. Yahweh is able to deliver us from our enemies and keep us
safe. David gives thanksgiving and praise to Yahweh in this chapter.
²And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my
deliverer; ³The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my
shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour;
thou savest me from violence.
The word translated as said is in the imperfect, expressing ongoing action
and is more literally translated as "began to say". The word
translated as "rock" is not the same word as the Rock explicated above
as the Rock of Gibraltar. The word is from a root meaning lofty and means
a craggy rock, a craggy rock fortress in the figurative sense of the word.
The word translated as "fortress" means net in the sense of a
net spread to capture an enemy as well as having the meaning of being a
fastness. The word translated as deliverer is actually a verb expressing
continuing action and is more appropriately expressed as "delivering
me". In its primary meaning the word means to "slip away".
Slipping from the grasp of someone in the nick of time comes to mind readily
with the credit going to God. Verse 2 can be rendered as
"He began to say, 'Yahweh my craggy rock fortress, my net, delivering
me'."
³The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield,
and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou
savest me from violence.
The word translated as "God" is the plural Hebrew word that means
Supreme God, "Elohiym". Notice that David says "in him will
I trust". If David understood the word Elohiym as plural why did he
not say "in them will I trust"? The easy answer is that Yahweh
is the Supreme God. It is also true that Moses instructed the Children of
Israel as to Who He Is.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the
LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
The word "hear" means to listen intelligently. The word translated
as God means Elohiym and LORD is Yahweh, the name revealed to Moses that is the
name of God. The word translated as "one" is intriguing and
gives a great deal of meaning to this famous verse. It means unified as a
whole, as one and is derived from the verb meaning to unify. Used as an
ordinal it means first and can mean the numeral. It strikes me that unity
is Yahweh and is in Yahweh, He is the unified whole as one. He is the
Godhead. After the revelation of Jesus Messiah to the world during His
First Advent, Paul was able to say:
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the
Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s
device.
Acts 17:29
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse
Romans 1:20
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in
him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of
all principality and power
Colossians 2:6-10
Jesus revealed His identity to people when He came down to us on earth and He
said that He is God, the I Am. Paul studied under the most brilliant
Jewish theologian of all time and understood scripture, the T^an^ak,
the Old Testament. Elohiym, then, is the Godhead, the Trinity that Paul
referred to as the mystery. Mystery means that which was not known to
mankind until God revealed the knowledge of it.
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the
preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was
kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the
scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God,
made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be
glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Romans 16:25-27
The Trinity is the revelation of Jesus God, the Holy Spirit God and Yahweh
God. Yahweh is the unified whole, the unified ONE. To God through Jesus
Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Remember that scripture is not subject to
private interpretation but
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.
II Peter 1:19-21
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world
unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known
it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
I Corinthians 2:7-8
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
I Corinthians 15:51-52
Paul is saying that all of these things were ordained by God before the
world. He reveals what many scriptures refer to in the Old Testament, one
of which is the Rapture. God will snatch us up, we will be delivered in
the sense an observer would see us as having slipped away, change us in the
smallest moment of time at the last trumpet sound, raise the dead in perfect
bodies, and we shall be changed. These are specific acts of God that were
able to be revealed only after the First Advent of Jesus.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the
fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of
him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will
Ephesians 1:4-11
By Jesus the revelation of His First Advent scripture is opened to Paul and
the rest of us. The mystery of the will of God is revealed and we
understand that God chose to save us since before the world began. In the
fulness of times Jesus will gather us to Him, those in Heaven and on
earth. This is another explication of salvation that is by revelation, not
known until the First Advent of Jesus and here again Paul refers to the Rapture
and the gathering after the Rapture at the Parousia. Paul explains more
about the relationship of the Godhead and what part the will of God has in
relation to us as well as Messiah.
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
I Timothy 3:9
³How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;
(as I wrote afore in few words, ⁴Whereby, when ye read, ye may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) ⁵Which in
other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto
his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; ⁶That the Gentiles
should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in
Christ by the gospel
Ephesians 3:3-6
⁹And to make all men see what is the fellowship of
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ: ¹⁰To the intent that now unto
the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God
Ephesians 3:9
...the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth. ¹⁶And without controversy great is the mystery
of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into
glory.
I Timothy 3:15b-16
Godliness was not revealed in its fulness until the Advent of Jesus
To God through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the
LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of
my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from
violence.
II Samuel 22:2-3
Verse 3 then begins with, "The Supreme God of my Rock Cliff".
In Yahweh is the Godhead, He is the Supreme God. Jesus referred to Himself
as that Rock Cliff. David said that he trusts in Yahweh and enumerates
what God has done for him, what He means to him, and therefore describes the
things God is, His attributes, Who He Is, and His relationship to David.
This shows us the relationship that we may have with God and that we too can
place our trust in Him. We can trust that He will deliver us and that we
can be protected by Him.
God, my God, Yahweh is the God of Salvation. God is Salvation
from terror, night terrors, the sin of the world, harm, evil, harm, wrath and
the wrath of God. Yeshua is Yahweh. Anyone who would judge Yahweh should find
out for themselves that He is Salvation, and that there is no other. Anyone who
accuses God should find out for themselves who the Accuser is.
to be continued}}