Salvation
The New Testament was written in Greek by the original authors. The Greek word for salvation is "sozo". It appears (in capitals) in such familiar scriptures as:
Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass, <that> whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be SAVED.
Acts 2:47
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be SAVED.
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be SAVED.
Romans 10:9
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.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be SAVED.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye SAVED through faith; and that not of yourselves: <it is> the gift of God:
James 1:21
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to SAVE your souls.
According to Strong's concordance the definition of sozo is: to save, i.e. deliver or protect (lit. or fig.):--heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. It is an all-encompassing term for deliverance. Here in the west we are "splitters". We expect salvation to just mean going to heaven when you die. In the east they are "lumpers". Salvation means deliverance from anything you need delivering from.
Sozo includes forgiveness for sins.
Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall SAVE his people from their sins.
To Mary who wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair he said:
Luke 7:48
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
Luke 7:50
And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath SAVED thee; go in peace.
James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall SAVE a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Sozo also includes physical healing. The most common meaning of the word sozo in the New Testament is "healed" or "made whole".
One example is the woman with the issue of blood.
Matthew 9:21-22
For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall BE WHOLE. {22} But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter , be of good comfort; thy faith hath MADE THEE WHOLE. And the woman was MADE WHOLE from that hour.
Another example is Jairus' daughter.
Mark 5:23
And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: <I pray thee>, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be HEALED; and she shall live.
Luke 8:49-50
While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's <house>, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. {50} But when Jesus heard <it>, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be MADE WHOLE.
The blind man's faith resulted in his salvation, sozo (healing).
Mark 10:51-52
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. {52} And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath MADE THEE WHOLE. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
The deliverance of the man with the legion of demons is described with the same word for salvation "sozo".
Luke 8:36
They also which saw <it> told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was HEALED.
It is used for the man with leprosy.
Luke 17:18-19
There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. {19} And he said unto him, Arise , go thy way: thy faith hath MADE THEE WHOLE.
Another example is the crippled beggar at the beautiful gate.
Acts 4:9
If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is MADE WHOLE;
Note also the following:
Mark 6:56
And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were MADE WHOLE.
James 5:15
And the prayer of faith shall SAVE the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Sickness in the body is a consequence of sin in the spirit. In the garden before the fall there was no sin and no sickness. Jesus came to restore us to that same position. Salvation is deliverance from sin and its' penalty!
Now you can see that you cannot honestly, logically and consistently believe in salvation from sin but not healing for the body. You also cannot quote the following scriptures and state that salvation, including healing, is not for everyone.
Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass, <that> whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be SAVED.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be SAVED.
1 Timothy 2:4
Who will have all men to be SAVED, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
All these scriptures contain the Greek word sozo. It is an all-encompassing term for deliverance. It includes any time men call upon the Lord to be saved from anything.
Mat 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Mat 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, SAVE us: we perish.
Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Mat 14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Mat 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, SAVE me.
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
We have indeed been SAVED completely.
Heb 7:25 Therefore he is able to SAVE completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
These scriptures also illustrate that salvation, regardless if it is from sin or sickness, is by faith:
Matthew 9:22
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy FAITH hath MADE THEE WHOLE. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Mark 10:52
And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy FAITH hath MADE THEE WHOLE. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Mark 16:16
He that BELIEVETH and is baptized shall be SAVED; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Luke 7:50
And he said to the woman, Thy FAITH hath SAVED thee; go in peace.
Luke 8:12
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should BELIEVE and be SAVED.
Luke 8:50
But when Jesus heard <it>, he answered him, saying, Fear not: BELIEVE only, and she shall BE MADE WHOLE.
Luke 17:19
And he said unto him, Arise , go thy way: thy FAITH hath MADE THEE WHOLE.
Acts 14:9
The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had FAITH TO BE HEALED,
Acts 16:31
And they said, BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be SAVED, and thy house.
Romans 10:9
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.
1 Corinthians 1:21
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to SAVE them that BELIEVE.
1 Corinthians 15:2
By which also ye are SAVED, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have BELIEVED in vain.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that not of yourselves: <it is> the gift of God:
James 5:15
And the prayer of FAITH shall SAVE the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Jude 1:5
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having SAVED the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that BELIEVED not.
In the next chapter we will discuss in detail the relationship between faith and healing.