Has the subject of Jesus’ salvation from sin ever bored you?
Salvation lost some appeal to me. I mean, Jesus is rad. And new life is exciting. But that first salvation experience was so many years ago. God did so many amazing things since then. And I haven’t seen many people get saved.
I needed a shock-start refresher. So I dug into the Bible and found ten things that I didn’t know (or forgot). And then we discussed this in our home church Saturday night.
Without further ado, Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Salvation:
1. Salvation is Jesus’ name. Literally!
Yeshua (Jesus) means “God’s Salvation from Sins” (Matt 1:21). Also, Jesus’ name shows up in Isaiah’s book when Isaiah’s talking about God being his Salvation (Isaiah 12:2). It literally translates as “God is my Jesus (yeshua).”
2. One Hebrew word for saved is Hi-Ya!
Okay, it’s more like Khi-Yaw!, but it’s still a ninja move. It means to quickly save somebody from sin’s destruction. It comes from story where Lot is saved by angels (Gen 19:19). First “Saved” in the Bible.
3. Jesus’ salvation is like Discovering How to Get Super Mario 3’s Warp Whistle
With this special knowledge, it’s hard to not indulge in this super huge advantage. It’s also like discovering a secret exit out of jail. The special knowledge of that secret exit leads to total jailbreak. And the word also means Liberation. It starts with sin-forgiveness. (Luke 1:77, Gk., aphesis)
4. We possess victory-power over sin with Jesus’ salvation
This means we can actually defeat sin’s hold on our life. We can actually conquer addictions and compulsions. It’s not some theory. And it’s not some useless religion that’s about going to heaven when you die. (1 Corinthians 15:57)
5. Sozo, the Greek word for salvation, means restoration to wholeness.
Any Final Fantasy fans out there? It’s like a Mega Phoenix Down that restores all health. And keeps adding health. The word means that we never run out of this stuff and being made whole. (Matt 1:21)
6. Salvation grows!
Its like continuous experience points that make us better and level-up automatically over time. You will grow into a fuller-and-fuller experience of salvation. This also means that it takes time. New parts about you get saved as you trust in Jesus Another word for this is sanctification. (1 Peter 2:2)
7. Salvation is only partially here.
Romans 5:4 says, “character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Romans 13:11-12 says, “salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” And, “the day of salvation will soon be here.” Salvation is a foretaste of Jesus’ restoration of all things.
8. The Bible says we can be confident in Jesus’ salvation because we see it’s effects.
Our character improves as salvation grows in us. We want to obey God more because we understand his love and forgiveness. This stuff adds up. We become more loving people with less character flaws as we abide in him. This is how we know His Salvation is legit. (Philippians 1:10, 1 Thes 5:8)
9. Jesus called salvation this wild, mysterious wind that you can’t see coming
But he also said it’s the most important thing — if you’re open to it. Jesus told an old rabbi that being saved is like being born all over again. And that it’s The Spirit who is doing all the hard work. We don’t have to force it. We just have to be open to him and listening for him. (John 3:8)
10. Jesus saved Zacheus’ whole house — Jesus’ salvation isn’t just for you, but for everybody in your home. And it’s for everybody that you know and love. As our world becomes more tribe-oriented? Salvation hits more in tribes than individuals. (Luke 19:9)
So there you have it. Any thing you’d like to add? Confused about? Also, what does Jesus’ salvation mean to you?
