Salvation in the Bible
Salvation is a word that describes the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Exodus 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, "the great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3).
Salvation encompasses the entire act of deliverance from the righteous justice of a holy God, including justification, redemption, and sanctification. Both justification and redemption are the sole work of God, for which we can claim no credit. Sanctification, on the other hand, is a work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a willing believer. As such, we play a vital role in our sanctification, although it is still primarily a work of God.
| Strong's # | Transliteration | Language | Definition (# times used) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2421a | chayah | Hebrew | to live (3) |
| 3444 | yeshuah | Hebrew | salvation (1) |
| 3468 | yesha | Hebrew | deliverance, rescue, salvation, safety, welfare (31) |
| 3467 | yasha | Hebrew | to deliver (86) |
| 4422 | malat | Hebrew | to slip away (8) |
| 5127 | nus | Hebrew | to flee, escape (1) |
| 6845 | tsaphan | Hebrew | to hide, treasure up (1) |
| 8668 | teshuah | Hebrew | deliverance, salvation (16) |
| 1295g | diasozo | Greek | to bring safely through (a danger), to save (1) |
| 2343g | thesaurizo | Greek | to lay up, store up (2) |
| 4982g | sozo | Greek | to save (36) |
| 4990g | soter | Greek | a savior, deliverer (24) |
| 4991g | soteria | Greek | deliverance, salvation (42) |
| 4992g | soterios | Greek | saving, bringing salvation (5) |
| Characteristic | Verses |
|---|---|
| Brings joy | Isaiah 25:9 |
| Cannot be achieved by acts of men | 1 Corinthians 3:15, Ephesians 2:8, 2 Timothy 1:8-9, Titus 3:5 |
| Done because of God's love | Psalms 6:4, 17:7, 31:16, 109:26, Isaiah 63:9, Titus 3:4 |
| Done by God | Deuteronomy 33:29, 2 Samuel 22:3-4, 1 Chronicles 16:35, Job 22:29, Psalms 6:4, 7:10, 20:6, 9, 28:8, 34:6, 54:1, 55:16, 57:3, 60:5, 71:2, 3, 4, 76:9, 80:3, 7, 19, 86:2, 106:8, 21, 47, 107:13, 19, 108:6, 109:26, 31, 116:4, 6, 118:25, 119:94, 145:19, Isaiah 19:20, 25:9, 30:15, 35:4, 38:20, 43:3, 11, 12, 45:15, 17, 21, 49:26, 59:1, 60:16, 63:8, 9, Jeremiah 14:8, 9, 17:14, Hosea 13:4, Zechariah 9:16, 10:6, Luke 1:47, 1 Timothy 1:1, 2:3-4, 4:10, 2 Timothy 1:8-9, Titus 1:3, 2:10, 3:4, Jude 1:5 |
| Done by Jesus Christ | Matthew 1:21, 18:11, Luke 2:11, 7:50, 9:56, 19:10, John 3:17, 4:42, 12:47, Acts 2:47, 4:12, 5:31, 13:23, Romans 5:9, 10, 11:26, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 2:15, Ephesians 5:23, Philippians 3:20, 2 Timothy 1:10, Titus 3:6, Hebrews 7:25, 2 Peter 1:1, 10-11, 2 Peter 2:20 |
| Done for people who trust in God | Psalm 37:40, 55:16, 86:2, 119:94, 145:19, Isaiah 30:15, 45:22, 1 Corinthians 1:21 |
| Done for people who trust in Jesus | Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, 13:13, Luke 9:24, John 10:9, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9, Hebrews 7:25, 1 Peter 3:21 |
| Done for sinners | 1 Timothy 1:15 |
| Done for those who are humble | Job 22:29, Psalms 76:9, 116:6 |
| Done for those who believe | Luke 8:12, 1 Corinthians 15:2 |
| Done for those who call upon God | Psalms 60:5, 71:2, 107:13, 19, 108:6, 116:4, 118:25, 145:19, Isaiah 19:20, 59:1, Jeremiah 31:7, Zechariah 10:6, Acts 2:21 |
| Done for those who call upon Jesus | Romans 10:9, 10:13 |
| Done for those who have faith | Luke 7:50, Ephesians 2:8 |
| Done for those whose heart is upright | Psalms 7:10, Jeremiah 4:14 |
| Done through God's grace | Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:5, 8, 2 Timothy 1:8-9 |
| Done through the Holy Spirit | Titus 3:5 |
| Few are saved | Jeremiah 31:7, Luke 13:23-24, Romans 9:27 |
| God saves our souls | Psalm 6:4, James 1:21, 5:20 |
| God saves our spirit | 1 Corinthians 5:5 |
| Includes forgiveness from sin | Matthew 1:21, Acts 5:31 |
| Is eternal | Isaiah 45:17 |
| Jesus saves our physical bodies | Ephesians 5:23 |
| Leads to eternal life | 2 Timothy 1:10 |
| Not done for rebellious | Psalms 18:27 |
| Not done for those who reject Jesus | Mark 16:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:10 |
| Promised by God's word | Acts 13:23 |
| Received through repentance | Isaiah 30:15 |
| Saved are called (predestined) by God | Psalm 20:6, 28:8, 57:3, 2 Peter 1:10-11 |
| Saved from judgment | Psalms 76:9, 109:31 |
Related Pages 
- Justification
- The grace of God
-
My Attorney - Going to Heaven Are We?
- Did Jesus Command Baptism in Order to be Saved?
- Water Baptism... Is it Necessary for Salvation?
-
Forgiveness of Sin
- Redemption
- Sanctification
- Consecration
- Is Confession Necessary for Forgiveness of Sin for the Christian?
- Eternal Security of the Believer: Once Saved Always Saved?
- Have Christians Already Overcome Satan? - The Importance of the Word of God in the Life of the Believer
References
- But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. (Exodus 14:13)
- how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, (Hebrews 2:3)
Reflections
We are what we think.
- 01/21/2020 05:00 PM
A Movie to Make You Think: The Two Popes
The great Yale church historian Jaroslav Pelikan once called the Roman Catholic Church ʺthe most formidable religious institution in the history of America and of the world.ʺ1 One distinguishing doctrinal feature of Catholicism is the claim that the pope is the official leader of Christendom. Of the three branches of Christendom (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism), Catholics uniquely view the pope as sitting…
() - 01/14/2020 04:30 PM
Is Salvation Graspable and Resistible?
At once mysterious and compelling, the question of how human beings obtain salvation and whether they can lose it has preoccupied Christians of all traditions for centuries. While theologically conservative Christendom (made up of Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism) shares significant common ground on most essential doctrinal issues, there is a spectrum of views on the freedom of the human will.…
() - 01/07/2020 01:00 PM
Thursday Theology from John Jefferson Davis
We can all benefit from succinct, well-stated insights from people who have thought through theological ideas. I like to draw attention to these nuggets of wisdom on my Facebook and Twitter feeds in my weekly #ThursdayTheology segment. Today, we’ll consider several quotes from theologian John Jefferson Davis. Dr. Davis is a veteran evangelical Protestant theologian and author. He is a professor of systematic theology…
() - 01/07/2020 01:00 PM
Thursday Theology from John Jefferson Davis
We can all benefit from succinct, well-stated insights from people who have thought through theological ideas. I like to draw attention to these nuggets of wisdom on my Facebook and Twitter feeds in my weekly #ThursdayTheology segment. Today, we’ll consider several quotes from theologian John Jefferson Davis. Dr. Davis is a veteran evangelical Protestant theologian and author. He is a professor of systematic theology…
() - 12/31/2019 01:00 PM
Reading as the Foundation of Learning
How important is reading in becoming an educated, wise, and thoughtful person? Many educators identify reading as the foundational discipline to all fields of study. For example, leading American educator E. D. Hirsch says, “We all know that reading is the most important academic skill.”1 Distinguished philosopher and educator Mortimer J. Adler summed it up as “reading is learning.”2 To illustrate how reading…
() - 12/24/2019 01:00 PM
Reading, Human Exceptionalism, and Dyslexia
Only human beings read. The act of reading involves blending the sounds of letters to form words that symbolize ideas, objects, or entities (abstract or concrete). Interestingly, both religious and secular scientists in various disciplines today think that human exceptionalism—the idea that humans differ from animals in kind, not mere degree—is evidenced in part by our unique ability to think, speak, listen,…
() - 12/17/2019 01:00 PM
Thursday Theology from Alister McGrath
You may be familiar with my Facebook and Twitter pages, where I have a weekly segment called #ThursdayTheology. There I provide short, substantive quotes from important theological thinkers past and present. One of the most frequent sources is Alister McGrath. McGrath serves as professor of science and religion at Oxford University. He earned three doctorates from Oxford in science, intellectual history, and…
() - 12/10/2019 01:00 PM
What Are Science's Operating Limits?
Modern science has dramatically changed the world for the better. All of us have benefitted from medical and technological advances. Because of that success, some people have concluded that science can answer all of humankind’s ultimate questions. This philosophy, called scientism (science is the only or best path to discovering truth), is to be differentiated from science (the study of the natural world through observation and experiment) and is reflected by such prominent…
() - 12/03/2019 01:00 PM
3 Things You May Not Know about Blaise Pascal
Frenchman Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) was one of the founding fathers of the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century. A true Renaissance man, Pascal was an eminent mathematician, physicist, and logician, and an intuitive Christian thinker. As a Christian philosopher, theologian, and apologist, Pascal provided a penetrating analysis of Christianity’s broader world-and-life view. He accomplished all of this before dying at the…
() - 11/26/2019 01:00 PM
Thursday Theology from Peter Toon
If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter you know I have a weekly segment called Thursday Theology. I like to introduce people to important Christian thinkers; thus, I post thoughtful quotes there (and here) from various scholars. A theologian I appreciate and quote often is Peter Toon. Dr. Toon’s book Our Triune God: A Biblical Portrayal of the Trinity is the best contemporary…
()
http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/salvat.html
Last updated December 13, 2005
Top of Page 
Back