Bible Question: What is the definition of salvation? |
Bible Answer: Hi AGB, The definition could be very broad by including both OT and NT. I'll confine my response to a few points in relation to the NT from The New Bible Dictionary: In the NT we begin with the general observation that the ‘religious’ usage of a moral/spiritual deliverance becomes almost wholly dominant as far as the idea of salvation is concerned. Non-religious usage is virtually confined to saving from acute danger to life (Acts 27:20, 31; Mk. 15:30; Heb. 5:7.) Paul claims that the Scriptures ‘are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’ (2 Tim. 3:15ff.) and provide the ingredients essential for the enjoyment of a full-orbed salvation. Enlarging and applying the OT concept of the righteousness of God, which itself had adumbrations of the saving righteousness of the NT, Paul shows how there is no salvation by means of the law, since it could only indicate the presence and excite the reactionary activity of sin and stop men’s mouths in their guilt before God (Rom. 3:19; Gal. 2:16). Salvation is provided as the free gift of the righteous God acting in grace towards the undeserving sinner who, by the gift of faith, trusts in the righteousness of Christ who has redeemed him by his death and justified him by his resurrection. God, for Christ’s sake, justifies the unmeriting sinner (i.e. reckons to him the perfect righteousness of Christ and regards him as if he had not sinned), forgives his sin, reconciles him to himself in and through Christ ‘making peace by the blood of his cross’ (2 Cor. 5:18; Rom. 5:11; Col. 1:20), adopts him into his family (Gal. 4:5f.; Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 1:22), giving him the seal, earnest, and firstfruits of his Spirit in his heart, and so making him a new creation. By the same Spirit the subsequent resources of salvation enable him to walk in newness of life, mortifying the deeds of the body increasingly (Rom. 8:13) until ultimately he is conformed to Christ (Rom. 8:29) and his salvation is consummated in glory (Phil. 3:21). Salvation is moral and spiritual. Salvation relates to a deliverance from sin and its consequences and hence from guilt (Rom. 5:1; Heb. 10:22, from the law and its curse (Gal. 3:13; Col. 2:14) from death (1 Pet. 1:3–5; 1 Cor. 15:51–56), from judgment (Rom. 5:9; Heb. 9:28, also from fear (Heb. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:7, 9f.) and bondage (Tit. 2:11–3:6; Gal 5:1f). It is important to indicate the negative implications of this, i.e. what Christian salvation does not include. Salvation does not imply material prosperity or worldly success (Acts 3:6; 2 Cor. 6:10), nor does it promise physical health and well-being. One must be careful not to overstate this particular negative, as clearly remarkable healings did and do take place and ‘healing’ is a gift of the Spirit to the church (Acts 3:9; 9:34; 20:9f.; 1 Cor. 12:28). But healing is not invariable, and hence is in no sense a ‘right’ to the saved man (1 Tim. 5:23; 2 Tim. 4:20; Phil. 2:25f.; 2 Cor. 12:7–9). Further, salvation does not include deliverance from physical hardship and danger (1 Cor. 4:9–13; 2 Cor. 11:23–28), nor even, perhaps, seemingly tragic events (Mt. 5:45?). It does not mean being absolved from social injustice and ill-treatment (1 Cor. 7:20–24; 1 Pet. 2:18–25). I hope this helps, BradK |