“But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” Jonah 2:9 (ESV)
“Salvation is of the Lord, or of Jehovah. We are to understand by this, that the whole of the work whereby men are saved from their natural estate of sin and ruin, and are translated into the kingdom of God and made heirs of eternal happiness, is of God, and of him only. “Salvation is of the Lord.” – Charles Spurgeon
“To Jehovah is, or belongs, salvation. That is to save is the prerogative of God alone. It is to Jehovah that salvation belongs. The work of saving appertains to none other but to the Supreme God. Since it is so, we see how absurd and insane men are when they transfer praises to another, as everyone does who invents an idol for himself. As, then, there is but the one true God who saves, it behooves us to ascribe to Him alone all our praises that we may not deprive Him of His right.” – John Calvin
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16–17 (ESV)
When it comes down to it, God divides all individuals into two categories: the saved and the unsaved. Every person longs to find a path to eternal life. Many different paths are tried. Many different religions, cults and philosophies created. But what does the Word of God have to say about salvation? What vocabulary does God use to reveal to the saved, and the unsaved, the nature of salvation?
For the next several days, we will set aside our study in the Gospel of Matthew to examine fifteen key words comprising the vocabulary of salvation. To begin, what exactly does salvation mean?
Salvation (σωτηρία; soteria) means deliverance. It means rescue. Deliverance and rescue from what exactly? The Bible explains that salvation, from and of God alone, is deliverance and rescue from the penalty, power and eventual presence of our sin. Our sinful rebellion against God is personal. Therefore, it stands to reason the salvation must also be personal. God must deliver each of us from the penalty, power and presence of our sin. If salvation does not occur in our lives, then we are doomed.
It is therefore a wise task to not only understand the vocabulary of salvation, but also to assent, or agree, with its truths and then to trust, commit, depend and worship the God of salvation. Salvation must strike to the very core of our being: our intellect, emotions and will. In other words, our soul.
Let us begin this study. The first term to consider, understand and embrace is the word conversion. What does this mean? How does God convert sinners? What is involved in conversion: positively and negatively? We will answer these questions when next we meet.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 