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What does it mean to “be saved”? What does the word “salvation” mean?

The word or term salvation is taken from a Greek word which means “deliverance,” “preservation,” and “safety.” To understand what takes place when we are saved, it is necessary, unfortunately, to use some “churchy” terms or words. Contrary to popular opinion the big words of faith really are important. In certain teachings of our faith, scripture or grace it is hard to fully explain truth without such words.

Words like “Justification,” “Sanctification,” and “Glorification” are important in order to understand what happens when someone is saved. Yes, we may not like these multi-syllable, unfamiliar words and sometimes they are used to impress us, especially when simpler words exist, but in this case they really are necessary. So let us look at each of these three big words to see not only what they mean, but what part each plays in our salvation.

They are as follows:

1) Justification (the Past) – Being saved from the penalty of sin. This occurs when we first accept God’s grace, which leads to our being made brand new and without sin. At this point our sins are forgiven, entirely and completely. We are delivered from sin’s penalty. One simple choice leads to a single act of God, that results in His imparting Christ’s righteousness to us.

As a result of Christ’s obedience instead of God holding our failed ability to obey the things the Bible tells us we should do, he no longer does. Then through believing Christ when he said, he paid the price to satisfy God for our failure to obey and that there is nothing left to do we are enabled to have a relationship with the Father.

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger.10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. (Romans 5:6-10)

They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.” (Acts 16:31)

2) Sanctification (the Present) – This is the ongoing process where we are being delivered from sin’s power. We have been saved from the penalty of our sins and the power of sin in our lives. However it is the working of the Holy Spirit through the grace of God daily that enables us to make choices that do not give sin power over us. It is a work of God, initiated and sustained by Him and is a life-long process through which we, His people, are transformed from God-hating, sin-loving sinners into God-loving, sin-hating saints.

Don’t let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God’s kindness and not by the Law. (Romans 6:14)

But I have spoken to you plainly and have tried to remind you of some things. God was so kind to me! (Romans 15:15)

In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life. But for people who are lost, it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death.

No one really has what it takes to do this work.17A lot of people try to get rich from preaching God’s message. But we are God’s sincere messengers, and by the power of Christ we speak our message with God as our witness. (2 Corinthians 2:15-21)

I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Here I am being saved daily, hourly, minute by minute from the effects and consequences of sin. In fact, just an hour ago, God’s Holy Spirit alerted me to a step which would have led to sin. Public confession or confession with my mouth definitely serves to aid in my becoming more Christ-like. This is described in the passage of Romans 10:9-10:

So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death.10 God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.

3) Glorification (the Future) — As I am saved from the presence of sin, God promises I will join Him in a glorification, that is, the future perfection which will take place when as a Believer I inherit my home in Heaven, and live eternally in a new God-given body.

[Jesus said,] “But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day.” (John 6:54)

All of you have faith in the Son of God, and I have written to let you know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)

There are often many mistakes here as mentioned previously because of the failing to understand these terms. Most of the mistakes fall into one of three areas:

1) Forgetting or not knowing or not bothering to learn that there are indeed three different tenses of the words “saved” and “salvation” as it is referred to in the New Testament. This often results in the words and terms being confused and used interchangeably.

2) Failing to remember that salvation is a complete work of God from beginning to end. We have no part in it. God initiates it, empowers it, and enables us to live out His work through the Holy Spirit. We do have a responsibility, though. We are responsible for making choices, empowered by the Holy Spirit, every day in faith and in obedience motivated out of gratitude for the grace God gives new each day. Choices that reflect a heart of gratitude for the precious gift of Salvation God has given all of us.

God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6).

Forgetting this important point always leads to some form of legalism in which we attempt to earn, maintain, sustain, keep, or balance out the grace gift of God.

3) Getting justification confused with sanctification. When we keep them separate, we will always have a clearer understanding of God’s Word.