What Does "To Be Saved" Mean in the New Testament?"

8/29/2021

by Mr. Whitney V. Myers

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved" - Acts 16:31 - Photo by Whitney V. Myers

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:31)

This lesson is the second in a series on what "to be saved" means in the Bible. The first lesson described what "to be saved" means in the Old Testament (Ref. 1). This lesson describes what "to be saved" means in the New Testament.

This lesson uses scripture quotations from the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New American Standard Bible (NASB) (Ref. 2).

Consider. What do the words, "to be saved," mean to you? How does a person become saved?

1. "To be saved" in the New Testament means "to be delivered out of danger into safety" and "to be made well or whole."

The Greek word, sózó, translated as saved in Acts 16:31 occurs over 100 times in the New Testament (Ref. 3). Sózó (pronounced sode'-zo) means to deliver, heal, make whole, preserve, and save (Ref. 3). When God saves us, God delivers us out of danger into his provisions (safety).

Items "a," "b," "c," and "d" below provide examples from the New Testament for what it means to be saved.

a. Jesus saves people through storms

(1). Jesus saved his disciples when they were afraid

Matthew 8:25-26 -- "And they went and woke him, saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing.' 26 And he said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?' Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." (Read the entire account: Matthew 8:23-27.)

(2). Jesus saved Peter when he doubted

Matthew 14:30-31, brackets added -- "But when he [Peter] saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.' 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' " (Read the entire account: Matthew 14:22-33.)

Notice in these examples that Jesus saved them even when they had little faith. Let that thought encourage you and calm you in whatever storm you are going through.

b. Jesus saves people when they are lost

Luke 19:8-10 -- "And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.' 9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'" (Read the entire account: Luke 19:1-10).

In Luke 19:10, the Greek word for lost, apollumi (ap-ol'-loo-mee), has a more severe meaning than just needing directions to point the way. Apollumi (being lost) implies to die with the implication of ruin and permanent (absolute) destruction by experiencing a miserable end (Ref. 4). Jesus Christ came to save Zaccheus, you, and me from experiencing ruin, permanent destruction, and a miserable end.

c. Jesus saves suffering people and makes them well (healed and whole)

The Greek word sózó which means save also means make well, heal, and restore to health (Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Ref. 3). The New Testament strongly teaches the healing nature of being saved.

(1). Jesus healed the woman with a hemorrhage

Mark 5:33-34, brackets added -- "But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well [saved you]; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.'" (Read the entire account: Mark 5:25-34.)

(2). Jesus healed Bartimaeus from blindness

Mark 10:51-52, brackets added -- "And Jesus said to him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' And the blind man said to him, 'Rabbi, let me recover my sight.' 52 And Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well [saved you].' And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way." (Read the entire account: Mark 10:46-52.)

(3). Church elders are to pray for the sick to be restored (saved)

James 5:14-15, brackets added -- "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save [restore] the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

When you are suffering and need healing, seek the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and faith, and trust him for the results.

d. God will save people who call on him from the day of the Lord and from the wrath of God against sin

(1). People who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved from the day of the Lord

The prophet Joel describes the day of the Lord in Joel 2:30-32. In Joel 2:31, he describes the day of the Lord as "great and awesome [where awesome means to be feared]" (Ref. 5). Then, Joel adds "And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved [delivered, escape]" (Joel 2:32, brackets added; Ref. 6). On Pentecost, the Apostle Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:17-21.

"Calling on the name of the Lord" means "to adore and worship" the Lord and "to invoke" [petition, appeal to, and make an earnest request to] the Lord in prayer (Ref. 7, Ref. 8).

God has promised -- people who call on him (adore, worship, appeal to, and pray to him) will be saved. When you believe in Christ, the time of his return will be a time of salvation, not a time of fear. Thank God and rejoice in that promise.

(2). God will save believers in Christ from the wrath of God against sin

Romans 5:8-10 -- "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

According to HELPS Word-studies, the wrath of God refers to God's fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin (Ref. 9). As believers in Christ, we are justified [made righteous] by the blood of Christ (Ref. 10, Romans 5:9). That is why we who believe in Christ will be saved by him from the wrath of God against sin (Romans 5:9-10).

2. Biblical Principles about Being Saved

a. God was so moved by his love for the world that he has already provided the way for the world to be saved

John 3:16 -- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

b. God sent his Son not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him

John 3:17 -- Jesus said to Nicodemus, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him." Nicodemus, a Pharisee (John 3:1), may have been expecting a Messiah that would destroy Israel's Gentile enemies (Ellicott's Commentary on John 3:17, Ref. 11). Jesus came at that time not to initiate the final judgment of the world, but to provide the way for the people of the world -- Gentiles and Jews -- to be saved.

c. For those who believe in Christ, God has saved us from our former life of sin

Romans 5:8 -- "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Ephesians 2:4-5 -- "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

d. God has provided his Son, Jesus Christ, as the only way by which people are saved

Acts 4:10,12 -- The Apostle Peter referred to Jesus Christ of Nazareth when he said, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

e. Our only "to do" to become saved is to believe in Jesus Christ, God's Son

Acts 16:30-31, brackets added -- "Then he [the Philippian jailer] brought them [Paul and Silas] out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' 31 And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'"

The Greek word for believe means trust in, have faith in, and have confidence in (Ref.12).

3. Salvation Prayer

   Apply. If you are not yet a believer in Jesus Christ, tell him you are sorry for all the sins in your life (1 John 1:9), and put your faith and trust in him. Tell Jesus that you believe in him and that you believe he died for you (Romans 5:8). Tell Jesus that you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Thank Jesus for being your Savior and Lord.

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).

Related Lessons
"What Does 'To Be Saved' Mean in the Old Testament?" (Psalm 18:3)
"God's Offer of Salvation and Eternal Life" (John 3:16)

1 Comment

Jesus is the Way to Heaven

6/17/2018

0 Comments

by Whitney V. Myers

Download a printable PDF of this post

Majestic Sunset - Carpathian Mountains - 123RF - with John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).

This article is the fifth and final article in the series on the topic, “About the Way.”

Consider. The eternal Jesus Christ is the road, the path, the journey to the Father, and to the Father's dwelling place, heaven.

Immediately before Jesus said "I am the way" (John 14:6), Jesus told his disciples, "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).

Jesus is eternal.

Jesus Christ is the same "I AM" that appeared to Moses in the burning bush (John 8:58; Exodus 3:6; Exodus 3:14).

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

Jesus is the way.

Jesus invites us to follow him to the destination. Jesus is the road, and the journey to the destination.

The Greek word for "follow" is akoloutheó. Akoloutheó means to be in the same way with, that is, to accompany as a disciple (Ref. 1).

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17). Mark 10:21 describes Jesus' invitation to the young man to follow Jesus. "Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, 'One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' " The young man refused Jesus' invitation to accompany Jesus as a disciple. Mark tells us the young man "was saddened, and he went away grieving" (Mark 10:22).

Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, to the Father's dwelling place, heaven.

Jesus is the only way to the Father because only Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin.

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, ... let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19-20, 22).

"But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

"Unless you believe that I AM, you’ll die in your sins” (John 8:24).

Man Praying with Bible - 123RF Photo

Our Response to Jesus

What is your response to Jesus? Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). Are you ready to believe in him? Are you willing to follow Jesus to our heavenly destination?

If you do not already trust in Jesus, then I encourage you to pray through these steps in your own words.

Believe in Jesus.

Confess your sins to Jesus. Thank Jesus for forgiving your sins (1 John 1:9).
Put your trust in Jesus. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16). Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Follow Jesus.

Ask Jesus to teach you, to lead you, and to help you follow him faithfully each day.

     "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

     "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

     "Teach me your ways, O Lord; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God, who saves me. I always trust in you" (Psalm 25:4-5).

Now that you have put your trust in Jesus, I encourage you to:

Read your Bible daily to learn more about God. You may want to start by reading one of the gospel accounts such as Mark or John. The Holy Spirit will teach you as you read the Scriptures (John 16:13).
Seek out a local body of believers where you can worship, fellowship, and learn by receiving good teaching about God's inspired word, the Bible. Some churches may offer a special teaching class for new believers.

Reference
1. http://biblehub.com/greek/190.htm

To learn more about the following topics, please visit the About the Way page or the previous posts with dates noted:

The Remedy for a Troubled Heart (April 22, 2018)
Who is Jesus? (May 6, 2018)
The Way of the Lord (Old Testament) (May 20, 2018)
What Does “The Way" Mean in the New Testament? (June 3, 2018)
Why is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?
Are You Ready to Believe in Jesus?