So Great A Salvation

One of the most significant words in the English language is also one of the most profound concepts ever to engage the mind of man: salvation (cf. Heb. 2:3). Salvation is a work of God for man, not a work of man for God. It is a wonderful truth that “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). It is of the Lord from start to finish, from its inception on earth in man to its glorious consummation in heaven.

God the Father planned salvation. God the Son purchased it. God the Holy Spirit perfects it in the heart of the believer. It is a biblical truth that God Himself does all the saving, all the redeeming, and all the reconciling of wayward man to Himself (cf. Rom. 3:24-25; II Cor. 5:19).

The Lord Himself effectively delivers us from death, redeems us from ruin, and saves us from sin. In the salvation of the soul God ministers to human needs, calling us to Himself in justifying grace (cf. Titus 3:7). 

God the Father's flawless wisdom devised salvation in eternity past. In accordance with the Father's perfect plan, God the Son bought our salvation on the cross of Calvary when He tasted “Death for every man” (Heb. 2:9).

The Lord Jesus died in our place. He took our place in judgment as our sinless Substitute (cf. I Pet. 2:24). Our Savior paid in full the price that God's righteousness demanded. The sacrifice of Christ at Calvary is for all men everywhere and reaches to the ends of the earth (cf. I John 2:2).

God the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of salvation to the hearts of all who believe, the primary benefit of course being the new birth from above (John 3:3, 5).

God the Father loved the whole world (John 3:16). The word for “world” in this verse refers to all the human inhabitants of this orderly universe. God the Son died for the sins of the whole world (cf. John 1:29). God the Holy Spirit invites everyone in all lands and places to receive the great salvation that was thought by the Father and bought by the Son (cf. Rev. 22:17).

The English word “salvation” in the New Testament, is the translation of the Greek word σõtēria, which has three distinct meanings: (1) deliverance; (2) preservation; and (3) safety (Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Zondervan). We see at once that it takes three English words to give the full meaning of the one Greek word. Salvation, then, means “to deliver, to preserve, and to make safe.” Salvation may be defined as the sovereign work of God through which He delivers the believer from the guilt and penalty of sin, preserves him from the power of sin, and will, according to His own purpose, eventually make him entirely safe from the very presence of sin forever.

Salvation will be completed at the coming of the Lord Jesus, when all believers will be caught by God's power and transported to heaven (cf. I Thess. 4:17).

Some scriptural illustrations will help us to understand the threefold nature of salvation.

THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

The experiences of the Israelites, God's chosen people, give us our first illustration. According to 1 Corinthians 10:11, we are to profit from the Lord's dealings with the nation of Israel. The eternal Redeemer/God miraculously delivered the people of Israel from Egypt's, galling bondage, preserved them from harm in the windswept wilderness (cf. Deut. 8:6; 32:10), and made them to dwell safely in Canaan

THE MINISTRIES OF THE DIVINE SHEPHERD 

The Lord Jesus as Shepherd of the sheep of God demonstrates the threefold nature of salvation. As the good Shepherd died for the sheep (John 10:11). The good Shepherd's substitutionary death for us speaks of deliverance and illustrates the past aspect of salvation (cf. Heb. 9:22). 

The great Shepherd was resurrected by the God of peace through the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20). The triumphant resurrection of Christ was a matchless display of God's omnipotent power over death, demons, and Satan himself (cf. Heb. 2:14-15).

The chief Shepherd will come one day, according to God's prophetic plan, to take the sheep unto Himself as He promised (cf. I Pet. 5:4). The return of the chief Shepherd from glory to receive His sheep shows the future aspect of salvation. 

CHRIST'S PLAN FOR THE CHURCH

The relationship between Christ and His church affords us an excellent illustration of the threefold nature of salvation. We find a wonderful example in Ephesians 5:25-27. “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” speaks of past deliverance. Christ gave Himself for His church at the cross, making deliverance from the guilt and penalty of sin possible. 

The words “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26), tell of Christ's preservation of the church by the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us. The words “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or winkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (vs. 27), have reference to our entrance into eternal safety in heaven.

THE OFFICES OF CHRIST

Christ's mediatorial offices display the threefold nature of salvation. The Lord Jesus is Prophet (Deut. 18:15), Priest (I Sam. 2:35), and King (Rev. 19:16). A prophet speaks to man for God. As the Prophet the Lord Jesus came to earth, announced the authoritative message of God, and finally sealed that life-giving message with His blood at the cross. That means deliverance.

A priest enters the presence of God on behalf of man. As Priest the Lord Jesus went into the holy of holies in heaven and presented Himself to God as the all-sufficient Sacrifice for sins.  Jesus is the High Priest of our profession” (Heb. 3:1). The Lord Jesus is the resurrected Priest in glory with “An unchangeable priesthood” (Heb. 7:24), and He ever lives “to make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:25).

A king rules over men under God. As King of kings, the Lord Jesus will come to receive an everlasting kingdom from God and will sit upon the throne of David (cf. Luke 1:32). When that glorious event takes place in the plan and purpose of God, we shall have eternal safety with our King (cf. Rev. 5:9-10).

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

Individual experience illustrates the threefold nature of salvation. When a person receives Christ as personal Savior, the Lord delivers that person from the guilt and penalty of sin; He then preserves him from the power of sin; in the future He will make the child of God safe from the very presence of sin (cf. II Cor, 1:10).