This is an old-fashioned Bible study. Let’s learn the basics of this major theme in all of Scripture. It’s the most important one of all. It is definitely multi-faceted!

I use the New International Version (NIV) in this post. If you would like to see many other translations, please go to biblegateway.com.

This post is an expansion of this one:

What Is the Work of Salvation?

This post is divided into these sections:

I. Old Testament Salvation 

II. Salvation Required the Work of Christ.

III. Salvation Comes as the Gracious Gift of God.

IV. How Must We Respond to Salvation?

Personal Application

Now let’s begin, using the outline format.

I. Old Testament Salvation 

In this section, I decided not to quote the verses since the same words are repeated. (I do provide the context, however.) Instead, you may click on the links.

A. God is called “Savior.”

1 Chronicles 16:35 is part of a long song of praise from Asaph, the lead musician, appointed by king David. It is a prayer that God would deliver Israel from other nations. “God our Savior!”

Psalm 25:5 says that he trusts God and prays that God would teach him his paths. “You are God my Savior.”

In Isaiah 43:11, God prophesies poetically that Israel and his servant are his witnesses. And one fact to which they are witnesses is that they have no other Savior but he.

In Isaiah 45:15 and Isaiah 45:21, the prophetic poem says God is Israel’s national Savior. Israel lived in a rough neighborhood, so this nation needed protection.

Micah 7:7 teaches us that the southern kingdom, Judah, was so degraded that family members would snitch and betray each other. However, the prophet trusts in only the LORD, his Savior.

B. God is Israel’s salvation.

Exodus 15:1-2 is part of the song that Moses and the Israelites sang after God delivered them from Egypt through the Red Sea. God was truly their salvation.

Psalm 27:1 teaches us that since God is our salvation, we have nothing to fear. He is our strong fortress.

According to Isaiah 12:2, after the Root of Jesse (David’s father) will stand as a banner, then Israel will say individually that the LORD himself is his salvation. The root turned out to be Yeshua ha Meshiach, Jesus the Messiah, offspring of David.

Jonah 2:9 teaches that when Jonah was going through the toughest time in his life—buried in a big fish’s belly, like Jesus was buried in the tomb—he sang a song of deliverance. “Salvation comes from the LORD.” The word could have been translated “rescue” comes from him.

C. Worldwide salvation is promised through God.

Psalm 67:2 says that when God saves Israel, the surrounding nations will know and also experience God’s salvation. Of course this was fulfilled the most clearly in Yeshua (Jesus) and in his church that spreads the gospel to all nations.

Isaiah 49:6 tells us that Israel will be a light to the nations (Gentiles). Again, this was fulfilled and is being fulfilled in Yeshua the Messiah and through his church.

Isaiah 52:10 says that as the LORD was rebuilding ruined Jerusalem, all the ends of the earth will see God’s salvation. Verses 13-14 go on to describe the first glimpse of the suffering servant, Yeshua (Jesus).

To read Hebrew and Greek words for “save” or “salvation” which frequently appear in the Bible, you may click on this link:

Word Study on Salvation

II. Salvation Required the Work of Christ.

A. He came to earth.

In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul says that though Christ Jesus was rich (in heaven), he became poor (on earth). It is true that in comparison with heaven his life on earth was impoverished. Now he offers us his eternal riches, the riches of salvation. Please do not interpret this as giving money to get more money–give to get rich. This is out of context.

Now for your eternal riches:

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Cor. 8:9)

Apostle Paul Traveled on Cargo Ships

Philippians 2:6-8 says that the Son of God made himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant, becoming a man. His servanthood went so far as dying on the cross!

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

The NIV translators put this in a poetic format by intending each main line. Scholars believe that this was an ancient hymn or an ancient creed.

3. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was God Incarnate

4. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Took the Form of a Servant

5. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Came Down from Heaven

6. Do I Really Know Jesus? Why Did He Become a Man?

B. He died on the cross.

John 3:14-15 says that Jesus came down from heaven, and he would be lifted up on the cross. If we believe in him–put our faith in him–we will have eternal life, beginning with our life right now on earth.

¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:14-15; see Num. 21:8-9)

According to 1 Corinthians 1:18: the message of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but for us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18)

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 is the great summary of the gospel in a nutshell. Christ died for our sins, and he was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day.

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

Philippians 2:9 teaches that Jesus humbled himself so much that he died an undignified death on the criminal’s cross, though he was sentenced to die on it unjustly.

And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:9)

Why the Cross?

Christ’s Death on Cross = Cosmic Child Abuse?

C. He shed his blood.

1 Peter 1:18-19 says that we were not redeemed by silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without defect (Lev. 4:32).

⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Revelation 5:9 proclaims in a praise song that Jesus redeemed all peoples with his blood.

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

Why the Blood of Jesus?

D. He was raised from the dead (resurrection).

Romans 10:9 teaches us that if we confess with our mouths that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we shall be saved.

⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom. 10:9)

1 Peter 1:3-5 strongly says that God our Father gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the dead. Now we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven, which we will have fully at his Second Coming.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

11. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was Resurrected from the Dead

12. Do I Really Know Jesus? What Was His Resurrected Body Like?

13. Do I Really Know Jesus? His Resurrection Changes Everything

E. He ascended on high (ascension).

Acts 5:30-31 teaches us that humans nailed Jesus to the cross, but God vindicated him by exalting him to his right hand as Prince and Savior so that God would bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.

³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. (Acts 5:30-31)

So the exaltation or ascension is connected with salvation.

15. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Ascended into Heaven

16. Do I Really Know Jesus? His Ascension Means Everything

III. Salvation Comes as the Gracious Gift of God.

A. It is a gift of his love.

Romans 5:8-9 teaches that someone might die for a good man, but while we were still sinners Christ died for us, and since we were justified (declared righteous and forgiven) we have been saved from God’s justice-wrath-judgment.

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Rom. 5:8-9)

In the above verses, “wrath” is used (v. 9). Go to this link and look at the images.

Do I Really Know God? He Shows Wrath

Wrath does not mean what the critics and pop culture say it means. It flows out of God’s goodness, love, justice, and protection.

Next, according to Titus 3:4-5 God’s love and kindness appeared and he saved us not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy.

⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5)

1 John 4:9-10 teaches that the clearest way God showed his love to us is by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. God’s love is active and demonstrative.

⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

B. It is a gift of his grace.

In Ephesians 2:4-5 Paul says God, out of his great love and rich mercy, made us alive in Christ when were dead in our transgressions, so it is by grace we have been saved.

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Eph. 2:4-5)

Ephesians 2:8 teaches that it is by grace we have been saved, through faith. Grace starts with God, and faith is the instrument or channel through which we receive his grace.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8)

Titus 2:11 straightforwardly teaches that God has appeared and offers salvation to all people. Some people receive it, but other people resist it. Don’t resist; receive it.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. (Titus 2:11)

C. It is a gift of his mercy.

Recall these verses in Titus 3:4-5a:

⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us […] (Titus 3:4-5a)

1 Peter 1:3 proclaims that in his great mercy he has give us new birth.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

IV. How Must We Respond to Salvation?

A. Repent of our sins.

Isaiah 30:15 wonderfully connects repentance and rest and salvation. When we repent, we rest in the sense that we do not have to be anxious about God’s salvation. We can rest in it.

¹⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

In Acts 2:37-38, Peter just finished a strong word to the Jerusalem Jews, saying that they are the ones who hanged Jesus on the cross. They were cut in their hearts. They asked: What should they do? Peter responded that they should repent and be baptized.

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 2:37-38)

In Acts 3:19 Peter is a little softer and tells the people they acted in ignorance. Nonetheless, they should repent and turn to God so that their sins should be wiped out.

¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, (Acts 3:19)

2 Corinthians 7:10 says in the context that Paul’s strong letter brought them sorrow; he reminds them that godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.

¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Cor. 7:10)

What Is Repentance?

B. Believe in Jesus.

John 3:16 is the famous verse that says that God loved the world in a way that he gave his one and only Son, so whoever believes on him would not perish but would be saved.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

John 20:31 says that we must believe in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. What happens then is that we have a brand-new life, eternal life beginning the moment you believe in him.

³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

1 John 5:13 repeats the same truth as John 20:31, as follows:

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13)

After we believe in the name of the Son of God, we then show love. Keep the sequence clear: Faith in the Son, and then love for others.

²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  (1 John 2:23)

The context of Acts 16:30-31 shows us that Paul and Silas were in jail, and they praised God at midnight. An earthquake shook them loose and opened the doors. The jailer was afraid because if anyone escaped he would be executed for incompetence and possibly providing a way to escape. Paul proclaimed to him that if he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall be saved and his household.

³⁰ He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31)

C. How to remember what faith is.

Faith and believing here does not mean just mental assent or a belief in doctrines—though those things are important. No, more than those things, people must put their full trust in Jesus.

F-A-I-T-H stands for

Forsaking All I Trust Him.

D. Deeper meaning of faith / trust

Matthew 11:28-30 teaches us that you know you have faith in Jesus when you fully trust in him. You know you fully trust in him when you have rest in your soul. The clause “come to me” is the call of salvation. It is the call to put your entire soul in the hands of Jesus. Learning of him is to follow him. To follow him is to be his disciple. To be his disciple is to trust him. You are following and learning from the right person.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

E. Accept salvation as a free gift.

If you work at a job, you get paid. It is an obligation from your company to pay you. But what if you trust or believe in God for salvation without working for it? God sees your trust and offers you his righteousness as a free gift. He credits it–imputes it–to your account. His righteousness is his payment deposited into our empty bank account. You offer him nothing but your faith and trust, which is the opposite of working for it, and he pays with his gift of righteousness. Now you have right standing with God and can survive his future judgment.

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. (Rom. 4:4-5)

Our sin deserves death, but God gives us the free gift of salvation. It cost him his Son who died on the cross. All we have to do is put our faith in his Son and receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life, which begins down here on earth. It lasts for eternity.

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23)

Isaiah 55:1 assures us that if we have no money, we can still eat and drink.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost. (Is. 55:1)

Revelation 21:6 has another water and drinking imagery. If we are thirsty, we can have water without cost.

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.  (Rev. 21:6)

F. Realize we can do nothing to earn it.

Ephesians 2:8-9: let’s look at these verses again. They are the great passage about God’s grace. This grace does not come from our own selves and strength and work, but it is a free gift from God. But by grace we have been saved through faith–all of it is a gift of God. The basic plan of salvation in its entirety is a free gift, which we do not have to earn.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)

2 Timothy 1:9 teaches us that he saved and called us to a holy life, but not by anything we have done, but by his purpose and grace. Note the sequence again. Salvation first, and then a holy life.

⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, (2 Tim. 1:9)

Titus 3:4-6—we have already seen Titus 3:4-5, and for good reason. This passage is a succinct explanation of God’s grace. But now let’s include the surrounding verses. He saves us through the washing of rebirth, not because of the righteous things we have done, but by the Holy Spirit, whom he has poured out on us generously.

⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, (Titus 3:4-6)

What Is Grace?

G.  We must count the cost.

Luke 14:25-33 explains that if a man builds a tower, he must first figure out the cost; otherwise, he will not complete it and look foolish. And if a king were to go to war with another king, the first one must calculate the cost and figure out whether his army could be victorious. If not, he would lose and be humiliated.

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 15:25-33)

And so it is with following Jesus. We better count the cost, or we may get discouraged and walk away, after we made an initial commitment to him. We must give everything to be his disciples.

H. Give our all, in response to salvation.

In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus teaches us that if a man finds a treasure in a field, he must give all he has to buy the field. And if a merchant finds a pearl of great price, he sells everything he has to buy it. So it is with finding Jesus and accepting his kingdom. We have to give our all, but then our reward will be great. We will have Jesus.

Other interpreters say that Christ finds the treasure and the pearl and gives everything–his life on the cross–to purchase them (us). We are the pearl and treasure. Though I prefer the first interpretation, the second one has some merit.

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46)

In Philippians 3:7-9 Paul tells his readers that he has given up and lost everything; yet he considered all those things as garbage. Now he stopped keeping the law, but now he received righteousness through faith in Christ instead of working for legalized righteousness.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Phil. 3:7-9)

Personal Application

You have experienced salvation. You can rest in Christ that he will never take it from you. Even when you sin, he works with you and draws you back to the paths of righteousness. Salvation depends on his grace. All you have to do is believe it.

RELATED

What Does ‘Salvation’ Mean?

What Is the Source of Salvation?

What Is the Work of Salvation?

How Do We Respond to God’s Salvation?

Word Study on Salvation