Many people think of salvation only in terms of either being saved or being lost. To be saved, for many people, means to go to heaven when you die. To be lost, for many, means spending eternity in the fiery torments of hell.

 Let us take some time to see what the Scriptures say about salvation. The Greek word translated as “saved” in the New Testament is sozo. Sozo or “saved” literally means “delivered” or “protected.” To be saved or delivered can have many different applications.

Joel 2:32 says, "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.” The word “call” here means to cry out as someone would cry out for help when trapped in a burning building with no evident way of escape. This is not a casual or pointless, vain, calling on the name of the Lord. It is a screaming desperation of a soul crying out for help, for deliverance from a seemingly hopeless situation.

What God has promised, He will do. God will faithfully deliver that person from his situation of distress. Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28 assures us of God’s faithfulness, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.” These were people fainting from hunger and thirst, prisoners in misery and chains, people that were near the gates of death, sailors whose souls melted away in their misery as storms ravaged them upon the waves of the sea.

In each circumstance, they cried out and God delivered them from their distress. This deliverance does not, however, mean that they are saved eternally. It is simply God’s faithfulness to deliver, or save, those that, in their distress, cry out to Him for help. This is a temporal deliverance, or salvation.

Sozo, or saved, has another application. This is one of eternal salvation. Titus 3:4-7 says, “When the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Notice that Paul says that believers have been saved (past tense) by the renewing of the Holy Spirit. By this renewing, this being born of the Spirit, they have the hope of eternal life.

John 3:5-7 says, “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.”’ We are made alive by being born again. We are saved, born again, when the Holy Spirit quickens, or gives life, to our spirit.

Romans 10:8-13 says, “that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The Lord is rich to all who by faith in Jesus call on His name, believing that God has raised Him from the dead.

This is the salvation of our spirit. We are made alive by the life-giving Spirit of Christ entering into our spirit. We are now able, by faith, to have fellowship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He has made us alive spiritually. Our spirit has been saved.

When Jesus, as the Spirit of Truth, comes to indwell our spirit, He makes us alive to God. He becomes our life and has promised that he will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). We have been saved by this salvation of our spirit. This aspect of eternal salvation is completed when our spirit is born of the Holy Spirit.

This, however, is not the end of the salvation process. It is just the beginning. When we are born again, our spirit is made alive; we have been saved. We now embark on the next phase of the salvation process, the salvation of our soul.

Now the Lord begins to work within us to transform us, to change our desires, how we think, and talk, and act. God begins the life-long process of conforming us to His image. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” Romans 8:29. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

He accomplishes this purpose of transformation, of conformation, by teaching us to hear His voice and to obey His speaking as we look to Him and submit to Him as Lord. Jesus says in John 10:1-4, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Verses 15-16 say, “I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

He teaches us to joyfully submit to His will. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” He uses many circumstances, many situations, to help us to learn how much God loves us and how God wants the best for us. He teaches us that apart from Him we can do nothing, but through Him we can do all things. (John 15:5; Philippians 4:13)

He brings us through trials to test and purify our faith which is more precious than gold. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved in various trials, that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ—whom, not having known, you love. In him, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (I Peter 1:3-9, WEB).

He uses trials to teach us obedience through suffering and to bring us to maturity. “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (I Peter 4:12-13, NIV). Jesus, “in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:7-9, WEB). In the same way, we learn obedience through suffering and are brought on to maturity, perfection, through the things that we suffer for the Lord’s sake.

He renews our minds that we would think on things that are just, and pure, and righteous. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

He trains our minds to see things according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24, NIV).

He pours out His love in our hearts that we might love one another as He first loved us. Romans 5:5 says, “The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” It is by the empowering of the indwelling Holy Spirit through which the love of God has been poured out in our hearts that we are enabled to keep this commandment.

He teaches us to humble ourselves and to cast all our cares upon Him as we learn how much He cares for us. “All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (I Peter 5:5-7, KJV). He teaches us to be anxious for nothing, but to rest in Him and His righteousness.

Jesus gives us peace that surpasses all understanding as we begin to realize, through experience and through the Scriptures, that He is our peace, that it is by His blood alone that we have peace with God. “He is our peace. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:14, 17-18, WEB).  Philippians 4:7 says, “The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Jesus said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5, KJV).

The more readily and the more completely we submit to His will, to His life working in us, looking away to Him, the more completely we begin to experience the reality of our death with Him and the complete deliverance that He gives us from the dominion and power of sin in our lives. Romans 6:2-7 says, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”

Once we know our death with Christ and begin to reckon our freedom from the dominion of sin in our body, the more completely we begin to experience the unspeakable joy of living a holy life, wholly pleasing to God, empowered by His indestructible life working in us according to His vast power. Paul writes, “I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength” (Ephesians 1:18-19, HCSB).

This life-long process is the salvation of the soul. The completion of this process is the goal of our faith. “You believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (I Peter 1:8-9, HCSB).

The extent to which this process is completed will determine the glory of Christ that we will each enjoy in the resurrection. In the resurrection each believer will differ in glory, just as each star in the sky differs from one another in glory. The amount of glory that we will have in the resurrection will depend on how much of Christ we have gained during this process of the salvation of our souls. “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead” (I Corinthians 15:41-42, KJV).

Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-9, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 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 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.” We, like Paul, must count everything of the flesh that we used to boast in as loss, for the excellency of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.

Paul continues in verses 10 and 11, “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead” (HCSB). The goal of our Christian life must be to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.

We also, like Paul, should strive to attain to the resurrection from the dead. This word translated as “resurrection” in verse 11 is used only one time in Scripture.  Its literal translation is the “out-resurrection.” Apparently, based on Paul’s desire to attain unto it, it must be the best resurrection. This probably refers to the resurrection in Revelation 20, the first resurrection, where those that are resurrected rule and reign with Christ for 1,000 years.

We must count everything as loss that would interfere with our knowing Christ. Christ must be the preeminent focus of our life. We must not become caught up in the cares of this life and the love of money.

It is never too late! Right now, we can repent and turn again to the Lord, looking away to Him, beholding and reflecting Him. We can redeem the time; we can buy it back by being filled with the Spirit. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:15-21, KJV).

After we have been saved by being born again, we begin the process of our soul being saved. This process of the salvation of the soul continues from the time of Christ, as the Spirit, coming to indwell our spirit until our physical body dies or the Lord returns. Then this phase of the salvation process, the salvation of our soul, ends. The next phase of our salvation begins when the dead are raised at the last trump.  Then we begin a new, virtually instant, process of salvation, the salvation of our bodies. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed.

Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:50-53. “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

As you can see, there is a lot more to salvation than most people realize. My prayer is that we will each continue steadfast in the faith and endure to the end until we all reach maturity in Christ, that we might be found in Him, not having a righteousness of our own, but the righteousness of faith. Hebrews 10:24-25 instructs us, “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (KJV). We must continue to assemble together that we might encourage one another, and even more as the day of the Lord draws near.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-15, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect (mature), have this attitude.”

Writings By Jon von Ernst

The Lord of All Things Series - A Trilogy of Truth 
Books in this series:
Book 1 - The Gospel of the Kingdom
Book 2- The Victorious Christian
Book 3 - Walking in the Light  -  Following in His Steps

*- Audio of these books are available free of charge at thepureword.net.