The correct way to establish the meaning of terms in the Bible is to examine the words in the original languages, and see how, and in what context, they are used by God. Therefore, in order to understand what “salvation” means, the biblical terms for salvation will now be studied. It will be shown that “salvation” in the Bible means the salvation of the whole man, physically as well as spiritually, temporally as well as eternally.

Old Testament Terms for Salvation

In the Old Testament, the following Hebrew terms have to do with “salvation”:

Yasha‘ is the verb which means “to give liberty to, to deliver, to set free, to help, to preserve or to give victory to.”

Yeshuw‘ah is the noun which means “salvation, deliverance, welfare, safety, aid, prosperity, health or help.”

Yehowshuwa‘ is the proper name, “Joshua,”¹ and means “Saviour or Deliverer.”

These words are used in the following passages in various ways that will give insight into what God means by “salvation”:

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (Ex. 14:13)

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. (2 Chron. 20:17)

In both these passages, “salvation” means deliverance from one’s enemies.

…O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. (Ps. 36:6)

In Psalm 36:6, the verb yasha‘ is translated “preservest,” and in the context of verses 6 to 10 means preservation and provision by God.

Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. (Ps. 118:25)

In Psalm 118, to be “saved” means to receive provision from God.

Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.…Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. (Ps. 6:2-4)

David, in Psalm 6, entreated the Lord to “save” him, when he needed physical healing.

In Psalm 106:4-5, “salvation” means the bestowal of the goodness, favor and blessing of God upon His people. In Psalm 62:1-2 and 5-7, “salvation” means protection and deliverance by God. In Psalm 107:17-20, to be “saved” means to be healed and delivered out of all adversity. In Psalm 34:4-7 and 18-19, to be “saved” means deliverance from all adversity and trouble. In Jonah 2:9, “salvation” means protection from physical death. In Isaiah 38:20, Hezekiah said the Lord would “save” him and was referring to the healing of a physical sickness (see vv. 1, 9).

In Psalm 37:39-40, “salvation” refers to all the provisions and blessings mentioned in the first 38 verses of the psalm, and includes material provision, peace, an eternal inheritance, guidance, protection and deliverance from all types of evil.

Then in Psalm 91:16, the psalmist writes that God will show us His “salvation,” referring to the entire psalm. Therefore, “salvation” here includes physical health (vv. 3, 6, 10), deliverance from fear, worry and anxiety (v. 5), protection from all adversity, affliction and evil (vv. 6-10), supernatural protection by angels (vv. 11-12), authority over the devil (v. 13), being delivered and set on high by God (v. 14), hearing from God for guidance and wisdom (v. 15a), being honored by God (v. 15b), and having long life and being fully satisfied (v. 16). What a psalm of wonderful promises! And it is all part of “salvation”!

There are many other verses one could look at in the Old Testament, but the above will suffice to show that “salvation” does not just mean having sins forgiven and going to heaven at death. Salvation certainly does include having forgiveness of sins and receiving eternal life, but it also means living this life now in divine health, in divine provision of physical needs, in protection and preservation from the works of the devil and in the daily experience of fellowship with God.⁵

While the complete manifestation of our redemption is yet future, the Bible nevertheless teaches that our salvation is a present fact as well. We have been saved, and so we can receive many of the benefits of our salvation now.

Unfortunately, many Christians have been taught only about receiving eternal life; and, consequently, that is all they ever expect to receive from God. Others understand that healing and deliverance were provided for them at the cross, and so they press in to receive those things also.

But God’s highest purpose is that we receive the entire provision of the cross. His desire is that we reign as conquerors – yea, more than conquerors – in this life, and not just in the next. Unlike the traditions of man, God does not divorce our temporal salvation from our spiritual eternal salvation, and He desires His church to experience the His redemption. And He will be glorified in that.

The Sufferings of the Righteous

As well as the previously mentioned benefits of Jesus’ work on the cross to be experienced and enjoyed in this life, God has also graciously bestowed upon His children the privilege of suffering for Jesus’ sake:

…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22)

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake; (Phil. 1:29)

Furthermore, God has also given us the privilege of joyfully enduring trials:

…when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

However, scriptural suffering which is pleasing and glorifying to God is suffering for the sake of righteousness and suffering for the sake of Jesus. That is quite different from suffering for the sake of sin, and therefore being chastened by God or by man. Neither is it glorifying to God if we suffer for the sake of doubt, fear, worry or unbelief.

Trials are meant to be trials of our faith and not trials of our unbelief. God allows trials for us to overcome and be purified and perfected, not for us to be overcome and be defeated.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Ps. 34:19)

New Testament Terms for Salvation

As we have seen, “salvation” in the Old Testament means the salvation of the whole man, physically as well as spiritually, temporally as well as eternally.

Everything in the New Testament is based upon Old Testament foundations, and “salvation” in the New Testament means the salvation of the whole man, too.

In the New Testament, these two Greek words refer to salvation:

Sozo is the verb which means “to save, to protect, to rescue from danger and destruction, to deliver or to heal.”

Soteria is the noun which means “salvation, deliverance, health, preservation or safety.”

These words are used in the following passages in various ways that again will give us insight into what God did when He “saved” us by the blood of Jesus:

And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. (Matt. 8:25)

In this verse, “save” refers to preservation from natural adversity.

For she said within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned Him about, and when He saw her, He said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. (Matt. 9:21-22)

The word translated “whole” and “made whole” in this passage is sozo, which in this context means to heal and make whole.

And whithersoever He entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that they might touch if it were but the border of His garment: and as many as touched Him were made whole. (Mark 6:56)

In Mark 6:56, once again sozo, translated “made whole,” is used in the context of physical healing.

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; (Luke 1:71)

In Luke 1:71, to be “saved” means to be delivered from one’s enemies.

They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. (Luke 8:36)

The word translated “healed” in Luke 8:36 is sozo – in the context of deliverance from evil spirits.

So it is clear that the glorious salvation that God has given us by the precious blood of Jesus is not confined solely to a spiritual inheritance in the next life; rather an integral part of the biblical concept of “salvation” is temporal and physical deliverance and blessing. Nowhere in the Bible is “salvation” ever limited solely to the eternal state or to heaven after death. That limitation is purely a tradition of man.

In Luke 17:19, sozo is translated “made...whole” and refers to cleansing from leprosy and, presumably, physical restoration. In Luke 18:41-42, “saved” means the man was healed of blindness and received his sight. “Saved” in Acts 2:21 means deliverance from the great end-time judgments in the Day of the Lord. In Acts 4:9, sozo is translated “made whole” in the context of the healing of the lame man in Acts 3. Sozo, in Acts 14:8-10, is translated “healed” and refers to the healing of a cripple. In Acts 27:31, “saved” refers to deliverance from physical death.

In 2 Timothy 4:18, sozo is translated “preserve” and speaks of both physical and spiritual preservation by God. In Philippians 1:19, “salvation” probably refers to Paul’s release from imprisonment. In James 5:14-15, sozo is translated “save” (in v. 15), but should have been translated “heal” since it obviously refers to the physical healing of the sick.

Those who are in Christ and have been redeemed by His blood have all of this “salvation” freely available to them, through faith in His name:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth… (Rom. 1:16)

There is no scriptural reason to limit the “salvation” that the Gospel provides to eternal life after death. Certainly eternal life is a wonderful benefit of the cross, but nowhere does the Bible discourage us from believing for God’s gracious provision in this life as well.

In saying this we are not suggesting that God’s highest purpose for His people in this life is for them to live self-indulgent lives of ease and luxury, free from pain and trial. This life is to be one of warfare, affliction and proving by fire and tribulation. God’s purpose for us in this life is our eternal transformation and maturing of character and faithfulness. This is not our time of ultimate and final blessing. That awaits us on the other side of the veil.

Nevertheless, by the shed blood of Jesus we have been freely given salvation from all judicial condemnation; and as we walk in the Spirit, and in the presence and will of God, we shall find His promises always sufficient. But we must know about His promises of salvation and appropriate them by faith:

For by grace are ye saved through faith… (Eph. 2:8)

…with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10)

Salvation of the Whole Man

As we have seen, “salvation” in both Testaments means the salvation of the whole man:

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Cor. 6:20)

And the very God of peace sanctify [i.e., consecrate, set apart] you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it. (1 Thess. 5:23-24)

When Jesus saved you, He saved the whole man at the same time. Nowhere in the Bible does God divide eternal, spiritual salvation from temporal, physical salvation. You did not receive spiritual salvation without receiving a total salvation of the whole man – spirit, soul, mind and body. Jesus did not set you free from the obligation to suffer eternal death and hell without setting you free, at the same time, from the obligation to suffer sickness, poverty and demonic oppression. Salvation means the salvation of the whole man, and it’s all by the precious blood of Jesus.

When Jesus shed His blood He set you free from all the penalty for sin. It’s a complete work and a finished work, and it’s all by the precious blood of Jesus!

Redemption With Respect to the “Soul”

The Hebrew word nephesh occurs 756 times in the Old Testament and is translated variously as “soul, life, person, self, creature,” etc.

The soul, or nephesh, is not, as is commonly believed, some part of you consisting of the mind, emotions and will. The popular teaching that “man is a spirit with a soul in a body,” is not scriptural and has more basis in Greek philosophy than in the Bible. The Bible teaches not that man has a soul, but that man is a soul:

…and man became a living soul. (Gen. 2:7)

You are a “living soul.”

In its most common usage, nephesh (or soul) means the “man himself,” the “individual” or the “person.” Man doesn’t have a soul; man is a soul. The soul is the person. Man’s soul is himself!

That this is the true meaning of nephesh (or soul) is seen by considering how the word is used in the Old Testament. We shall now look at several passages that demonstrate this:

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (Gen. 12:5)

In Genesis 12:5, the plural form of nephesh is translated “souls” and means, obviously, people.

And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. (Gen. 14:21)

In Genesis 14:21, the plural form of nephesh is correctly translated “persons.”

And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. (Gen. 27:4)

And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. (Gen. 27:25)

In Genesis 27:4 and 25, “my soul” means I. There are many other examples of this in the Old Testament. In fact, we could give hundreds of examples showing that the most common usage of nephesh is as a synonym for the person.¹⁶

Often, nephesh also means the “life” in a general sense, and this is seen in several examples:

For the life of the flesh is in the blood… (Lev. 17:11)

Leviticus 17:11 says “the nephesh of the flesh is in the blood.” Nephesh, here, simply means life in a general sense. The physical life of the flesh is in the blood. Without the blood, the body would die. The life of the body is in the blood.

But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: (Deut. 19:11)

The Hebrew of Deuteronomy 19:11 says “and strikes his nephesh so that he die.” This means if he takes his life or if he kills him.

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? (1 Sam. 20:1)

The Hebrew of 1 Samuel 20:1 says “he seeketh my nephesh” and means he’s trying to kill me or he’s trying to take my life.

Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. (Jer. 38:2)

The Hebrew of Jeremiah 38:2 says “he shall have his nephesh for a prey” and means he’ll escape with his life. Again we could multiply examples showing the same thing: that nephesh can mean “life” in a general sense.¹⁷

Usually, however, nephesh means the person as a whole. The word occurs in other Semitic languages and dialects, and means person and life too.

What we are seeking to demonstrate is that when God saves a “soul,” He doesn’t split man up and save some part of him and forget about the rest. When God saved your “soul,” He saved you. He saved all of you. The soul is the person and the whole person is saved.

The New Testament is written in the context of the Old Testament, and “soul” has the same meaning in both Testaments. The Greek word psuché is translated “soul” and means person in the following New Testament passages:

Behold my Servant, whom I have chosen; my Beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. (Matt. 12:18)

In Matthew 12:18, “my soul” means I.

Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. (Matt. 26:38)

In Matthew 26:38, “my soul is exceeding sorrowful” means I am exceeding sorrowful.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. (Acts 2:43)

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Rom. 13:1)

“Every soul” means everyone in Acts 2:43 and Romans 13:1. There are many other examples we could give where psuché means the person himself.¹⁸

Psuché is also used to mean “life” in the New Testament, and is correctly translated that way in many passages.

It is not our purpose here to deal in any greater depth with the nature of man as body, soul, mind and spirit. What we have said is not the whole story. There is a sense in which “soul” is used, although very rarely, in both Testaments for the immaterial, spiritual aspect of man, in contrast to his body; but even then the “soul” is seen to be incomplete without the body, and a state of separation between body and “soul” is considered to be both unnatural and temporary.

Man is a unity. God created man as a unity and He intended man to remain a unity forever. But man sinned and incurred physical death (the dissolution of the body, and the separation of the soul, or person, from the body), and that is why the Gospel of redemption is the Gospel of the resurrection of the body and the restoration of the unity, completeness and wholeness of man.

Our one point in all of this is that God doesn’t, in either Testament, split man up and save one part of him (his “soul”) and forget about the rest. When God saved your “soul,” He saved you. He saved all of you.

A Complete Salvation

To sum up, we have seen that “salvation” in the Bible means a complete and total salvation from all the judgment of sin whether physical or spiritual, whether temporal or eternal. Then we saw that when God saved you, He saved all of you.

God has saved all of you from all the curse of the law, and it is all by the precious blood of Jesus Christ!

Top