SALVATION
WHAT IS SALVATION?
• Deliverance from sin.
• What is sin?
• Disruption of the relationship with God.
• Christians affirm that deliverance from
sin centres on the death of Christ.
• The study of salvation is unique among all
the great religions because it focuses on
the person Jesus and NOT on his
teachings.
• If Jesus was just a great teacher, you
would expect his influence to die out after
his death than before.
• A handful of followers before death: 12
disciples─ 120 at Pentecost─ 5000 converts
at Pentecost
• The person of Christ is crucial to the whole
plan of salvation.
BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
1. Salvation
• The Greek for "save" (sozo, "save"; soter, "savior"; soteria and soterios, "salvation") carries at least two
different meanings.
• (a) Mark 5:34, a woman afflicted for 12 years finds herself healed the moment she touches Jesus' robe.
“Your faith has made you healed (sesoken, “saved”) you.” The word “saved” in Greek has a double meaning.
The woman was not only healed by faith, but also saved by faith.
• (b) The second meaning of sozo is “rescue.” Deliverance comes to a besieged city at the moment of its
greatest need. The city is saved from destruction.
• It is in this sense that the thief on the cross urges Jesus to save Himself and His friends from death
(Luke 23:39).
• So Jesus died on the cross to rescue us from eternal punishment, eternal death.
• Salvation means deliverance from some kind of danger- from the danger of eternal loss.
 BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
2. Redemption
• This term comes from the world of slavery. In the first century, slavery was so common that Paul used the
metaphor to described Jesus’ achievement on the cross.
• It means repurchase—the act of buying back by paying the price demanded. Buying back something of
which ownership had been lost.
• For example, a slave could redeem himself and purchase his freedom by paying his owner his market value
as a slave, or someone else could buy his freedom by paying the price.
• So when Paul spoke of Jesus as a redeemer, he was actually saying that Jesus has paid the price to free us
from the bondage of sin—all has a free gift from Jesus, who indeed paid a heavy price for the salvation of
the human race.
• 1 Peter 1: 18- 19. humans are redeemed by the blood of Jesus
• Ephesus 1: 7- 8. We have redemption through his blood.
BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
3. Justification
• This word is a legal term that comes from the law courts.
• The Greek word that is translated “to justify” is dikaioo (dikaiosune, “righteousness,” dikaios, "righteous").
• When a person stands accused before a court and the judge declares him not guilty, that person is declared
innocent.
• Paul uses this metaphor to describe what Jesus’ death achieved. Because of what Jesus had done, God
declares the sinner who comes to Him in faith as righteous/innocent- “just as if he had never sinned.”
• Freed, release, we are made righteous because of Jesus’ death. We cannot become righteous by our own
efforts/righteous deeds.
BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
4. Reconciliation
• “Reconciliation” comes from the social world- relationship. It means an end to separation, a restoration of
a broken relationships.
• Two persons are divided. A gulf in relationship divides the two. One party takes the initiative, chooses to
freely forgive the other, stretches out the hand across the gulf, and invites the other to accept it. It is
accepted and the relationship is restored.
• Thus, reconciliation occurs.
• Paul utilises this metaphor that God took the initiative and sent Jesus to die so we can be reconciled to
God, (2 Cor. 5: 18- 19). The gulf was bridged. The ending of separation.
• We are also given the ministry of reconciliation.
 JESUS’ DEATH RECONCILED US
“When we were God’s enemies, we were
reconciled to him through the death of
G his son, how much more having been
o reconciled, shall we be saved through his
d life” Romans 5:10.
Human and Fellow Human
a
n
d
“For he himself is our peace who has made
the two one and has destroyed the H
barrier… His purpose was to create in u
himself one new man out of the two, thus m
making peace” Ephesians 2:14-16 a
n
RECONCILIATION ALSO HAS THE HORIZONTAL
DIMENSION: EPH. 2: 14-16

Christianity
Jewish Gentiles
BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
5. Adoption: Eph. 2:12-13; Gala. 4:4-8; Rom. 8:14-17
• By the entrance of sin, we lost our family status, we became aliens, strangers, orphans but
Christ’s death reconnected us back to God, we were given new status- sons or children of
God by adoption.
• Brought into the family of God, not as slaves but as sons and daughters
• Prodigal son, Luke. 15
BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
6. Forgiveness; Col 1: 13-14.
• It is the cancellation of debt-dues,
• Forgiveness in the Bible is a “release” or a “dismissal” of something. The forgiveness we have
in Christ involves the release of sinners from God’s just penalty and the complete dismissal
of all charges against us.
• Col 1: 13-14, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin.
• The debt is beyond calculating (Mat 18:21-35) not seven times but seventy seven times
BIBLICAL METAPHORS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT JESUS’
DEATH ACHIEVED
7. Atonement
• The metaphor derives from the world of sacrifice, and was used to portray the supreme
sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
• In Rom. 3:25, Paul uses the important word (hilasterion) to describe what God did through
Jesus. The translation of the word varies: “propitiation” (KJV), “expiation” (RSV),
“sacrifice of atonement” (NIV).
• Paul takes a metaphor from the world of sacrifice, and uses it to portray the supreme
sacrifice Jesus made. During the OT when a person sinned, the sinner brought a sacrifice,
effecting a reconciliation between the sinner and God.
• Likewise, Jesus took our place and died in our stead, and brought us release from death
and reconciliation with God. By His sacrificial death Jesus accomplished atonement.
PAUL USES THE EXPRESSION, “2 ND ADAM,” 1 COR. 15:45-47
First Adam
• First Adam was the head of the
humanity who rebelled against
God, Gen. 3.
• Human beings are connected to
him by sin, Rom. 5: 12.
Second Adam
• Second Adam becomes the head of new
human beings who have returned to God
(2 Cor. 5:21).
• Through the obedience of second Adam,
many are made righteous, Rom. 5:19.
• No barrier between God and human, we
are invited to come boldly (Heb. 4: 16).
FAITH TAKES US TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD
• Ephesus 2: 8. “By grace we are saved by faith”
• Grace- God’s part- God reaching down to man
• Faith- Man’s part- man reaching out to God’s hands
• Faith – belief or trust and not intellectual and knowledge
 ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CROSS
• A. Redeems Humanity: Col. 1: 13
• B. Cross Depowers Satan: Colossians 2: 5, Luke. 10:
18. Satan defeated and thrown out.
• C. Reconciliation with God. Rom. 5:10-11.
• What does this mean? Shall we sin so God’s grace
can increase? No! Rom. 6:1,2.
• D. Human reconciliation- Ephesus 2: 11- 16
THE EXPERIENCE OF SALVATION

“CHRISTIANITY IS NOT
WHAT YOU KNOW BUT IT IS
WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE.”
John 3: 3
Acts 4:12
John 14:6
 KEY STAGES IN
CHRISTIAN LIFE
The experience of salvation involves repentance,
confession, forgiveness, justification, sanctification and
glorification
 REPENTANCE
• Repentance=Greek- metanoeo means to change one’s mind, to feel
remorse, to repent. Genuine repentance results in a radical change in
attitude towards God and sin.
• Repentance reaches its climax in conversion- a turning away of the
sinner toward God (epistrophe- a turning toward, Acts 15:3).
• eg. David’s repentance of his sins, Psa. 51: 1, 3, 10.
• The sinner cannot produce repentance from within himself, it is the
Holy Spirit that does it (Rom 2:4).
• Holy Spirit draws the sinner to Christ that he may find repentance
thus repentance is the gift of God.
 JUSTIFICATION
• Verb- be pronounced and treated as righteous, be justified,
be set free, vindicate.
• Theologically, it is the divine act by which God declares a
sinner righteous or regards him as righteous. The basis of this
is what Jesus’ obedience (through one man sin entered the
world but through one man’s obedience, Rom 5:18-19) and not
by our righteous deeds, Titus 3:5.
• Justification is what God does FOR us. 2 Cor. 5:21. Through
him we become righteous
SANCTIFICATION
• Greek=hagiasmos, holiness, consecration, from hagiazo, to make holy, to consecrate, to
set apart, to separate from the common use.
• Sanctification comes as a result of true repentance and justification.
• Justification is what God does FOR us, sanctification is what God does IN us,
• Justification is our fitness TO heaven, sanctification is our fitness FOR heaven.
• Justification happens in a moment, sanctification is a lifetime process.
• a. sanctification= live an ethical and moral life, Rom 8:1 “spirit of holiness”
• b. adopted into God’s family- Rom 8:15-17; John 1:12
• c. redemption becomes reality- Eph. 1:7.
• d. gift of eternal life. 1 John 5:12. Our relationship with Christ brings with it the gift
of eternal life.
• e. a dynamic process- sanctification is progressive. By prayer and study of the word, we
constantly grow in fellowship with God.
 GLORIFICATION
• Rom 5:2; Heb. 9:28
• Glorification takes place at the 2nd
Advent -Complete restoration of the
image of God.
• Our intimate relationship with Jesus
is the condition of our future
salvation- glorification.
• Our final redemption and adoption as
child of God takes place in the future
(Rom 8:19, 23; Eph 4:30)
KEY STAGES IN CHRISTIAN JOURNEY- CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A PROCESS THAT ONE
TAKES

3. Glorification
2. Sanctification At the return of Jesus, one is restored
to the full image of God
1. Justification This is a lifetime process.
What God does IN us
A Believer begins his/her walk
with God. What God does FOR us
Salvation is not only of the past and the present but also of the future- the glorification of
our mortal bodies is yet to occur at the return of Jesus.