WBS.265
Q&A – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “SAVED?”
- 3
Exodus 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven
daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their
father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them
away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
Today, in our third post answering the question, “What does it mean to be saved?” it is time,
finally, to look at the words “saved” and “salvation” in the Hebrew and Greek
manuscripts.
Our opening passage of Scripture in
Exodus sets forth the scene where Moses, having fled from Egypt after slaying
an Egyptian in defense of his Hebrew brethren, is sitting at a well in Midian and
sees shepherds preventing the daughters of the local priest from drawing water.
Moses stands up and intervenes on their behalf.
The KJV says he “helped” them.
Other translations say he “came to their rescue,” “delivered” them, “rescued”
them, and “saved” them.
This word “helped”
in Hebrew is “yasha.” It is used 205 times in the Old Testament and
is most often translated “saved,” but it is also translated “savior,” “preserved,”
“salvation,” “avenging,” “safe,” “defend,” “helped,” and “victory.” This reference in Exodus 2:17, is the first
time this word is used in the Scripture.
In it we see the daughters of the priest being oppressed, possibly
attacked, and Moses came to their aid, defended them against the shepherds, rescued
them from their oppressors, and freed them to be able to complete their
original task. Moses also took it upon
himself to complete that task for them.
These daughters were “saved” by Moses.
Life for these maidens went on as usual, but they no longer needed to
fear the shepherds keeping them from doing what they needed to do.
This is the Scriptures first
presentation of what it means to be saved.
It was being delivered from their enemies who were keeping them from
doing what needed to be done. The overwhelming majority of times this word is
used in the Old Testament, it is in direct relation to being rescued or
delivered from enemies. An interesting
fact to note about this word, “yasha” is that it literally means “to have ample room.” In other words, there is room to maneuver,
space that is free from obstacle or oppression.
In the Hebrew mind, it represents a place of safety and security;
whereas a “narrow space” represents danger and distress, because it is
insufficient room to be safe and protected.
Thus, to be saved is to have ample space free of all signs of danger and
distress. In the natural world, this
makes a lot of sense. Who hasn’t been in
places that were constricted that made you fear and feel uncertain about your
safety because you couldn’t see above or below or around a corner, or at the
end; where being in a broad place your field of vision was able to clear all
signs of danger?
The word for salvation, in the Hebrew, is derived from this word, “yasha.” It is “yeshuwah,” and should come as no surprise that
its meaning is the noun form of the verb that is its root. It means “deliverance.” It is also the
“noun-become-name” of the son of IAUE revealed over and over again throughout
the Tanak, the Old Testament Scriptures. Most of the times it is found in the Old
Testament it has reference to being saved/delivered from enemies; but it is
often associated with the desire to do the law and commandments of IAUE …having
been delivered from the oppression that prevented doing that.
Psalm 119:166 IAUE, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy
commandments.
Psalm 119:174 I have
longed for thy salvation,
O IAUE; and thy law is my delight.
Salvation for the Hebrew was synonymous
with the Messiah; though they clearly did not understand that it was also to be
his name.
Ezekiel 62:11 Behold,
IAUE hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion,
Behold, thy salvation (thy Yeshuwah) cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King
cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation (Yeshuwah); lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an
ass.
Luke 2:25
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should
not see death, before he had seen IAUE’s Messiah.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents
brought in the child Yahushua, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed Elohim, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to
thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, (Literally:
mine eyes have seen thy Yeshuwah/Yahushua.)
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people
Israel.
Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you
all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Yahushua (salvation) Messiah of Nazareth, whom
ye crucified, whom Elohim raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand
here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which
is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Another inescapable connection with
salvation is righteousness. The purpose
of salvation is to free one from that which has prevented walking in
righteousness. The most insidious enemy of righteousness is sin…the nature of
the flesh. As explained in last week’s
post, we become aware of salvation through the forgiveness of sins; but in
Messiah, we are also delivered (saved) from the power of sin. Righteousness is the fruit of salvation. As James so simply declared, “Faith without works (i.e.,
works of righteousness) is dead.” (James 2:17,20) An upright life is the proof of
salvation. It demonstrates the presence
of salvation.
Psalm 98:2
IAUE hath
made known his salvation: his righteousness hath
he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
Psalm 119:123
Mine eyes
fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.
Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes
to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish
away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that
dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall
be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in
IAUE, my soul shall be joyful in my Elohim; for he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself
with her jewels.
Romans 10:10 For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
In the New Testament, the word for “saved”
is “sozo”
(pronounced, “sode-zo”). It means “to
keep safe,” “rescued from danger,” “to be delivered.”
“Salvation” is translated from the
Greek, “soteria.” It means “deliverance.”
There is a very consistent understanding
held throughout both Old and New Testament Scriptures that to be saved, or to
experience salvation (the verb and the noun) relates almost exclusively to the
idea of being set free from enemies of one kind or another, such that we would
look at it as a deliverance or rescue.
The contemporary Christian church, however, has decided to give
salvation a new “religious” meaning that is nowhere to be endorsed by
Scripture; and that is “going to Heaven when you die and living eternally with
Yahushua.” Such a definition fails to
recognize the very purpose of our deliverance, the very objective of our
Savior; and that is to free us unto lives of righteousness. This "Christian" definition actually relieves the
believer of all responsibility for a righteous life as well as the consequences
of a sinful and selfish life. Nowhere in
the Scripture does it say we are going to “go to Heaven” when we die. We are not destined for Heaven. We are destined for the “new earth.” THIS is our home; not Heaven. In fact, what we understand to be Heaven is
going to descend to the earth and abide with us.
Yahushua is referred to as the “last Adam” (1
Corinthinas 15:45). Through the first Adam, sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and unrighteousness became the very nature of
man. Through the last Adam, sin is
defeated and the unrighteous nature of man is replaced with a new born spirit clothed
with the righteousness of Messiah.
In the very first sermon preached in
the “church age,” Peter, on the day of Pentecost mentions salvation twice. The first time he quotes the prophet Joel to
explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as manifested through the 120
disciples declaring the wondrous acts of IAUE in the tongues of all the
nations present. When he uses the word
in his message to those gathered he says:
Acts 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort,
saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
In other words, Peter is describing
the self-centered , lawless social order of his day as a form of bondage that
is responsible for holding the Hebrews back from obeying the voice of IAUE and
doing His commandments. It is contrasted
with the life of righteousness unto which they knew as the covenant people of
IAUE, they were called. This was the
nature of the salvation that the Messiah died and rose again to bring. It was deliverance from bondage to sin…a rescue from a life lived in the grasp of unrighteousness.
No comments:
Post a Comment