Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
Sometimes it’s good to go back and refresh ourselves on things that are very fundamental but sometimes forgotten. We may let them slip, but let’s talk about the effects of salvation because sometimes I run across Christians who don’t seem to have experienced any change in their lives. You know, we should be experiencing change from the very moment we were saved. There should be something going on, so let’s refresh ourselves in this and see what it’s all about. A good scripture to start with would be Luke 2:11 which says, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”. That’s a good message. Why did Jesus come to the planet earth? Why should God leave the splendour of His heaven and come to the earth? It was to seek and to save that which was lost. We are the recipients of this miraculous, indescribable gift of salvation from heaven. Jesus is the saviour of the world!
Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection proves to us that he is the saviour that God promised and he is the path to salvation. Through Christ’s death on the cross, we are saved from eternal damnation and are given the gift of salvation. The greatest gift one can receive is the finest gift of Jesus, whose name means salvation. For you to experience the effects of salvation, you must understand the gospel because the gospel and the power that it carries releases the effects of salvation in our lives. “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:16-17). Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the main topic in the New Testament of the Bible.
The gospel is the good news of our reconciliation from the death of sin to eternal life in Christ. Learn more about the biblical meaning of salvation through the gospels. Doing that will enlighten and inspire your faith and understanding of your salvation. The gospel itself is God’s power. The understanding of the birth, death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of being born again to become a new creation are all part of the gospel. So, there are effects of salvation that we should notice as we accept the Lord as our saviour. As we believe in the Lord and begin our Christian walk, we should be noticing something different in our lives and the way we conduct our lives. The term “salvation” has become so familiar to Christians that its true meaning and understanding have been lost. Salvation is much more than just being born again. It refers to every benefit that the believer is entitled to through Jesus.
Therefore, if we are not experiencing the abundance that Jesus provided for us in any area of our lives, then we are having a problem understanding what salvation truly entails. The truths of the gospel are not commonly preached or understood in many churches. This is the reason that so many Christians are not walking in all the benefits of their salvation. They don’t have the power of the gospel working in them. The word ‘salvation’ needs to be explained because today salvation has been cheapened from what it originally meant to be. The word salvation as used in the Bible is not limited to forgiveness of sins. It includes forgiveness of sins, but it’s much more than that. Most churches today use the word salvation and forgiveness of sins interchangeably. Yes, salvation includes forgiveness of sins, but it also includes prosperity, healing, and deliverance. Everything that was purchased for us by Jesus is a part of what salvation produces.
The Greek word for salvation is ‘sozo’ and is literally referring to not only forgiveness of sins. It includes that, but it also includes the healing of your body, deliverance from Satan, depression, and discouragement. It includes prosperity and so many other things. We can put it this way: the word salvation, as used in the bible, refers to anything that came as a result of what Jesus did. But sad to say, the church for whatever reason today has broken salvation down to mean only forgiveness of sins. They don’t believe it includes the healing of your body. There are some Christians who believe that healing has passed away and God doesn’t heal anybody today. There’s a large proportion of Christians who, if they are sick, will pray for a healing.
" If you are not experiencing the abundance that Jesus provided for you in any area of your life, then you're having a problem understanding what salvation truly entails. "
And if they get their healing, they’ll say, praise God! But they would never say that it’s a part of Jesus’ atonement, that he provided healing just as much as he’s provided salvation, and forgiveness of sins. Most Christians would say, no, that’s not true. They look at healing, deliverance, prosperity, joy, peace, as being possible, but additional to salvation. But this word salvation in the Greek includes healing, prosperity, deliverance, and all the blessings God has provided for us.
Jesus paid it all. It’s not based on my performance; it’s based on my faith in what he did. Salvation is the gift of God unto the forgiveness of sins, the healing of your body, your prosperity, joy, peace, deliverance, emotional stability, and many more. For some Christians, this may seem like a radical thought to them; that healing has been purchased through Jesus for them just as much as forgiveness of sins. Prosperity has been purchased for them just as much as forgiveness of sins. Deliverance from oppression, depression, fear, anxiety, and anger, has been purchased for you through what Jesus did. You don’t have to do something else to earn it. It isn’t an addition to salvation, it’s an integral part of salvation. Jesus wants you healed, delivered, set free, and prospered, just as much as he wants you forgiven of your sins. And it’s the gospel that releases that power of salvation for healing, deliverance, joy, peace, and forgiveness of sins.
It’s understanding the gospel that releases the effects of salvation. Therefore, if you are sick, poor, afraid, bound by unforgiveness, depressed, and so forth with all of these negative things that even Christian’s experience, it’s because you don’t understand the gospel. The gospel is the power of God to salvation, which is inclusive of all these things that I’ve mentioned. If you are struggling in any of those areas, then you are struggling to understand how truly good news the gospel is, and what Jesus did for you when he saved your life. Colossians 1:13 shows us what happens when we get born again. It says he has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love. He has delivered us from the power of darkness. What’s that? What’s the power of darkness? The power of darkness is the power of the enemy over this Earth. The curse that’s on the earth because of the sin of Adam and Eve.
Everything that deals with death, sickness, loss, destruction, trauma, heartache, fear, etc. All these kinds of negative things: whether they are with negative circumstances or emotions, that’s the power of darkness. There is a ruler of darkness, and he is Satan. He’s been defeated at the cross but for those who don’t know the Lord and the gospel, they are still under the influence of Satan. The Bible says God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us or transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son Jesus. What does that mean? Is that just words to fill a page or is that really a substantial declaration that we should take active notice of? If I’m no longer living under the power of darkness, what does that mean? How does that impact my life? How should I then live? These are good questions. The darkness of this world is the power to deceive you, and to blind your eyes and spiritual life so you won’t see.
As we look around our society today, we can look at any number of places, perhaps where you work, and you see people that are deceived. They are blind to the truth. Many of them don’t want to even hear the truth. They reject the truth and so, that’s the power of darkness at work. But when we get born again, the power of the gospel frees us from the power of darkness. Therefore, we should begin to see changes in our lives and the way we think, and perceive things, as well as the way we talk and act. Those things should be evolving to reflect the power of the gospel to our salvation rather than the power of darkness.
