SALVATION: GOD’S SWISS ARMY KNIFE

Monday 17 February

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 (KJV)

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. Romans 1:16

When I was a kid growing up I remember all my friends seemed to have a fixation with Swiss Army knives. Before you think that we had malevolent intentions by our fascination with sharp objects let me explain further. This knife was not just a knife.

In fact, it was all the other gadgets that came in the knife that was the thing that caused such intrigue. It was an all purpose marvel of human ingenuity. Accessories included by were not limited to corkscrews, scissors, tweezers, toothpicks, bottle openers, can openers, magnifying glasses, screw drivers, a pen etc! It didn’t matter what the situation you found yourself in, your good old Swiss Army knife was able to get you out.

It’s the same when it comes to the many facets of our salvation. There are two words for salvation in the Greek that show the wide range of accessories to our salvation. They are Sozo and Soteria.

Sozo has several meanings: To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction. Rescue from injury or peril. To save someone who is suffering from disease, to make well, heal and restore to health. To preserve one from danger or destruction. To deliver from judgement.

Soteria also has several meanings: Deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation deliverance from enemies that which concludes to the souls safety or salvation, salvation as the present possession of all true Christians, future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians are to enjoy.

The reason I listed virtually all of the many attributes of these two words for salvation, is that a lot of believers have not grasped the full rights and entitlements that they possess in Christ. Don’t just gloss over the list of terms but look at each one carefully to see if you are enjoying the benefits of all the many benefits that salvation entails.

When Jesus ministered to people, what ever the need was He was able to meet it because He was aware of who He was and what He had.

The reality of the Christian life is you can’t operate in the things that you are either ignorant of or not yet fully convinced that they come in the product. It’s like the Swiss Army knife. If you don’t know that you have certain tools to carry out specific jobs then you won’t make use of them.

There really is nothing left out of the new creation design. In our case all the tools and accessories are in the spirit of the believer and can be accessed by spiritual knowledge. This is why studying the Word should be of paramount importance in our lives. The Bible is the manual that highlights every feature and instructs how to use the salvation we have in Christ; particularly the epistles.

No wonder the Bible says the believer has ‘everything that pertains to life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.’ 2 Peter 1:3) The more you have full and exact knowledge of the Word, the more you can relate with it.

APPLICATION

Do a word study on Sozo and Soteria to be able to understand all the various aspects that make up salvation for the believer in Christ.