In some fashion, either directly or indirectly, every single word of every single Bible statement is connected with the salvation of God, that is, the salvation which the God of heaven offers to mankind. If there were no God of salvation, there could be no salvation of God! The Psalmists declared, “Blessed be the LORD . . . The God of our salvation! Selah. Our God is the God of salvation . . .” (Psalm 68:19,20).

“Salvation” refers to deliverance or rescue from danger. In the Bible, “salvation/to save” can have more than one meaning. There is salvation in a physical sense, such as when the Lord delivered the Israelites out of the land of Egypt (Jude 5). The most common concept of “salvation” is to be saved from past sins, that is, to have sins forgiven (Matthew 1:21). A third meaning of being saved is to receive eternal life/unending salvation in heaven. When Paul wrote to Christians, whose sins already had been forgiven by the blood of Jesus, he exhorted them to put on “as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Because this salvation was something for which they hoped, they had not yet received it. Since we have only one hope, which is life eternal (Titus 1:2), that would be the salvation to which we look forward.

It is no secret why humans need God’s salvation. Sin is a killer (“For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23) that separates its practicers from the God of heaven (Isaiah 59:2). Human beings could never come up with a plan or do something impressive by which they can save themselves. Thus, all who have ever sinned stand in need of the Lord’s salvation. If you and I are going to be saved, we will be saved God’s way, or else we will not be saved at all.

The God of heaven certainly has the power to save us. He is the Creator, the One Who made the material universe out of nothing. He is, after all, the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:18). He rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt (Jude 5), saved Daniel from a lions’ den (Dan. 6), and delivered Paul from the mouth of a lion (2 Timothy 4:17). Such a great Being has the power to save our souls from the clutches of sin, too!

The God of heaven has the desire to save us. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). In some instances in life, a person may have the capacity to do something, yet he lacks the desire to carry it out. That is not the way the God of heaven is: He has both the power and desire to save lost people.

Being rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4), the God of heaven has the compassion to save us. “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). The Almighty Creator cares about His creation. Thank God, He cares!

The Lord further has the plan to save us. That scheme was “in place” in God’s mind before creation (1 Peter 1:18-20; Ephesians 3:9-11). To fulfill that plan, by His amazing love the Father “sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). On His part, Jesus laid down His life (John 10:17,18). What about the Holy Spirit’s role? He revealed the truth of God through inspired messengers (John 16:13,14), making known to mankind the good news about the hope of salvation. We should be grateful that the God of hope has given us a message of hope about “the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1).

That salvation which is granted by the God of our salvation is available to all people. It is available in potential – Jesus came to be “the Savior of the world” (John 4:42) in the sense that all sinners have the possibility to be saved through His death (Hebrews 2:9). In reality, not every person will be saved eternally (Matthew 25:46). The salvation- giving God justifies/saves those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26). What kind of believers would that be? Those who are in the Christ, which is the only place where salvation from sin is attainable (Ephesians 1:7).

God makes the most incredible offer to humanity. What is that? To come live with Him forever! God Himself is an everlasting Being (Psalm 90:1,2), and He has prepared a marvelous, never- ending place for His faithful servants: “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). Because the God of all grace and hope is the God of our salvation, He deserves our ongoing, lifelong reverence, gratitude, praise, and faithful service.

— Roger D. Campbell