In the Bible the term “salvation” refers to what God has done and is still doing to free humans from sin, sorrow, sickness, death, and the powers of evil. God wants human beings to live as God created them to live in the beginning (Gen 1, 2). When sin entered the world (Gen 3), people needed to “be saved” from the power that death now had over them.
The people of Israel knew that God acted to save them (Exod 12.17; Deut 6.20-24; Ps 44.1-8). God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and then helped them defeat their enemies and settle in the land of Canaan. God also saved some of them many centuries later after they had been forced to go and live in Babylonia (Isa 43.14-16). For a full description of these events read the articles called From Joshua to the Exile: The People of Israel in the Promised Land, and After the Exile: God's People Return to Judea, Israel's worship also centers on what God has done to save them from the suffering they had to face (Deut 26.6-10). They offered sacrifices in the temple to show that they were sorry for breaking God's laws and to ask for God's saving help, so they could continue to be God's holy people.
God also promised to give new life to them and to the whole earth, bringing peace and taking care of all their needs (Isa 65.17-25). The prophets of Israel said that someone called a savior would bring good news to those who were sad or imprisoned or poor. This savior would also make a new agreement with God's people in the presence of all the nations of the world (Isa 61.1-11). And God would overcome the powers of evil and make his rule over the world last forever (Dan 7.27).
The New Testament describes Jesus as the one who “will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1.21). He is the one who has been sent “to look for and save people who are lost” (Luke 19.10). His healings and his telling about God's forgiveness are signs that he is bringing salvation (Mark 5.34; Luke 7.50; 19.9). Jesus' death saves human beings and sets them free from their sins (Mark 10.45). By rising from death, he saves and frees people from the power of death (Rom 4.25; 5.10).
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Related Resources
For many North Americans, interactions with animals are summarized neatly in terms of pets, pests, and meat. Yet the lives of the ancient Israelites and the early Christians were filled with animals. They play important roles in Biblical stories as a source of praise to God and revelation of the nature of faith, humility and peace.
The books beginning with Isaiah and ending with Malachi belong to a section of the Christian Bible called the Prophetic Books. These books record God’s messages to the people of Israel and Judah in the form of speeches or sermons, visions, and life experiences of prophets who preached between about 750 and 450 B.C.
The “Pentateuch” is a term used to describe the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis—Deuteronomy). In the Jewish Scriptures these books are referred to as the Law, or Torah, a Hebrew word that means “guide” or “instruction”.
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