| Psalm 62: | 2: “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.”
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| Psalm 62: | 7: “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is my God.”
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| Psalm 89: | 26: “He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God and the rock of my salvation.” |
| Isaiah 26: | 1: “In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.”
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| Isaiah 60: | 18: “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy gates praise.” |
| Isaiah 59: | 17: “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.” (Jesus Christ)
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| 1 Thessalonians 5: | 8: “... and for an helmet the hope of salvation.” |
| Psalm 18: | 35: “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.” |
| 2 Samuel 22: | 3: “The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.” |
| Psalm 132: | 16: “I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” |
| Psalm 116: | 13: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.” |
| Isaiah 12: | 3: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” |
Yes we can see without any doubt that salvation is a multi-purpose possession. A million metaphors could never exhaust the endless worth of salvation. It is priceless. And what do all these realities produce? They produce joy unspeakable! We repeat - salvation brings joy!
| Psalm 119: | 155: “Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.” |
This text doesn't mean that the Most High is incapable of saving the wicked, because Scripture teaches that He does. What this means is that salvation is not available to the wicked when there is no willingness to give up sin - disobedience. But, salvation can be had - by anyone - if they are willing to turn from sin. Bear in mind that salvation is a free gift which comes through Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). No one deserves salvation. It is a free gift made available by the loving kindness of the Most High. But, and this is an unequivocal fact, Yahweh will save only those who repent of their sins and turn from their evil ways. Those who refuse to repent are treading very dangerous ground. Thus it is true to say that: “Salvation is far from the wicked.”
| John 3: | 16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” |
A key phrase in this passage is ‘whosoever believeth in Him.’ Millions of sermons have been preached on this key text of Salvation. Yes, faith in Jesus Christ is the key and doorway to salvation. A word of instruction however about the kind of faith that alone is acceptable. It comes from the pen of the Apostle James.
| James 2: | 17: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20: But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22: Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24: Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25: Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26: For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” |
| Romans 14: | 17: “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
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| Galatians 5: | 22: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...”
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| Romans 15: | 13: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
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| Psalm 35: | 9: “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.”
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| Isaiah 35: | 10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” |
This of course is a prophecy about the state of absolute joy and gladness which the ransomed host are scheduled to experience. But even now as we walk this troubled life, we already experience inner joy and gladness far beyond the joys this world can afford. This is a spiritual joy - the Joy of Salvation! It is a product of heaven and cannot be bought, manufactured, inherited or stolen. Joy is a gift from God; it is the fruit of His Holy Spirit. To be forgiven of past sins, to be granted eternal life, to be an heir of the Kingdom, a joint heir with Christ, these are realities which will bring joy to the believing soul - joy unspeakable!
