Saved and SAVED

This blog has been a lot of my opinions that hopefully reflect balance.  I guess when we have the Lord's leading, the Bible and 'how we walk this out' to deal with there can be some extremes. Today I will start some actual Bible teaching where we can look at some text and see whats actually being said.

There's some confusion about God's apparent schizophrenia about how he loves everyone.  Some are not able to come to the Lord for Salvation yet God 'so loves the world!' (John 3:16)  Which is it God... you love all people, some people or just the predestined elect?  The Scriptures say all three!  The answer to this reveals an awkward position God is in when inspiring men to write about 'who's saved.'  To answer this we must go to John 3:13 - 20.  Jesus explains to Nicodemus that his status as the top teacher of Israel has no value at all when speaking of being born again of the Spirit.  In Jewish culture you can be born again seven times, the last honor being bestowed on the Teacher of Israel.  This is why Nicodemus asks 'how can an OLD man be born?'  He had accomplished all the landmarks of being 'born again' in Israel.

Jesus explains about the new birth and for the first time speaks of the events in Numbers 20:4-9.  The Snake was a picture of evil coming from the fall of man and Satan in Genesis opening chapters.  Jesus became sin on the cross and those looking to Jesus would gain eternal life.  Jesus then says the condition under which we are saved:  'everyone who believes in him.'  For God so loves the world....   There is the apparent contradiction...

God loves everyone, but... you first have to believe.

Some translations confuse this matter because they translate two different words into "Redeem' or 'Redemption.'     In Galatians 3:13 and Revelation 5:9 we get the greek word 'agoradzo' which means to buy or purchase.  with 'ex' before it, it means exagoradzo... to buy out from.  This is where an important distinction lies.  Jesus bought out from the world ALL PEOPLE.  Everyone entirely who ever was born into the world was bought out from it.  To be really clear I AM NOT suggesting all people are saved and that is for this purpose:

In 1 Cor 1:30, Ephesians 1:14 and Romans 8:23 we see 'redemption' but the word comes from 'lutron.' both exagoradzo and lutron are translated 'redeem' or 'redemption' but they have different meanings. lutron means 'the price for redeeming' or 'ransom.' So exagoradzo is the act of buying out from and lutron is what price was paid for that freeing.   This illustration explains it all...

'All people born into this world are born into Adam, sin and death. The human race are slaves to sin. Along comes Jesus and by his death on the cross, buys the lot!  All people have been bought out from (exagoradzo) so are saved in the sense of potential.  Having been bought, the slave has the choice to get up and go to Jesus and take the opportunity laid out for them.  Those what do so are 'lutron' - Ransomed... they are loosed and set free by accepting the offer.  These are SAVED, they have eternal life through believing Jesus.'

'exagoradzo' is the purchase... when the slave engages the process. It then becomes 'lutron.'

From the perspective of God all are 'saved' but not all are 'SAVED.'  God wants all men to be SAVED  (1 Tim 2:4).  The people who translate the New Testament use the word Redeem / Redemption  interchangeably but by a brief study of the Greek text we can explain the mechanics of Redemption and Ransom.

Gary Ward