Salvation

The terms save/saved/salvation have a precise meaning. It means overcoming or being delivered from your enemy or enemies - from the smallest, everyday struggle, to the greatest foe you could face, the last of which is death (1 Corinthians 1:63). 

Strong's Concordance states:

"It is used to describe the act of being saved from danger, distress, or oppression, and is frequently associated with God's saving acts for His people. The term can also imply victory or success, particularly in battle or conflict, emphasizing the triumph that comes through divine aid."

Pharoah and his army were an enemy to the Israelites whom God was delivering from their bondage. Moses tells them:

"... Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Exodus 9:2). 

Was this Israel's last enemy? No, it wasn't.  They required more victories still, some of which happened and some of which didn't - depending on their degree of trust in God. 

Now, looking at your own life, if you were "saved" or delivered from an enemy once, are you then always saved moving forward? No, you're not. Like ancient Israel, we must continue to be aligned with God or we will lose our battles. The mantra "once saved, always saved" is a false teaching. 

Being delivered from your enemies is a battle that continues all your life. Therefore, we must call on the Lord for salvation, or deliverance, always:

"But he that remains steadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 11:3).

"And inasmuch as they keep my commandments, they shall be saved." (T&C 100:4).

These verses are clear. We must continue in following the path by keeping His commandments for deliverance. We must do not call upon God in every battle we face (or in the vernacular of Joseph Smith if we set up "stakes") we will be damned. We will stop progressing and fall short of reaching the end goal of Christ's complete work in our lives. That's not a reflection of His might, but a reflection of our lack of faith.  

It's a worthwhile effort to search for save/saved/salvation in the scriptures and replace them with their meaning (deliverance, help, victory, etc.). We will find that salvation is not just something reserved for the afterlife. Here's a sample of how this might look:

"Therefore blessed are those who repent and listen to the voice of the Lord who is God, because these are the ones who will be saved [delivered]." (Helaman 4:11).

"Therefore the Lord now says: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the Nephites, unless they repent, I’ll take away My salvation [protection] from them and I’ll withdraw My Spirit from them." (Helaman 5:3).

"You shall ask, and my scriptures shall be given as I have appointed. And for your safety, it is expedient that you shall hold your peace concerning them, until you have received them. And then, I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach them unto all men. And they also shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. You shall take the things which you have received, which you know to have been my law, to be my law to govern my church. And he that does according to these things shall be saved [victorious, more blessed], and he that does them not shall be damned, if he continue." (T&C 26:15).

"The Book of Mormon was given as my covenant for this day and contains my gospel, which came forth to allow people to understand my work and then obtain my salvation [deliverance, presence, strength]." (T&C 157:20)

The question for us is: what enemies in our lives are still prevailing over us? What are we doing or not doing to be delivered? What is the Lord speaking to us about it?

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