Saved by faith. What a beautiful truth! sōzō, the Greek word translated here as "saved" is so rich in meaning that it contains a lifetime of truth in this one word alone. Sometimes translated as "healed" or "restored", it conveys the idea that the person has been healed of a deadly condition, restored to a former condition, and saved from certain perishing. It is a complete, full-service salvation.
BlueLetterBible.org defines sōzō as "to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction". For this woman, salvation meant that she was healed of the torment her sinful life had caused, washed white as snow and restored to a right relationship with God, and rescued from the certain destruction her lifestyle would have caused. She was saved in this life, but her faith also brought eternal salvation, as well.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, later wrote For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NASB)
There was nothing this woman had ever done that could bring her the Great Rescue from eternal damnation or the rescue she so desperately needed from herself and her sinful actions and desires. Freedom could not be manufactured by any amount of good deeds. It came by faith alone, in Christ alone, through grace alone, and it still does. Her freedom was born at the feet of Jesus, and it still is.
There is no sinner so vile, no wrongdoing so heinous that our God cannot forgive, cleanse, heal, save. No one is so far from grace that sōzō is not possible. No one.
Are you weary with your own sin? Are you exhausted of watching the mistakes of a loved one? There is only one place to go with that weariness. The feet of Jesus is the place where rest, refreshment, and restoration are always available. Don't tarry, dear ones. Go to Jesus with your burdens, and receive the sōzō you so desperately need.
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Link for last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/06/maggie-turn-loving-and-praying.html
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