November 16, 2011
Saved
Transliteration: sózó
Phonetic Spelling: (sode’-zo)
Short Definition: I save, heal
Definition: I save, heal, preserve, rescue
I’ve studied this one word for almost 30 years now. I know – amazing isn’t it, that I would/could study one word for so long. But that is just how deep I have found this one word to be. I am still learning and God is still revealing to me the depth of this wonderful word.
When I went to a denominational church in my youth this word was interchanged with ‘born again’. Use one or the other, no matter they both meant the same. But they don’t. And finding that out is what sent me on this 30 year quest with this one word.
Because I try to keep Wednesday Word Studies somewhat short, I will not go into all of that now, but I will focus on the basics of ‘sozo’.
In Christianity everyone you talk to will gladly agree that Jesus same to ‘save’ us from hell. But for many of those if you also told them that He came to ‘save’ us from sickness they would deny that. But that same word is used when the bible talks about healing in the New Testament.
Mark 5:25-28
25 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”
This is just one of many verses referring to sozo as healing. In fact in the Jewish culture they so connected illness to sin that when Jesus and His disciples came upon a certain blind man their first thought was what sin did he or his parent commit to cause his blindness. The two were intimately connected to the Jews who lived under the law.
So when Jesus came to save the world, He not only came to pay the price for their sin and provide deliverance from death, hell and the grave, but He came to save us all from sickness and disease.
I know that many people have a big issue with this. After all if He came to save us from sickness so that we don’t have to be sick, why are so many of us sick? Well he came to save the world from sin, so why are so many people still in sin? The answer to both questions is because they just don’t know.
To accept Jesus and become one of His followers, you must realize what He did for you on the cross, believe it and receive it. You must change your mind/repent and submit yourself to Him, trusting in Him with your whole life in all things. Then transformation starts and you will grow to be a child of God.
The same is true of healing. To receive healing, you must realize what He did for you on the cross, believe it and receive it. You must change your mind/repent and submit yourself to Him, trusting in Him with your whole life in all things. Then transformation starts and you will grow to walk in a state of divine health.
Healing is something hard for us to grasp because it involves seeing our bodies sick and feeling the pain. It seems to be so much easier to believe that just by ‘saying the sinner’s prayer’ we will automatically go to heaven, a thought that to the world is absurd. You see no evidence of this. There is nothing but the word of God to prove spiritual salvation. But we do believe it and grasp on to it. And we don’t give up believing that when we see ourselves still doing sinful things that we shouldn’t do. We know we are saved – period.
So then it is any more absurd to grasp the fact that He bought and paid for the same healing and deliverance on the cross? Don’t let His death be in vain for you. Don’t pick and choose what you will believe today. Receive all that He died to give you.
Believe and receive deliverance from sin, sickness and all evil of this world. Believe it with conviction regardless of what you see.
Mark 5:34
34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”
Where are you placing your faith today?
Click here to see all 108 occurrences of this word in the Bible.
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Good message. I think there is often more to what we read in the Bible than we’re able to grasp.
Now… what does “whole” mean? In the story of the 10 lepers, Jesus healed all 10 yet one returned to thank him. He told that one to “Arise, go they way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
This ONE leper was made whole – yet all 10 were made well, so I’m thinking “whole” here may not have been a physical thing. What do you think?
Just thought I’d throw that at you since I’ve been contemplating it awhile and haven’t come to a conclusion. But – I think “giving thanks” might be how we “recieve” some of God’s blessings.
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Hi Patty! I love your comment! I’ve wanted all week to respond to this but have just been so busy!
When you look this story up in the Greek and it says that the 10 lepers were cleaned, that means ceremoniously clean and their sins were forgiven. The one who was made whole was ‘sozed’ or healed.
Jesus gave all the lepers the gift at that moment too, but only one ‘believed and received’ it. It was his faith that had made him sozed. When the revelation that he had been given healing hit him, he could do nothing less that praise Him. His praise was a response to the revelation He had received about his healing.
We to have all been given healing. It was provided on the cross by Jesus. Our sins are forgiven and the debt is paid. But only a few believe it and receive it even though it is there for all to have. Once that revelation comes we can’t help but sing and shout praises to our King! Our of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks. When our hearts are filled with the joy of revelation we can’t hold the praises in.
When a person tries to use praise to gain something from God that is manipulation and is insincere. We cannot manipulate God to give us something he has already freely given us. We just need to realize it and understand that it is there free for the receiving. But we must believe. Our faith will make us whole.
I don’t have time to post today, but I am going to take this question of yours and my answer and post it on the blog. I hop you don’t mind.
I love thought provoking questions and comments.
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