You CAN Be Whole (Revisited)

Here's a blog entry from May of this year. Enjoy!

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be (Sozo) saved." {John 3:17}

Sozo is a Greek word typically translated as saved in the Scriptures. However, upon further examination of the word you will discover that it means "saved", "healed", "delivered", and "made whole."

Why is this important? The reason why we need to understand "Sozo" is because too often we only understand the salvation aspect of Jesus. In other words, we know that Jesus came to bear our sins upon the Cross. The problem with this limited view is that we typically only enter into the amount of grace that we see available. If all we know of grace is forgiveness of sin then we will be forgiven but continue to live in defeat. What God has made available in Jesus is so much greater than just being forgiven. God has unlocked the potential for all of us to experience abundant life through His Son.

Sozo is an interesting word in the Bible because the New Testament writers did not always use it when referring to being saved. There are other words translated saved, healed, and delivered. Sozo carries with it the idea of God's complete package. When we read about the ten lepers that were healed by Jesus, all of them were healed but only one was Sozo. The one who came back to Jesus was made whole.

As I was thinking about these verses the other day, I wondered how many people have simply considered Jesus as the cutting off point with God. We know that Jesus has said that He is "the way, the truth, and the life" and that "no one comes to the Father except through [Him]." Since Jesus is the only way to the Father then God can finally get rid of all those sinners. Right? But I want you to consider that God's intention is not to cut off anyone. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us plainly that "The Lord...not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God has already judged sin at the Cross. The Cross was God's final verdict upon the sin of man. Jesus became sin so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him. God isn't trying to cut everybody off. He's trying to bring everybody in!

The Good News of the Gospel is this:
1) God has Reconciled the world to Himself
2) He judged sin at the Cross
3) Sin is no longer the issue
4) Salvation is no longer about keeping the Law
5) To be "Sozo" (Saved) comes through Believing and Confessing

The use of the Gospel is not to bring condemnation but conviction. What's the difference? Condemnation is a sentence of damnation (i.e. - "cut off"). Conviction simply show us that we are guilty of falling short of the glory of God. Condemnation says that there is no hope. Conviction causes us to ask the question: "What must I do to be saved?"

Through Christ I don't have to be a slave to sin. I don't have to be a drug addict, an alcoholic, or an abusive person. In Christ I am healed, delivered, and set free. This is not only true for me but for every person who puts their faith and trust in Jesus. Why not be made whole today? You can be SOZO!