Overview
The Bible addresses salvation across 158 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Psalms, Isaiah and Romans. Closely related themes include Jesus, The Christ, Praise, Righteousness and Warfare of Saints. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, Moses, David and Paul.
Key Bible verses about salvation
Old Testament
Genesis
Numbers
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. discouraged: or, grieved: Heb. shortened
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
2 Samuel
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. made: Heb. multiplied me
The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.
1 Chronicles
Psalms
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. my strength: Heb. my rock
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.
CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.
Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.
I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.
I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
Isaiah
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. fearful: Heb. hasty
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. It is: or, Art thou lighter than that thou shouldest, etc preserved: or, desolations
Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; establish: or, raise up
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. decketh: Heb. decketh as a priest
For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. work: or, recompence
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. glorious: Heb. decked
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
Jeremiah
But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. trouble: Heb. evil
Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
Lamentations
Ezekiel
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
Zechariah
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. having: or, saving himself
And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
New Testament
Matthew
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. JESUS: that is, Saviour, Heb
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Luke
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, by: or, for
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
John
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. again: or, from above
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Acts
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Romans
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
I say then Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
1 Corinthians
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Galatians
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. by whom: or, whereby
Ephesians
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) by: or, by whose grace
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Philippians
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
1 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Titus
Hebrews
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. to the: or, evermore
1 Peter
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1 John
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Revelation
People in the Bible and salvation
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying salvation for yourself
- Begin with Genesis 3:15, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Psalms, Isaiah and Romans each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Jesus, Moses and David and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Jesus, The Christ, Praise, Righteousness and Warfare of Saints.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about salvation?
The Bible addresses salvation across 158 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Psalms, Isaiah and Romans. Closely related themes include Jesus, The Christ, Praise, Righteousness and Warfare of Saints. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, Moses, David and Paul.
How many Bible verses are about salvation?
The Bible references salvation in 158 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention salvation?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Which people in the Bible are associated with salvation?
Jesus, Moses, David, Paul and Abraham.
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