Yes — 'saved' is significant because it is the Scriptural word that describes what the gospel accomplishes: rescue from eternal doom.
Paul uses 'saved' in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, where he says it is by the gospel that believers are saved. Les Feldick shows that 'saved' is an everyday word for rescue, like being saved from financial ruin, and applies it spiritually to deliverance from eternal doom. The word matters because it names the only gospel that saves lost people.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — This is the foundational passage in the evidence where Paul says, 'By which also ye are saved,' and it is the gospel Les repeatedly points to when teaching about the significance of 'saved.'
The Bible uses the word 'saved' directly in the gospel Paul preached. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul declares the gospel he had delivered and received: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." Paul also connects salvation to the preaching of the cross: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." In every case, 'saved' describes what the gospel accomplishes for those who receive it and stand in it.
Les explains that 'saved' is not a strange religious word; it is a simple word we already use in the secular world. He points out that a person can be saved from financial ruin, and an inheritance can be called 'his salvation.' The same way, spiritually, believers are saved from the eternal doom that waits for those who do not believe. Les teaches that 'saved' is a Scriptural word — Paul uses it over and over — and that it is by the gospel that we are saved. The gospel he refers to is the one laid out in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. He stresses that Paul says 'the gospel,' not 'a gospel,' because there is only one gospel. He also teaches that this salvation is not glib: a person must know and understand what has been preached, because Paul says 'lest ye have believed in vain.'
Les points out that 'saved' is a simple word we use in the secular world. A person can be saved from financial ruin, and a rich uncle's inheritance can be called 'his salvation.' The word denotes rescue. He says 'saved' is just another English term from the root word 'salvation,' and he applies the same idea spiritually: we are saved from the eternal doom that waits for those who do not believe.
Paul writes that by the gospel he preached, believers are saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). That gospel is what Paul 'delivered first of all': Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Les calls this the finished work of the cross and says it is by this gospel that we are saved — it is the gospel that saves lost people.
Les stresses that salvation is not something glib. Paul says, "by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." Les explains that this means a person must know and understand what was preached. He does not say a person must know the Bible from cover to cover, but the gospel must be understood, because believing the wrong thing is a real danger.
Les emphasizes that Paul says 'the gospel,' not 'a gospel.' He says this indicates it is singular — there is only one gospel. It is by that one gospel that believers are saved.
Do Everything for the Glory of God — 1 Corinthians 10:31 Explained
I told the class last night that I was going to teach on chapter 10 and 11 today, and Tenebell went into orbit. He said, �Since when do you cover two chapters in one afternoon?� Well I�m not going to do it Tenebell, it�s going to be about like usual. Chapter 11, now verse 2.
Saved from Financial Ruin
Les shows that 'saved' is already part of everyday language when someone is rescued from financial ruin, and he applies the same idea to salvation from eternal doom.
A Scriptural Word Rooted in Salvation
Les teaches that 'saved' is a Scriptural word Paul uses over and over, and that it is just another English term from the root word salvation, saving us from eternal doom.
The Gospel by Which We Are Saved
Les points to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as the gospel by which people are saved: Christ was crucified, buried, and rose again — the finished work of the cross.
Salvation Is Based Upon the Gospel
Les teaches that salvation is based upon the gospel and that 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 lays out that gospel completely and clearly, saying 'by which also you are saved.'
The Gospel Is Singular
Les emphasizes that Paul says 'the gospel,' not 'a gospel,' showing there is only one gospel, and it is by that gospel that believers are saved.
Saved Is a Biblical Word
Les states plainly that 'saved' is a Biblical word and that it is by the gospel that you are saved, with the condition that you understand and do not believe in vain.
The Gospel Saves Lost People
Les shows how plainly verse 2 says 'by which you are saved,' and explains that this same gospel saves lost people in every time and place.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Paul directly identifies the gospel by which believers are saved, making this the central passage for the significance of the word 'saved.'
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Paul connects the preaching of the cross to being saved, which is the point Les makes when discussing the significance of the word 'saved.'
Romans 1:16: 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.
Paul calls the gospel the power of God unto salvation, showing that salvation is gospel-centered.
In 1 Corinthians 15:2, Paul says believers are saved by the gospel he preached. Les explains that the word denotes rescue — just as someone can be saved from financial ruin, believers are saved from eternal doom.
The gospel Paul delivered first of all is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Les calls this the finished work of the cross and says it is by this gospel that we are saved.
Paul says believers are saved 'if ye keep in memory' what was preached, 'lest ye have believed in vain.' Les says salvation is not just something glib; you need to know what you believe and not believe the wrong thing.
Watch the Teaching: Do Everything for the Glory of God — 1 Corinthians 10:31 Explained