What Does it Mean to be Saved? How Can I Know I am Saved?

What Does it Mean to Be Saved? How Can I know I am Saved?

What Does it Mean to be Saved?

What does it mean to be saved? Imagine you were drowning, and someone threw you a lifebuoy. You grabbed it, and they pulled you out of the water, saving your life.

Well, that may sound good but actually, the bible describes us in our current state as dead to Christ. And a dead person cannot respond to a lifebuoy or the gospel of Christ unless the Holy Spirit opens our minds to the gospel. Just as when the Apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus and was struck down by the Lord, God must reach down and save us otherwise we simply drown.

The method God uses is the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we find in his word.

Our sin separates us from God, and we need to be saved from the punishment and consequences. The punishment for sin is death and eternal separation from God in hell.

This may seem long, but I would encourage you to read through all of it and re-read it if you need to. If you still have questions or are unsure, you can contact me here.

Eternity never ends, and your life is far more valuable than just a few minutes, so keep reading, and I believe God is going to open your eyes. You are going to be saved, changing your eternal destiny from hell to heaven.

Before it makes any sense to tell someone how to be saved, they first need to know that they are lost. And most people are fooled into thinking they are basically good. Or at least better than someone they know.

There is nothing more sure in this life than death.

In scripture, we are told;

27 “man is appointed to die once and after that to face judgment.”
Hebrews 9:27

The going death rate has been a steady 100% since the first man sinned in the garden of Eden.

What Do You Believe About The Bible?

The very first verse in the bible reads,

1“in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1

Immediately, we are faced with a decision as to whether or not we believe the bible is the word of God. If you do not believe that the bible is the word of God, then that must be your starting point because everything I am going to share with you will come from the bible. So you know, the bible is the most vetted book in all of history. That means that it has been meticulously verified verse by verse to see if the words written in it are valid. This has gone on for thousands of years, and there are more than 66,000 manuscripts and scrolls that speak to the validity of the Bible we now have.

We have nothing else from history compared to the mountain of evidence we do for God’s word. Specific, detailed prophecies that no one could have predicted or known except God are throughout scripture and fulfilled.

Where we go when we die is the only thing that will matter, I promise you. Not your bank account, home, popularity, color, or sex, but have you been born again.

The Bible Pulls no Punches and is Clear;

1“ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
Psalm 14:1

My advice, do not be a fool. We all have been at times, but God lets us know in no uncertain terms that we have no excuses before Him:

18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 Since the world’s creation, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, understood by the things made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
21 Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ”
Romans 1:18-21

This is a significant passage because we are told plainly that God put it in man’s mind, all men, that He exists. So we come pre-wired with the awareness that there is a God.

The Overwhelming Evidence of a Creator

When we hear these things, we can believe them and should.

The universe is perfect.

We are spinning on the Earth’s axis at about 1,000 mph at the equator

and at the same time moving around the sun at approximately 66,660 mph.

And we can’t see or feel a thing.

Oh, and we are all upside down.

You tell me one thing about this that scientifically supports Darwin’s theory or the big bang.

No one can “explain” or “understand” God. We know “in part” and “by faith.” And He reveals it in His word by His Holy Spirit. It is not our intelligence because none of us will ever be smart enough. It is His word that makes us wise for salvation.

Even a child. Jesus said to bring the little children to him. He also said unless we become a little child, we cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven. It is a child-like faith we must have to believe in Him and not doubt. God is not like our earthy fathers who sin and disappoint us. God is perfect. His love is perfect, and his judgments are as well.

You do not end up with a masterpiece unless there is a master.

God has proven Himself, but men reject god because they prefer sin and being their own god.

God speaks through His Word, and God keeps His word, which never changes. Therefore, you do not need to listen to those who say they have a word from God for you. If you have a bible, you already have the revelation of God to man.

Since you are here, I am going to assume that you believe that God exists. And God did not just leave it up to us to figure out who He was, but He has revealed Himself more specifically and intimately through His word.

And if you will continue reading till the end, I believe God`s word will speak to you and open your eyes.

To go to Heaven, you must be born again

The world is full of false doctrine and deception orchestrated by the Devil to lead people away from the true gospel.

Unfortunately, this goes on in churches and religions. Satan is not concerned that we are religious so long as we do not know or receive the true gospel.

We think we are righteous through ceremonies and outward practices that do nothing to remove our sin and make us right with God. So they will tell you to repeat some words, and your good to go.

Jesus did not go around telling people, ” just repeat after me…” no, there is more to salvation than some memorized statement.

The issue is the human heart that is sinful and cut off from God.

Jesus made things simple and plain;

3 “I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3

Why? Because no matter how many good things we think we do, we cannot remove a single sin from our life. And God cannot fellowship with sin. So the gospel is the only way to salvation.

14 “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:14

The way to salvation is the narrow way, and the world and its system are under the sway of Satan, and the road is wide.

19 “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
1 John 5:19

We are born into sin and are enemies of God.

5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Psalm 51:5
10 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Romans 5:10

Saying a few words will not save you if that is all you do.

When God looks at us and all of our attempts to measure up and be good, here is what the sum of them are…

6 ” And all our righteousness are as filthy rags…”
Isaiah 64:6

We may pat each other on the back or think someone is so good, but that is not reality. We are sinners to the core. Man thinks he can earn his way to heaven, yet God looks at all of this and compares it to a filthy rag.

Stay with me. I promise you will be eternally glad that you did…Keep on going!!!!

Hell was created for Satan and the fallen angels who rebelled against God and were cast down to the earth. But make no mistake, if we reject Jesus, that is our destiny!

31 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:31
9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9

There is only one name, one way to salvation, and it is through Jesus Christ.

11 ‘This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. Salvation exists in no one else, for there 12 is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:11-12

The world’s religions are all about what we do to earn our way up to God, which is impossible.

The fall of man and sin.

When man was created and put in the garden, he was given one command: Do not eat from the tree of good and evil. Up to this point, Adam and Eve were in a perfect relationship with God. They had never disobeyed Him.

3 “The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.”
Genesis 3:3

Satan lied and deceived Eve, and she took from the tree and also gave it to Adam.

God clearly warned Adam that the result of sin would be death. Therefore, God cannot lower His standards or ignore sin, or He would not be holy.

22 “and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Hebrews 9:22

God could have wiped man out then and there and would have been justified to do so. But He did not. From the beginning, God revealed that He would send the Messiah to deliver man from sin.

Jesus came to save sinners.

That is why we celebrate Christmas because that is a time to remember the best gift humankind ever had. But Jesus could not be born with the sinful blood of man. So instead, the Holy Spirit conceived Mary.

Jesus, God the Son, was born perfectly sinless and lived a sinless life on this earth. He came here for salvation. To take away the sins of the world.

29 “The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29

Jesus took our place and paid our penalty for the sins we have committed.

21 “For our sake he made him be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ”
2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus made us right with God.

If you owed a trillion dollars to the bank, you could never pay that debt. How would you feel if someone paid for you? That would change your life. But what if you refused to accept it? Then you still owe the debt.

Jesus paid the price for our sin; He is the only way to be made right with God and have our debt cleared and settled.

6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6

Just believing facts will not save us.

You can know facts and knowledge, but you must mix it with faith. Knowing is not enough. Satan and his demons believe that God exists, and they tremble, the bible says.

19 “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
James 2:19

The world tries to convince us were are good, but that is a lie.

We are sinners in rebellion to our creator, and there was nothing more He could have possibly done to save us from our sin and hell. Therefore, to think we will go to heaven based on our own goodness is to be deceived.

This is about truth and not feelings.

Fact and not fiction, and a holy God and the people He created. He alone is perfect in love, truth, justice, righteousness. And He isn’t some mush god who flips, flops, and rules on emotion or favoritism.

God is no respecter of persons, meaning He does not have shifting standards for you, a different one for me.

There is only one plan of salvation God offers to man.

We can reject it

remain in our sins

When we die, we will go to hell

live in eternal punishment

Separation from God’s goodness forever

We all experience common grace in our lives.

The sun shines on the good and the bad.

The rain falls on the just and the unjust, and we all breathe the same fresh air, saved or lost.

If I sacrificed my son, watched him suffer and die for you, and you just blew it off or even mocked my son?

Well, good thing I am not God. Lol. I would not have His patience. You likely wouldn’t either. You do not have to go through any of the horrible things that are up ahead. The God of this universe loves you.

He will take you just the way you are.

You can give him all the sin. Just lay it down. He won’t leave us like we are, and He will change us day by day. And we will be with Him forever.

New heaven, new earth, new bodies, rewards, and being with Almighty God is the place I want to be with streets of gold and in the presence of perfection and holiness.

He will wipe every tear, and we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Plan of Salvation.

3 “They have all fallen away; together, they have become corrupt; none does good, not even one.’
Psalm 53:3

We were born into sin, and we want to please ourselves, not God.

6″All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Isiah 53:6

Just as sheep wander off and easily get lost, man does not know the way, nor can he find His way to God.

23″for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23

We may hurt people with our sin, but all sin is against God and violates His law and word.

6 “But God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:6

So, we were hopeless, lost in our sins, no way out, could not remove our own sin, So Christ did it for us.

23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23

God owed man nothing but chose to give us Himself.

God is beyond anything we know on earth, and His love for us is beyond our grasp to comprehend. Would you die for your enemies? Jesus did.

9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9

When God, through His Word and Spirit, is convicting you and allowing you to understand this, and you can finally see your condition and God’s grace, then do not walk away.

Sit down in His grace.

Fully trust In Jesus’ death and resurrection from the dead (proving He was God) as payment for your sins in full. Past, present, and future sins.

12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12
17…”their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17

We confess that Jesus is Lord with our mouth, but we believe with our hearts. It is not about a feeling, just like believing in a chair to support you and sitting down; your feelings had nothing to do with it, only what you did, which was either to sit down or walk away.

When you pray a prayer of faith and ask God to save you, You may get emotional or not.

Neither of these is evidence of salvation, but a changed heart is.

Because when you ask Jesus to come into your life as Lord and as Savior, He gives us His Holy Spirit as our guarantee of salvation. You will change if you are genuinely born again because God will begin to change you from the inside out.

10 “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:10

If you are ready, you do not need anyone to push you or convince you to ask Him now. Just bow your head and cry out to Jesus. He is the one who has drawn you to Himself. You would not be where you are now if He hadn`t.

13 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13

That is the plan of salvation.

16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16

Salvation is More Than Just Knowledge and Facts.

But it is more than just a head knowledge that this refers to.

If you are standing next to a chair, you may believe that the chair could support you should you decide to sit in it. But if you never sat down, you did not put your faith into action, and there is no evidence to say otherwise.

You can have all of the right methods memorized in how to sit, you may walk around and intend to sit, but you are not sitting in the chair until you do.

Many will say to Jesus on the day of judgment that they did all kinds of things in His name while on the earth, and yet Jesus will say,

23 “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:23

So giving lip service to God will not do.

We must be aware that we are sinners. Confess to Jesus.

That we are helpless to save ourselves and must be willing to turn away from sin and follow Him, just treating Jesus and salvation like He is a vending machine, you put in a quarter, then out pops a salvation bar that we can walk off with and do our own thing. Not at all.

God sees into the deepest depths of our minds and knows our thoughts before we do. We come to Jesus and lay it down, everything.

We confess our sin. (that doesn’t mean we have to remember and confess every sin we ever committed cause we do not even know every sin we have done.

We cannot knowingly hold on to sin and surrender our hearts To the Lord simultaneously.

A wealthy young man came to Jesus and asked Him,

“what must I do to be saved.?”

Jesus knew what was holding this man back and said to him,

“sell all that you have and give to the poor and come follow me.”

When the man heard this, he went away sad, for he was wealthy. This is why Jesus said it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

So whatever it is that you feel you must keep to yourself and withhold from God will keep you from salvation.

That doesn’t mean that you are instantly perfect in practice.

But like the rich man, if we are unwilling to lay it at the feet of Jesus, we are walking away from Him and holding on to our sin.

God doesn’t need our money, but he demands our heart and full surrender to Him. He is Lord. We give our life to Him at salvation, and while we are immediately saved, our lives will be a process of being conformed to His likeness.

He gave us His life, and we must lay ours down not to pay Him back but because He made us for Himself, and we belong to Him.

8 “For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Ephesians 2:8

Jesus loves you very much. He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. If you open the door, He will come in.

If you have a question, send me an email. It will remain confidential, and you will receive an automatic reply to verify that we received your email. I will personally get back to you as soon as possible.