What does it mean to “be saved”?
First and foremost, it means turning to Christ.
According to the Bible, He is the only way of salvation:
“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12)
Okay, so what does “turning to Christ” mean? From what am I even “being saved?”
God is righteous, and no sin can be before Him. The Bible tells us:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
And maybe you think, “I’m not that bad.” Yet the Bible is clear:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
What exactly is sin, then?
The Bible tells us that:
"All wrongdoing is sin . . ." (1 John 5:18)
Just a few verses later, that same writer ends that book of the Bible by encouraging his recipients to:
". . . keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21)
Ultimately, then, sin is putting something or someone above God. Either we break God’s law by putting ourselves and our desires above God (“wrongdoing”) or we place something or someone else as ultimate in our life (“idols”).
So, the consequence for even one sin is death and separation from God forever. Therefore, I cannot take your sin. I must be punished for my own sin. The only person who could take your place or my place would have to be perfect; one who did not need to be punished for sin. That leaves us in a hopeless mess, because we don’t know anyone who would do such a thing! Indeed, one of the Bible writers gives voice to the angst that comes from realizing the hopelessness of the situation (but then remembers the answer to the first question above):
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)
Okay, so what does “turning to Christ” mean?
First it means that we confess our sins:
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Then we make Him Lord of our lives:
“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame’” (Romans 10:9-11).
Indeed! The only method of salvation is through faith. It is not a matter of living better. The Bible tells us:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.' For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
That’s it? I just confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in Him? What does it mean that Jesus is Lord?
This means that we strive to please him in all that we do. It is not an easy thing to follow the Lord. It means that He is now master of our lives, and we strive to please Him out of gratefulness for what He has done.
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 2:14-16)
But that’s it? Really? Just confess and believe to be saved?
That’s it:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I’ve done that, but I’m having trouble believing that I’m really saved.
There may be a lot of reasons for that.
Perhaps it is conviction.
Once we are saved, we begin a lifelong journey of sanctification. We have made Jesus our Lord, and that means there are parts of our lives that don’t align with His way. Jesus promised us a helper called the Holy Spirit. Once you are saved you receive the Holy Spirit in your life, and He will point out areas that do not align with calling Jesus Lord. So perhaps you’re living in conviction. If that is the case, the verse above, 1 John 1:9, is not just to enter the kingdom. We should confess our sins regularly, to God and to each other (James 5:16). This helps get them out in the open so we can live in victory over them. So perhaps it is conviction. The remedy for that is confession and repentance.
Perhaps it is doubt or anxiety.
The longer we journey on the road of sanctification, the more unworthy we feel. Indeed, one of the guys that wrote a book of the Bible called himself the chief of sinners:
“the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15).
The remedy for doubt and anxiety is hope and thankfulness. One thing that always helps me is to read and think deeply on the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. This son has done nothing to deserve the richness of the Father. Yet He receives it, because the Father is a good Father. The second thing that helps me is considering Philippians 4:4-7:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
The writer of this passage is not being glib. In fact, he is writing from a jail cell after being imprisoned for his faith. Yet he invites his readers to rejoice, pray (with thanksgiving), and be reasonable. This has helped me more than I can express in the last few months. Whenever I bring a request to God, I also try to find something for which I can give thanks. And I can tell you that – when I’m actively doing what this passage says – the promise is true. I receive the peace of God!
What a startling promise. The peace of God. If you have confessed your sin and trusted in Christ for salvation but your life is not peaceful, start here in Philippians.
If you have other doubts or anxieties, I’d love to dialogue with you. Please reach out to me.
Future Hope
You may have heard the term “gospel.” The “gospel” is what I’ve presented above. The word simply means “good news.” The good news is that Christ has come to save us from our sins. But one of the writers goes even farther to say:
"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19, emphasis mine).
The good news – the gospel – extends beyond this life and into eternity. It’s fascinating to me that the writer of the above statement actually would consider us to be pitied if our hope only stopped with the freedom from sin and guilt we get in this life. Indeed, he goes on to say that Jesus represents “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Meaning that, after Jesus died for our sins, He didn’t stay dead! He not only took our punishment, He defeated it by rising again from the dead!
And the Bible is clear about this. We get to join Him at the end of time! If we follow the way of Jesus by making Him Lord, we will rise again for an eternity on the New Earth.
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
This is good news indeed! Not just for this life (which is brief, fleeting, and often difficult), but for all eternity!
Amen!
Conclusion
If you read the above and made a decision to follow Christ, I’d love to hear from you!
If you did not make a decision to follow Christ, I’d be happy to dialogue with you more about it.
You can reach out to me on the comments below or on the contact page!
If you’re not quite ready to reach out to someone, I’ve included some additional resources below.
Additional Resources
If this post has whet your appetite, but you’re not quite ready to buy into all this Christianity stuff, there’s definitely some good resources out there:
- The Bible Project – this nonprofit makes videos about themes in the Bible and also summarizes each book of the Bible. An excellent resource if you’re looking for additional, solid information. I would start with this video:
- Throughout the post above, I mentioned several passages of Scripture. All of those Scriptures have context. I would encourage you to read the chapter (or the entire book) in which those passages are found.
- If you’re new to the Bible, there’s a good website that makes searching it easy here: Bible Gateway, ESV Bible, and Bible.com (this one has reading plans and other helpful tools).
- If you really want to get into studying the Word, try: Blue Letter Bible or Logos Bible Software (these are a bit more complex and are for in-depth Bible study).
- Also, several of the passages I mention are from the book of Romans. I have done a summary of the entire book here: Romans – a Reformation Day Summary (with audio)
- This post is part of a group of posts on God and the Church and the Relational God. Perhaps they will be helpful to you.
- The church that I attend has solid biblical teaching. If you don’t have a church home, consider joining us. If nothing else, you can listen to the sermons and be encouraged: Edwards Road Baptist Church.
- I have written a book called The Relational God that does a deep dive into what the Bible says about our identities as sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and fathers and mothers – how those relationships thrive and what they teach us about God. If you have the time, there’s also a corresponding Bible study (there is also a PDF version) that can help you work through the concepts of the book.
Encouraged?
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