How Is Saved Used In The Bible
The vast majority of the times the word saved is used in Scripture, it is not used in reference to receiving eternal life or going to heaven when we die, but is used in one of these other ways mentioned above. If you doubt this, just pull out a concordance and start checking it yourself. When the Bible uses the word saved it is talking about the Israelites getting saved from their enemies, from sickness, from slavery, and from death. The disciples are saved from drowning in a storm. Christians can be saved from a life of empty living.
This sort of thinking really helps when we read certain difficult passages. Paul writes that women will be saved through childbearing . Does he mean that only women who have children can get forgiveness of sins and go to heaven when they die? Of course not! A brief look into the context of 1 Timothy 2 reveals that one source of a womans personal self-worth is in how she trains and raises her children. Paul is teaching that one way women can be saved from feeling insignificant is by raising children. It is not the only way, but is one way.
You will see that while good works play absolutely no part in getting, keeping, or proving our eternal life, good works nevertheless can save us. Ah, but save us from what? I will let you embark on the rest of this study on your own. Have fun!
Pillar : Jesus Paid It All
Second, assurance rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, He bore our iniquities, enduring Gods wrath, and cried out, It is finished! By this, He meant that the full atonement for all our sins-past, present and future-has been made. His work of redemption now completed, our entire sin debt is paid in full.
Just as salvation comes from believing in Christ alone, so does assurance. As we trust in Christs perfect sacrifice for our sins, the certainty of eternal life floods our hearts. No matter how great your sin, Gods grace is greater still. The Bible says, Come now, and let us reason together. Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
The Gift Of Salvation: Being A New Creation And Repentance
We must never forget the doctrine of regeneration. Jesus says to repent. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. It leads to bearing fruit and turning away from sin, a hated for sin and a love for the things that God loves. Repentance is not a work that we do unto salvation. Repentance is a work of God. God grants us repentance. Salvation is a supernatural work of God where God supernaturally changes a man. God makes a dead man live. God gets all the glory.
When you put your trust in Jesus Christ alone you will be a new creation. God draws us to repentance, God saves us, God makes us new. God changes us. God gave us the right to become His children. God made us saints. God works in us to conform us into the image of Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are righteous in Christ. We can begin to know and enjoy the Lord because of Christ. Christians cannot tolerate sin anymore. Sin is hurtful to us and we come to hate it. Believers have a new relationship with sin. We dont obey because obedience saves us. We obey because we are saved by the blood of Christ. We are so thankful. God, I love you so much I want to obey you and honor you with my life. Just as my pastor said a few weeks ago focus on loving God more. Grace should lead us to obedience.
15. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
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Love For Our Brothers In The Lord
In addition to the Word of God and the Spirit in us, we can know were saved because we have genuine love for our fellow Christians, even for those who may be very different from ourselves.
This love isnt something we had before we were saved, and its not something we manufacture after were saved. Its the spontaneous result of our receiving the life of God when were regenerated.
In 1 John 3:14, the apostle John says,
We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers.
Note 1 explains the relationship of life and love in this verse:
This love in us for our brothers in the Lord is further evidence that were genuinely saved.
How To Be Saved And Know It
1) Recognize your Guilt before God: For ALL HAVE SINNED and come short of the Glory of God! Rom 3:23. We ALL need Salvation from Sin.
2) Repent of your Sin: Except ye Repent, ye shall ALL likewise perish! Luke 13:3. We ALL need to turn from sin to God.
3) Receive Jesus Christ: But as many as RECEIVED HIM, to them Gave He Power to BECOME the sons of God, even to them that Believe on HIS NAME! John 1:12. We Receive the Person of the Son of God personally.
4) Rejoice in Assurance: For Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the LORD Shall be SAVED! Rom 10:13. Simply take God at His Word and Know that you are Saved, based upon what GOD SAYS.
Simple Prayer of Salvation: Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner, but I am sorry for my sins. I truly believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, and that He rose again from the dead. So with all my heart I now turn from my sin and Receive Him as my personal Saviour. I thank you Lord for saving me from my sin, in Jesus Name!
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Bible Verses Every New Christian Should Know
Bible
Maybe this is your first time learning about God or trying to read the Bible. Thats awesome!
One of the ways you can learn more about God is by reading the Bible. As Christians, we read the Bible to learn more about God and to hear what He has to say to us.
Why? Because life with God is a relationship. How good are your relationships with people you know nothing about, or who dont say anything to you?
Thats not how life with God is! He desires to communicate with you through prayer and the Bible. Are you ready for the adventure?
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The Fruit Of Our Behavior
In addition to the root of our belief, we need only look at the fruit of our behavior to know whether or not we are truly saved. What has Jesus done in me? Is this all just some intellectual exercise, or has there been a change? The Apostle John is very practical here. He shows us how our salvationought to show up in our behavior, and he gives three tests.
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How To Know You Are Saved
While there is only one way to be saved there are many ways that we can confirm that our belief was genuine and many ways to know for sure that we are saved.
Salvation is not something we have to wonder about or doubt about. It is something that we can know for sure as the Apostle John wrote:
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.1 John 5:13
So throughout the years whenever a person at church, family member or in more recent years readers of my blog have emailed with the question How can I know for sure that I am saved? I have answered them with the 10 questions that follow.
10 Questions that confirm your salvation
1. Do you believe that there is one God and one mediator between God and men who is Jesus Christ?
2. Do you accept who the Scriptures say Jesus was that he was not simply a teacher or prophet but that he was the sinless Son of God, God in the flesh?
3. Do you believe you are sinner that you have broken Gods laws and fail to live up to his righteous standard?
4. Do you believe the Gods justice requires that sin must be punished with eternal damnation?
5. Do you believe that you needed Jesus Christs death on the cross to atone for your sins and that there was nothing you could do on your own to appease the justice of God regarding your sin?
9. Does sin in your life grieve you?
Assurance Of Salvation Is Based On Christs Person
When Paul told the Philippians that he was confident that He who began the good work in you will see it through until the Day of Christ, he was affirming that salvation is not only of God but in Christ.
Gods Covenant of Grace is the sacred bond in blood that what God requires, God provides in the Person of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
1. Jesus Christ is your righteousness.
The sinner needs an alien righteousness, as Martin Luther put it so memorably a perfect life lived on her behalf. Jesus Christ is your righteousness.
2. Jesus Christ is your substitute.
The sinner needs a substitute to take the punishment for sin that is embedded in the cosmic code of divine justice . Jesus Christ is your substitute.
3. Jesus Christ is your Advocate and High Priest.
The sinner must have an advocate with the Father, a High Priest who represents the sinner, and makes atonement continually on his behalf. Jesus Christ is your Advocate and High Priest.
If God began the good work in you, then the only way for you to lose the salvation which God has won for you is to send the time machine into fast forward reverse: Christ would have to come down from His Ascension Christ would have to go back to the tomb Christ would have to be swept back on the cruel cross, where the nails would have to go back in to his hands and feet. Yes, it is ludicrous. Christ died for our sins once and for all. He will not go back on His own word and He will not reverse the sacrificial work of His Son.
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Evidence Of Your Salvation
- You will rely upon Christ alone.
- You will love God more.
- You will have a greater sense of your sinfulness and your deep need for a Savior.
- You will confess your sins daily and grow in repentance.
- You will seek to be obedient to the Word of God.
- You will have new desires and affections for Christ.
- You will grow in your knowledge of the gospel and dependence upon Christ.
- You will separate from the ways of the world.
- You will desire to have fellowship with Christ and with other believers.
- You will grow and produce fruit, sometimes faster than others and sometimes way slower than others, but there will be growth.
- God will work in your life to conform you into the image of Christ.
Sure Of Better Things
What does it mean to fall away? Cant that happen to us? Its very important to note that the author says they have shared in the Holy Spirit, or some translations say, they have tasted, but this is not the same thing as having received the Holy Spirit. That is a one way process . It doesnt appear the writer is addressing believers specifically because some were turning back to the Old Testament laws, and Christians know better than this. The Book of Hebrews was written to a Jewish audience and not every one of them was saved any more than everyone in church today is saved. There have always been tares growing up alongside the wheat . The author seems confident to those truly saved, saying, we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better thingsthings that belong to salvation . This writer says that in your case, which is different than those who have only shared in the Holy Spirit. He says he feels sure of better things things that belong to salvation. It is sad that Hebrews 6:4-6 has needlessly tortured so many souls over the years, when the authors intent was to give them confidence in their salvation, but thats what happens when we take a few texts out of context and get a pretextand usually a false one.
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Are You Struggling With Full Assurance Of Salvation
The more you get to know God intimately, the closer you approach the light. The more you understand how holy He is the more you will appreciate how sinful you are. I used to struggle with having full assurance of salvation. Some days I would be so confident of my salvation. Then some days I would be so depressed. I was living in idolatry because my joy was coming from my performance.
Dont allow your joy to come from your performance on your walk of faith. Allow your joy to come from the perfect merit of Jesus Christ alone. I prayed for full assurance of my salvation and after weeks of wrestling with God He finally gave me full assurance. I am confident that when I die I will go to Heaven because Jesus died for me. Do not attempt to find hope in yourself. The more you get to know God and become aware of your sin the more you should rejoice.
God pours out His grace in abundance. You know you cant save yourself. Jesus is all you have. Its either Him or nothing. God allowed me to realize that. God loves me and nothing that Satan says will ever change that. In the paragraphs above I talk about sin a lot because there are many professing believers who are living in rebellion and sin. I dont want to see anyone separated from God. I am compelled to preach repentance.
26. 1 John 5:13-14 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Salvation In Christ Changes Your Relationship With Sin
Our generation appears to be blasé about the problem of sin. We do not consider its consequences seriously enough.
You would be surprised at how many people I talk to who said theyre saved because a pastor prayed for them. Some of the things I hear are absolutely horrifying. We dont understand the gospel and have watered it down to the point that many who think they are saved are not. Paul said, how could those who have died to sin still live in it? We hate correction. All we want to hear is grace, grace, grace, but Jesus preached on Hell more than any other issue in the Bible. God is holy, holy, holy. Understand that I am not preaching a works salvation. Im talking about evidence of your faith in Christ.
Is there evidence that the Holy Spirit is living in you and working in you? Do you think, I am under grace? or I can live like the devil? That is a lie from Hell. Have you ever heard someone say that Jesus is so forgiving that I can sin all I want? That type of thinking shows that they have an unregenerate heart. We have forgotten that the way to Heaven is narrow. Only a few will find it. Those who have been saved by Christ will not practice sin.
23. Jude 1:4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
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Bible Verses For New Christians To Know
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Lets be honest we like doing things our own way! But when we become followers of Jesus, we need to actually start following Him and trusting in His wisdom and teachings. This verse is a good reminder that God wants whats best for us and will help guide us through life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him John 3:16-17
This is perhaps the most well-known Bible verse, and for good reason. John 3:16 is a great summary of Gods love for us. He loves us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus took our sin, took our place by dying for our sins, and He defeated death so that we can live forever with Him in heaven. Thats how much He loves us and wants a relationship with us.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
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And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28