What it means to be saved
Salvation happens when you admit that you are a sinner, ask Jesus to take control of your life, and commit to following Him.
Paul writes in Romans 10:9-13, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Why We Need a Savior
Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Everyone falls short of the glory of God every day. We are all sinners, and there’s nothing we can do on our own to stop sinning or be sinless.
Our sin separates us from God and his unconditional love for all eternity. God can’t be anything less than holy and perfect. It’s who He is. That’s the reason our sin separates us from Him. God is holy and has no sin. Like oil and water, sin and holiness don’t mix.
God knew we couldn’t fix our sin problem no matter how hard we tried. But He loved us too much to leave us stuck in this situation. So when the time was right, He sent His Son, Jesus, to deal with our sin problem (John 3:16).
The Bible tells us the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). One sin is enough to warrant our death, but Jesus took our place. By dying on the cross, Jesus took the penalty we deserved so our sins could be forgiven and we could experience eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus did what we could never do. He made a way for us to have a relationship with God.
We didn’t deserve to have our sin paid for. And, we could never earn our way back into God’s presence. Jesus did what we could never do. He made a way for us to have a relationship with God. God wants nothing more than for you to accept His salvation. No matter where you come from or what kind of mistakes you may have made, you are not too far gone to be saved.
So What Happens After Salvation?
First, we celebrate! We celebrate salvation at church, and Jesus tells us that the angels are celebrating in heaven, too (Luke 15:7). When you ask Jesus into your life and become a Christian, you become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are no longer simply a boss, a student, a wife, or a dad. You are a child of God.
Knowing who we are in Christ changes what we do and how we think because our identity no longer rests in what we do, but in who we belong to.
God doesn’t just save us from sin; He saves us for something, too.
In Christ, we no longer live for money, our own personal success, or things of this world. We live to bring glory to God and to abide in His will for our lives. God has a purpose for all of us beyond salvation.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God doesn’t just save us from sin; He saves us for something, too. God created us to know Him and to share with others how much He loves them, too.
What If I Mess Up?
Walking with Jesus is a lifelong journey. Your salvation isn’t a destination, but the beginning of a relationship. As with any relationship, you’re not going to get it right all the time. Even Jesus’ closest friends didn’t always get things right.
They, too, doubted when circumstances didn’t make sense (Mark 4:35-41). They wondered how Jesus would do what He said He would do (Mark 9:30-32), and they feared their faith would cost them (Mark 14:66-72).
The truth is, since there is nothing that you can do to earn your salvation, there is nothing you can do to lose it! If you are truly saved, you will never be “not saved” again. You cannot lose your salvation because it isn’t dependent on anything that you do. If you believe God sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins, you’re saved. It is a free gift that you accept for eternity.