WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?
When we
talk about following Jesus, we often talk about “being saved.” Just
what does
that mean, and if it is important, how do we become saved? All
humans
sin, for it is our nature to sin. We have to be responsible for our
sin, and
take the consequences for our sin. The ultimate consequence for sin
is to receive
the punishment that we deserve, which is to be punished
eternally
with Satan in Hell. Therefore, to be saved means that we are saved
from the
punishment that we deserve. If we are “saved,” that means the same
thing as
if we say we have “received salvation.”
Many New
Testament scriptures tell us that salvation is in Christ. A few of
these
scriptures are listed here:
1 Thes. 5:9 – “For God has not
destined us for wrath, but to obtain
salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Tim. 2:10 - “Therefore I
endure everything for the sake of the elect,
that they
also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal
glory.”
Acts 4:12 – “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."
Romans
1:16 - “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.”
[Gospel means the good news that in Christ we may have forgiveness
of our
sins.]
2 Cor. 7:10 - “For godly grief
produces a repentance that leads to
salvation
without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
Hebrews
2:9-10 - “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels,
now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that
by the
grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons
to glory,
it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything
exists,
should make the author of their salvation perfect through
suffering.”
We see
that we need to be saved and receive the gift of salvation, but how
do we do
that? Is there any place in the Bible that shows us how to be
saved?
Yes, there are examples in the New Testament that show us how to be
saved.
Look at Acts
2:37-40
[v.37] “
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to
Peter and
the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" [38] And
Peter said
to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift
of the
Holy Spirit. [v.39] For the promise is for you and for your children
and for
all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to
himself."
[v.40] And with many other words he bore witness and continued to
exhort
them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."
Peter had
told them that they had killed Jesus, the Son of God. [They
believed
then] As they heard Peter preach the gospel, the came to believe
that Jesus
was the Son of God, the Savior, and realized that they were
guilty of
the sin of killing Him. They had faith in Jesus, but they were
still not
saved; they asked, “What shall we do?” Peter said that it is
necessary
[The answer was] to repent and be baptized to have your sins
forgiven,
and to receive the Holy Spirit. They were not saved until [they
obeyed
what Peter preached] their faith led them to obey the command to be
baptized.
In Matthew 28:18-20, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He
told Peter
and the other apostles to “go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” When
these people
asked Peter what to do to be saved, he repeated Jesus command.
Look at
another example from Acts 8:35-38.
[v.35]
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he
told him
the good news about Jesus. [v.36] And as they were going along the
road they
came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What
prevents
me from being baptized?"
[v.38] And
he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the
water,
Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.”
In this
case, Philip preached Jesus, and the eunuch asked to be baptized.
How
did he know that he needed to be baptized? Obviously, in
preaching
Jesus,
Philip surely taught him that he needed to be baptized as Jesus had
commanded.
In Acts
9, we see that Saul was baptized once he realized that he had been
fighting
against the Lord.
Acts 9:18-19 “And
immediately something like scales fell from his eyes,
and he
regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; [v.19] and taking
food, he
was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at
Damascus.”
How did he
know that he needed to be baptized? Sometime later, the apostle
Paul
(Saul’s name was changed to Paul) explained what he was taught by
Ananias, a
Christian sent to him by God:
Acts 22:16 “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be
baptized and wash
your sins
away, calling on his name.”
Acts 10 tells us about Cornelius
and his family, and how God sent Peter to
teach them
the gospel of Jesus. How did they respond? See what the
scriptures
say.
Acts 10:47-48 [v.47]"Can anyone
withhold water for baptizing these people,
who have
received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" [48] And he commanded
them to be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to
remain for
some days.”
They had
been taught about Jesus, and clearly understood that their response
to Jesus
included baptism.
Read the
entire book of Acts. You will find other examples where people
accepted
Christ as the Savior of the world. Baptism was part of their
response
to Him.
So what
does it mean to be saved? It means to be free from the guilt of our
sins.
How do we become saved? We become saved by the grace of God through
Christ --
·
by believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died for us;
·
by repenting of the wrong way we have lived and turning from lives of sin
to lives
dedicated to God; and
·
by being baptized to have our sins forgiven.
God wants
to save everyone. He loves us so much that He gave his Son to die
for our
sins. Our sins are forgiven when we are baptized into Christ, and
God
promises us the gift of eternal Life. But no one who refuses to obey
and follow
Christ will be forgiven of sin nor allowed to enter the kingdom
of
heaven. So long as we are guilty of sin, our only promise is that of
eternal
punishment in Hell.
Have you
been saved? Please answer the following questions Yes or No.
1). I am a
sinner
____Yes ___No
2). As long as I am guilty of sin, I am lost. ___Yes ___No
3). Jesus is my only hope for salvation. ___Yes ___No
4). I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for
my sins, and
that He was
raised from the dead and now lives with God in His Kingdom.
___Yes ___No
5). I have confessed that I believe that Jesus is my Savior ___Yes ___No
6). I have recognized my sin, have repented of these sins,
am sorry that I
have sinned,
and have tried to change my life to live according to God’s
will. ___Yes ___No.
7). I have been baptized by being buried in water so that
all of my sins,
past, present,
and future, have been forgiven. ___Yes ___No
8). I am now saved by the grace of God, having accepted
Jesus and followed
His will. ___Yes ___No
Can you
answer “Yes” to all of these questions? If not, do you think that
you are
saved? Do you want to be saved? I pray that you do want to be
saved, and
that you will accept Jesus and the salvation that He has promised
to
everyone who will obey and follow Him.
--Contributed
by John R. Morgan