What Does It Mean To Be Saved?
SALVATION
The word salvation comes from the Greek words “sozo” and “soteria.” Salvation means “healing, health, wholeness, peace, righteousness, liberty, freedom, forgiveness, restoration, deliverance, protection from evil, victory, success, and prosperity.
Salvation is a free gift. Gifts are not earned, they are simply received. Jesus won’t force Himself on you, but you can receive Him, if you will. God has provided the one and only answer for the problem of man’s heart condition (a fallen nature), and that answer is Jesus. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. It is up to us to believe on Him and to receive Him.
Becoming a Christian involves believing on the name of Jesus and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that He is your Lord. Think about what that means. It is not something to be taken lightly or just spoken causally. When you take Jesus as your Lord, you are giving Him control of your life. You are turning the steering wheel of your life over to Him. You are putting yourself in a position of submission to His leadership.
Salvation is a free gift. Gifts are not earned, they are simply received. Jesus won’t force Himself on you, but you can receive Him, if you will. God has provided the one and only answer for the problem of man’s heart condition (a fallen nature), and that answer is Jesus. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. It is up to us to believe on Him and to receive Him.
Becoming a Christian involves believing on the name of Jesus and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that He is your Lord. Think about what that means. It is not something to be taken lightly or just spoken causally. When you take Jesus as your Lord, you are giving Him control of your life. You are turning the steering wheel of your life over to Him. You are putting yourself in a position of submission to His leadership.
Salvation and being born again have nothing to do with:
Church Membership
Keeping the Ten Commandments
Water baptism
Doing good deeds and trying to be our best
Education
Going to church
Good works
Saying our prayers
Being a good, honest citizen
Reading and memorizing the Bible
Trusting in any of these is false salvation because these things cannot save us!
HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN/WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED
The following steps will help you obtain and maintain the salvation experience. It includes a process that will not only guarantee your entrance to heaven, but also position you to experience the benefits of heaven on earth:
- Recognize/Admit that you are a sinner:
Because of Adam’s sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity was affected by, and infected with, sin (Romans 5:12-14). Mankind took on the nature of sin. Therefore, every one that was born after Adam was born into a life of sin and death (Psalm 51:5).
2. Repent of your sins:
True repentance is a complete change of heart, change of mind, and change of attitude that causes us to turn away from sin, go in a new direction and turn to God for salvation. This results in a changed life style!
Repentance does not mean, “I’m sorry.” It is a quality decision to ask for FORGIVENESS for our sins, to turn away from ungodly living and submit to God’s will for your life. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
3. Confess Jesus As Lord and Savior:
Confession confirms Jesus’ lordship (place of authority) over our lives. Confess that he is your Lord and believe that He lived, died, and was raised from the dead for the forgiveness of your sins. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Once confession is made from a believing heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Jesus from the dead in payment for sin, the born-again experience has taken place. Keep in mind that as a “new convert” you may not feel any different, but salvation is not based on feelings, it is an act of faith . (Ephesians 2:8-9)
True repentance is a complete change of heart, change of mind, and change of attitude that causes us to turn away from sin, go in a new direction and turn to God for salvation. This results in a changed life style!
Repentance does not mean, “I’m sorry.” It is a quality decision to ask for FORGIVENESS for our sins, to turn away from ungodly living and submit to God’s will for your life. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
3. Confess Jesus As Lord and Savior:
Confession confirms Jesus’ lordship (place of authority) over our lives. Confess that he is your Lord and believe that He lived, died, and was raised from the dead for the forgiveness of your sins. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
BENEFITS THAT COME ALONG WITH RECEIVING JESUS
Psalm 68:19---Daily loads us with benefits
2 Corinthians 5:17---New creation in Christ
John 10:10---Abundant living
Psalm 103:1-5---Forgiveness of all thy iniquities; heals all diseases
2 Corinthians 8:9---Rich (abundantly supplied)
Luke 10:19---Power and authority
Isaiah 53:4-5---Healing, peace
2 Corinthians 5:17---New creation in Christ
John 10:10---Abundant living
Psalm 103:1-5---Forgiveness of all thy iniquities; heals all diseases
2 Corinthians 8:9---Rich (abundantly supplied)
Luke 10:19---Power and authority
Isaiah 53:4-5---Healing, peace
