Understanding Salvation

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How does being saved make you different before coming to Christ? You were separated from God and on your way to a certain judgment in a very real place called hell. But God reached out to you and quite literally saved you.

1. Jesus came to “save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)
2.  “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
3. There is salvation in no one else. There is no other name in all of Heaven for people to call on to save them (Acts 4:12)
4. Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21)

Not only has Christ saved you from a future judgment, but He is also offering you abundant life. Everything you need in life is found in a relationship with God.

Do you doubt your salvation? Often new believers and sometimes older ones too doubt that salvation has really come to them. The devil whispers “Do you really think God would save someone like you”? Since you have trusted Jesus you must realize that your salvation is not based on how you feel but rather on what God has said. The following verses will assure you of your salvation.

1. “All who believe in the son of God know this is true” (1 John 5:10)
2. “For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16)
3. “I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life (John 5:24)
4. “I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life (John 3:13).

God wants to give you a complete and abundant life, but like the light and darkness, God and sin will not coexist. You cannot continue in your old sinful ways and be pleasing to God. Your sin nature still exists, and you will sin at times, but your desires and attitudes need to change. Those who become Christians become new people. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone and a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17). Works don't save anyone, but they are a good indication that you are saved.

The following are six indicators that you are living your life as a Christian.

1. You confessed Jesus Christ as Lord
2. You are seeking to obey Christ's command.
3. You love and obey God’s word.
4. You  are miserable when you sin
5. You keep yourself out of Satan’s way
6. You love other Christians

All of this comes from the book of John. Use these as a checklist to see how you are doing.

How can my life changed for the better? Analysts who have studied the data say that the spirituality of many Americans might be only skin deep. Where their faith gets tested, they quickly disappear. So, what is true faith? The bible says:

1. We are saved by faith: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and not from yourselves, it is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)
2. We are to live the Christian life by faith. “Now the just shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38).
3. Without faith, we cannot please God. “So, you see, it is important to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus said, not all people who sound religious are really Godly. They may refer to me as Lord, but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in Heaven (Matthew 7:21).
4. Dear brothers and sisters, what is the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith cannot save anyone (James 2:14).

James is not saying that faith cannot save anyone for we must have faith to be saved. If a person's faith does not produce any change in his or her life, then it is not faith at all. Such faith is dead, unproductive, and shows no evidence of existence. Can that kind of faith save anyone? The answer is no. Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. After you receive God’s forgiveness through faith, that same faith should find expression in your life by how you live and behave. God has a special work for you to do, a purpose to fulfill, a task to accomplish. Jesus said “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise Your Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). You should do good works because of what Christ has done for you and what the Holy Spirit is doing in you. Remember that “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him” (Philippians 2:13). The calling of God is the enabling of God. He will help you to be the person he wants you to be the person He called you to be.