What It Means to Truly be Saved

     Recently, it has become overwhelmingly evident that there is most likely an alarming number of people who claim to be Bible-believing, church-going Christians, and yet there are glaring evidences that they truly are not sold out for Christ, and are not God-worshipping Christians at all.  In its simplest terms, a Christian is one who follows “Christ.”  To take it further, a Christian is someone who has recognized their need of a Saviour, and knows they cannot hope to save themselves.  They see their sin for what it is, confess it, and then repent of the life they have thus far lived, apart from God, and then turn away from their sin.  Anyone who does not recognize their own depraved state of sin, and then repent (turn away from it), cannot truly call themselves a Christian, can they?

     While I believe there are no special formulas for becoming a Christian, the Bible clearly instructs us how to be saved:

Rom 10:9  That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Rom 10:10  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. NIV

It is just that simple.  Yet, can a person be truly saved if they have not fully committed their life and heart to the Lord Jesus Christ?  If you have already done the above, then a tremendous change will have occurred in your life. You will have exchanged your old life for the new life in Christ Jesus.  In other words, ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW.  You are a new creature in Christ.  Do you feel different?  Yes.  You feel different. You act different.  You think different.  You may even look different (not sad and depressed like before).  Why?  Because you ARE different.  Here is what happens when a person becomes saved:

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

To go deeper, true repentance means a change of heart, at the deepest, core level.  There is nothing superficial about it, and it rarely occurs without some kind of difficulty; it’s costly, it’s cleansing, and it’s life-changing.  Many people want to just bask in the love of God, but the fullness of the revelation of the love of God for us only comes with the knowledge and revelation of what we have been saved from, our own sin and eternal separation from God.  We become unquestionably aware that it is not just the heavy weight of our own sin that needs to be forgiven, but the consequences of it - the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23).  If we have not yet experienced the depth of our own sin and the price that was paid for our redemption, then has true repentance occurred in our life?  David fell on his face when he realized what he had done - "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Psalms 51:4).  Job (a righteous man) fell on his face when he recognized how errant he'd been about his knowledge of God.  Paul gloried in the cross because this is where he recognized his own depravity, and his complete inability to save himself.
     True repentance gives us a crystal clear vision of our own depravity and God's great mercy.  No one deserves this kind of mercy, and yet, some people have dared to cheapen God’s grace and take for granted that everyone will make it into heaven, whether they have repented or not. The fact of who God is – Awesome, Holy, Just, Merciful, Omnipotent, etc. should be enough to make us tremble, and give us a healthy fear and reverence to submit ourselves wholly to Him.  

     Today, there are all kinds of false doctrines and belief systems that have steered away from the original and unadulterated Gospel message as offered in God’s Word.  Any time someone adds to or takes away from the Word of God, you have the makings of a cult.  This is serious business to God.  In fact, anyone who does such things is not just condemning themselves, but eternally condemning themselves.

Gal 1:8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

Gal 1:9  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! NIV

Many people may begin on the right track, but somewhere along the way they listened to some false teachings that sounded right, but clearly, these teachers were confused in their teaching of God’s Word, not dependent on the truth of the Holy Spirit’s revelation, and wholly dependent on the Word of God as it has been given.  If you challenge them with the Word of God, these same teachers will shun what you’ve got to say, and they are not open to the Bible. We are warned:

1 Thes. 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil. KJV

Evil is subtle, sweet, and deadly.  It may sound right, but if it in any way contradicts the Word of God, avoid it, and don’t give it a second thought.  The Bible is powerful, able to change our thoughts, our hearts, and our life.  Instead of being busy doing things, we need to be reading it, studying it, and making sure we haven’t strayed from its powerful teachings.  The Psalmist wrote:

Psa 119:9  How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

Psa 119:10  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

Psa 119:11  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. NIV

     Are we truly saved (confessed our sins and repented), bought with the precious blood of Jesus, seeking Him with all of our heart, and loving Him at every opportunity?  Do we reverence Him and respect Him and His Word?  Are we living as the “new creatures” He has made us?  If so, then it’s time to get serious, and live the new life in Christ that cost Him so dearly.