Bible Stuff [For those interested in understanding the Bible from a biblical worldview.]
Are We Really “Saved”?
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).[1]
The biblical concept of salvation is central to the Christian Gospel, and therefore understanding its definition and ramifications is important:
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:15-17).
“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” (Romans 10:9).
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
“And there is salvation in no one else [but Jesus Christ], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The term save (from the Greek σῴζω/sṓzō) means, “to deliver out of danger and into safety.” In context, it refers to God delivering us from the consequences of human sin into the safety of His eternal kingdom. Such salvation can only be understood and embraced when we recognize and acknowledge our sin nature, which Adam and Eve introduced and passed onto all humanity (known as Original Sin), which requires Divine adjudication.
Regarding this salvation, there are important “why” questions to answer:
Why did Adam and Eve disobey God?
Created in God’s image (imago Dei), and to maintain a freewill capacity in that image, Adam and Eve had to be given a choice to accept or reject God. Without that choice, they (and we) would merely be cosmic puppets. God desired to have a voluntary, reciprocal, love-based relationship with His creation.
Why did Adam and Eve’s sin pass on to all humanity?
As our progenitors, Adam and Even passed their sin to the rest of humanity through earthly heredity. We are all from the same flesh, thus the same sin nature.[2]
Why is a “Divine adjudication” required?
The cost of sin is death, both physical and spiritual. [3] Thus God, being loving and just, removed Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to keep them from eating of the Tree of Life and forever being separated from Him. Yet that prevailing sin still had to be resolved for humanity to regain relationship with Him. This is the narrative of the Bible in its entirety, consummated in the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to declare “innocent of sin” all those who accept this free gift from God.[4]
Why is Jesus Christ the only way to resolve sin?
Since we could not resolve our own sin through good works, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to become sin on the cross on our behalf—paying the price for that sin once and for all. No other religion offers this type of sacrifice. No other religious leader ever paid such a price for his or her followers.
As previously stated, such salvation can only be embraced when we recognize and acknowledge our sinful nature, which cannot be resolved in our own efforts. Those who don’t believe they are inherently sinful, who see themselves as fundamentally good, see no need for such salvation. Those who do recognize their sinful nature, and who come to believe the biblical path of salvation, must then determine what constitutes acceptance of this Divine gift—what enacts salvation. This is why Jesus said:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
And the Apostle Paul reiterated in Galatians 4:9:
“But now that you know God—or rather are known by God…”
Here we see the key to biblical salvation—it’s not about knowing God and acting godly; it’s about being known by God and subsequently, by His grace, behaving in accordance with His will:
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him” (Philippians 2:13).
Jesus said many will fall prey to a false form of Christianity predicated on moral box-checking—”I do these godly things, and I don’t do these ungodly things.” That’s not salvation in Christ, that’s simply being religious. So how do we know if we are truly, biblically, saved?
It’s all about trajectory.
Biblical salvation is about transformation, not modification. It’s having our entire human operating system replaced, not simply putting Christian apps on a corrupt operating system. It’s becoming a new creature in Christ, not merely a better version of ourselves. It’s measured in degrees of repentance, not degrees of perfection.
Those truly, biblically, saved through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ at some point acknowledged their need for salvation, not simply their desire for salvation, and completely dropped “self” in favor of a Savior. They have by God’s grace turned 180 degrees from their previous trajectory, and our now persistently in view of Christ’s cross and the eternal life it affords. They are graciously convicted by the Holy Spirit when they stray from this trajectory, lovingly and patiently guided back on course and forgiven.
As I’ve often taught over the years, one of the greatest gifts to possess is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. For it proves we are saved, since neither our flesh nor Satan will ever alert us to sin—only the Holy Spirit in us to keep us on the right path!
And the truly saved did not come to this place through osmosis (being raised in a Christian family), attending church, learning to speak Christianese, or being more moral than their secular friends. They came through an invitation, an all-encompassing acceptance of that invitation, a sudden death, and just as sudden resurrection to new life. Like the early disciples before them, they dropped their “nets” and abandoned their “boats—their identity, means of provision, station in life, and future ambitions—to follow Jesus.[5]
Judging one another’s salvation is not prudent, but looking into the mirror of God’s word for ourselves is a worthy path. Not to doubt our salvation when we sin, but to rejoice in our salvation trajectory in and toward Christ. Not that we recklessly sin because we are saved by grace, but in that grace we even more desire not to sin. As the Apostle Paul reminds us:
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:1-4)
The Apostle John also reminds us:
“But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him: Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked” (1 John 2:6).
By “keeping” (Greek μένω/ menó, meaning “staying the course in”) God’s word, both Living and written, and thereby knowing His will for us, we can be assured of biblical salvation and the hope it brings:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Therefore, if…
You’ve come face-to-face with the impenetrable darkness of your sin nature, and there discovered you cannot resolve this darkness with your own light…
You’ve come to understand and accept that the only light that can penetrate this darkness and provide a path of hope is the biblical Jesus Christ, the Light of the World…
You’ve laid down your entire life—past, present, and future—placing it into the hands of Christ and trusting Him with it…
In this new life and the capacity given by God to abide and trust in Him and His word you mature in Him, rejoice when convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, and joyfully accept forgiveness as you imperfectly follow Him…
You see changes over time, no matter how incremental, to become more like Him day by day…
Then, yes…you are truly, biblically, saved!
[1] Cf. 2 Peter 1:10-11
[2] Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12
[3] Romans 6:23a
[4] John 1:29; Romans 5:8-11, 6:23b; Colossians 1:14, 2:14; Hebrews 10:10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 2:2, et al.
[5] Matthew 4:18-22
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