What does it mean to be saved?

All Questions, Salvation

What does it mean to be saved?

Category

Salvation,   All Questions

Last Updated

Jan 28, 2025

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

Word Count

Salvation in the scriptures is described as having a past, present, and future aspect, each integral to the Christian faith.

Have been saved – Past Tense. (Justification)

Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Being saved – Present Tense. (Sanctification)

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Will be saved – Future Tense. (Glorification)

1 Corinthians 3:15  (NKJV)

If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

So then, will we be saved? Or are we being saved? Or have we already been saved? The answer to all of these questions is Yes. You are being saved, and you will be saved if you have already been saved.

Once we trust in Christ, our salvation is made secure, as we have the promise of being sealed by the Holy Spirit till the day of our redemption.

Furthermore, there are a couple of things we have to keep in mind regarding our salvation.

(1) It is a gift.

If we do not understand this core concept, it messes up our entire understanding of salvation.

God blesses us with the gift of grace and does not expect us to work or earn it (as many have wrongly taught).

The bottom line is that we cannot pay for our salvation. We couldn’t do it before we got saved, and neither can we repay it after we get saved.

Romans 11:6 (NKJV)

And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

(2) It is eternal life.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 2:25 (NKJV)

And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

As a result of our sin, our actions have earned us death; however, by believing in His Son, Jesus Christ, God grants us eternal life.

This eternal life is forever and begins when you die to yourself and your ways and surrender to God.

(3) It is total forgiveness.

Psalm 103:12 (NKJV)

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV)

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.

Forgiveness is a complete release from the penalty of sin, where God clothes us with His righteousness. While we may still fall into sin at times, we have the assurance that we will not suffer the consequence and penalty of sin (which is death) but have everlasting life completely justified before God.    

Romans 3:24 (NKJV)

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

(4) We have the righteousness of Jesus in our account.

Believers are made righteous before God because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

When Jesus died, His infinite righteousness was transferred into our account, and our sins were transferred to Him.

(6) Total Commitment

If you want to know if you are saved, ask who is in charge. He is either Lord of all or not your Lord at all. True salvation involves a life wholly committed to following Jesus.

A person who is saved will display a ‘total commitment’ to God, which is a clear sign that they are saved. Often, people attend church simply to get to Heaven, but never make Jesus their Lord.

Matthew 7:21 (NKJV)

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.

In the above verse, Jesus openly warns His followers that there will be people who will claim His name but are not truly seeking Him.

In conclusion, salvation encompasses being saved from sin’s penalty, power, and presence. It begins with faith, continues through a life committed to Christ, and culminates in eternal life with Him. This comprehensive understanding assures us that salvation is not just a past event but an ongoing journey of transformation and hope in Christ.

Salvation is God's gift that forgives our sins, transforms our lives, and leads us to eternal life.

Justification, Sanctification & Glorification?

All Questions, Salvation

Justification, Sanctification and Glorification?

Category

Salvation,   All Questions

Last Updated

Feb 8, 2025

Reading Time ‘Minutes’

Word Count

A quick overview of the 3 phases is as follows; 

Justification – we have been saved from the penalty of sin
Sanctification – we are being saved from the power of sin
Glorification – we will be saved from the presence of sin

Justification – Past tense – positional – Our position in Christ
Sanctification – Present tense -progressive – My condition is becoming like christ
Glorification – Future tense – Permanent – My expectation is to be like Christ.

The following are two pictures that would give you a quick overview of these three phases. 

Justification

When we are justified, we are completely forgiven for all sin and clothed positionally before God with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This happens when we hear the gospel and believe. 

It is a one-time event and is either a yes or no. In other words, you cannot be 30%, or 50%, or 90% justified, it is all or nothing. God forgives us completely.

It is a free gift given to all believers in Christ; we do not work for it. Our part is only to have faith; we do not have the ability to justify or save ourselves.

At the same moment that we are justified, we are also adopted into God’s family and become children of God. Justification, if real, will always lead to sanctification and glorification.

While we don’t work at all for our own justification, amazingly, God calls us to work with Him in leading others to justification. We do this by sharing the good news about Jesus, and through prayer and by the example of our lives. Only God can justify people, but He uses us in the process of sharing the gospel. When people hear the gospel and believe, they are justified by God.

When a person is justified, then the work of sanctification begins in that born again life.

It is the fruit that springs from the root of justification.

Click to view Bible verses on Justification

Romans 3:28 (ESV) For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 5:1 (ESV)Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 2:16 (ESV) yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Sanctification

Sanctification is a life long progressive growth of a Christian by obedience to God through the power of the Spirit. It is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus!. Sanctification is a growth into righteousness while putting sin to death. You will grow in your sanctification process, but you will not be perfect in this life.  

Our sanctification is often a messy, we can have times when we take steps forward and yet have days when we fall, but over time by God’s grace we make progress.

Our sanctification is only possible by God’s grace and His power working in us. Our Spirit-enabled effort can make sanctification go forward more quickly, or a lack of effort can cause us to be stuck. Progress in sanctification is evidence that justification has occurred and gives us confidence in our salvation. But in sanctification, we still constantly need grace. And God gives us the grace we need in Christ!

A huge amount of the Bible is about sanctification. All of the verses teaching and urging us not to sin are related to sanctification, which includes commands to love others as God has loved us. 

The new birth is a radical change in the heart of a person, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) If a person has no evidence of sanctification, then we have the right and the duty to question whether there has been a work of justification. Bishop JC Ryle boldly stated, “Tell me not of your justification unless you also have some marks of sanctification.” So, if you have been truly justified, you will be undergoing the process of sanctification right now.

Click to view Bible verses on Sanctification

Romans 6:19 (ESV) I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV) It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

Glorification

Glorification; instantaneous transformation of the believers by the power of God into a perfectly moral and physical being eternally living in God’s presence in heaven.

It happens when we are resurrected in our new bodies, and it will last forever. All the effects of sin will be erased. We will be wholly sanctified, and no longer sin or even want to sin. Every one will be as loving, true, faithful, kind, good, and pure as Jesus Himself. 

Click to view Bible verses on Glorification

Romans 8:16-17 (ESV) The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs– heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

2 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV) For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.

Philippians 3:21 (NIV) who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Revelation 21:4 (NIV) ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Philippians 1:6 (NIV) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Conclusion:

God saves us by His grace. God gives us His Spirit to help us become more like Him. God will finish the good work that He has begun in everyone who believes. 

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Other related articles:

What does it mean to be saved?

What is the Roman Catholic view of Salvation?

If i am saved, why do i still have guilt from my past?

If I keep sinning, how could i possibily be saved?

I am saved; What’s Next?

Can we lose our salvation if we commit another sin?

Forgiveness of sins according to the Catholic Church

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 1:6

Pin It on Pinterest