What is Salvation and How Do We Know if We Are Saved?

 Updated - 03/08/2009

                  A Response                    

       Salvation means wholeness, or rather to be delivered and preserved from some type of destruction. There are no human beings on this earth who could save themselves or others from our present state of death and destruction, or the evil that surrounds us on a daily basis. A person can be an exceptional "do gooder," but no one can create a new heart, or perfect nature that will save that individual from destruction. We can do nothing for ourselves; therefore, salvation is truly a gift of God.  God's plan of salvation for the world can only be found in Jesus Christ, God's perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God. He sent His Son, as a living sacrifice, to die on the cross, in order to redeem humanity from the dominion of sin. He will save anyone who asks Him for that salvation.  Sin simply means that all of us are born with a fallen nature in that we all "miss the mark of perfection."  We receive salvation by asking the Lord Jesus Christ to save us in an act of faith.  This act of faith is a conviction that the gospel message of Christ is true, in which we acknowledge our need for salvation, and believe in our hearts that God sent His only begotten Son to save us.  A person is saved by grace, which is God's divine favor, freely given to a person, no matter what that person has done in the past.  The only way to forfeit salvation is to reject the gospel message (good news) of Christ.  

     In the beginning of time, when Adam and Eve turned against God, a very tragic transformation took place in their lives and has been passed down from generation to generation. At that moment, they and the whole world passed from life to death. The sin committed in the Garden of Eden was the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.  The source of temptation was the devil, a fallen angel of God.  When Adam and Eve made a decision to partake of this knowledge, their spiritual and physical lives became literally corrupt, and the perfect fellowship they once enjoyed with God and one another, was now contaminated.  At this moment, both spiritual and physical death entered into the human race, and Adam, Eve, and all of creation fell under the curse of sin.  They lost their original spiritual life with God, and any hope of eternal life.  A nature that could not live eternally because of the birth of that corruption. (Gen. 2:17, 3: 2-6 and 22-23)

 By this transaction of accepting the devil's offer, Adam and Eve's dominion over the whole world fell under the dominion of Satan.

2Co 4:4 In whom the god (devil) of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

To gain a better understanding of Satan's dominion in the world please take a look at the last two links at the end of this article.

       But God promises to send a redeemer to save humanity:

Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

       God sent His Son to bear the results of this sin that entered into the human race, by shedding His innocent blood on the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to redeem us. When we ask Jesus Christ to give us this salvation, He gives us a new nature, His Holy Spirit, and seals us until the day of our complete redemption. Our complete redemption will be fully realized at the Second Coming of Christ. 

Notes:

Redemption means that we were rescued or bought back with a price; we are redeemed by the shedding of the innocent blood of Christ on the cross. He paid the price for our sins and yes "there is power in the blood of Christ."

Receiving God's Holy Spirit is what is meant by being born again, we were born physically into this world; however, when we receive God's Holy Spirit, we are born again spiritually, and no one will pluck us out of His hand. This is God's promise to all that call upon His name!

Scriptures on salvation:

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Joh 10:9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.

Act 2:21 And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Act 11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Act 2:38 And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

To repent simply means to acknowledge the truth of God's message and to likewise respond to His call in faith. It is a decision to turn away from the old way to God's way by receiving Christ.

Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

NOTE: To learn more about Jesus' claim to be the Son of God, and God's love for the world, a great place to start is to read the Gospel of John.

An example of a simple prayer of faith for salvation:

God, I believe that you sent your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for all humanity and to redeem the world from the curse of all sin. Lord Jesus Christ, save me and give me the Holy Spirit with your promise of eternal life, and continue to lead me into all of Your truth. Thank you Lord, I am now saved according to Your Word, and from this moment on, I put my trust in your ability and faithfulness to bring all of your promises to pass in my life.

At the moment a person accepts Christ, he or she stands before God completely justified, as though that individual never sinned. The believer starts off with a clean slate, and also receives access to God's throne of grace for the forgiveness of sins committed thereafter.

Rom 4:25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised [speaking of Christ's resurrection] for our justification.

1Jo 2:2 and he is the propitiation [sacrifice] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

Eph 1:7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

The next step for a new Christian is to obtain an understanding of sanctification. If you would like to know more click below:

Original post - 2005     Updated: 03/08/2009
 

Other links:

What Does It Mean for a Christian to be Sanctified?

Biblical Doctrines for the Believer

Principalities, Powers, Rulers of Darkness, Wickedness

Why the World, Flesh, and the Devil in Spiritual Warfare?