What does it mean to be saved?

[Zstrastwa]

John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

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

Acts 4:10-12
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."


Acts 16:30-31
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.


Romans 5:9-10
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.


Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.


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


Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,


Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

You say, “But what about works? We have to have works!”

Romans 3:27
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.


Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.


Romans 4:2
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.


Romans 9:31-33
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.


Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.


Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.


Galatians 3:1-3
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?


Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So what is God’s description of salvation?
Simple, read those verses and ask Him.

 

[RJ]

John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

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

Acts 4:10-12
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."


Acts 16:30-31
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.


Romans 5:9-10
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.


Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.


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


Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,


Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

You say, “But what about works? We have to have works!”

Romans 3:27
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.


Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.


Romans 4:2
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.


Romans 9:31-33
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.


Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.


Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.


Galatians 3:1-3
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?


Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So what is God’s description of salvation?
Simple, read those verses and ask Him.

Nice post and a great list of scripture you have here!

 

[lioncub]

Acts 2:38 Repent, be baptised in water, receive the Holy Spirit

 

[HisFollower]

With God, it is to be delivered from the wrath to come, which shall come upon all the impenitent, those that refuse to repent.

 

[brakelite]

It means one can look forward to a present life without guilt or condemnation, and a never-ending future life full of joy, excitement, surprises, discovery, and contentment.

 

[Zstrastwa]

People, listen, you have to understand that Jesus Christ is the only way.
I want you to be saved so you may be in heaven with me!
So even if you think it's works to be saved,
push that thought out of your head,
believe that Jesus Christ is the savior of your soul,
and pray this prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I believe You died, were buried, and rose again to pay for my sins, and I receive salvation through no works. Be merciful to me a sinner and save me from hell.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me, and making me Your child."

I love everyone, I just want more family in heaven with me.

 

[lioncub]

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

One must be baptized as well. It is not enough to just believe.

 

[Fraction]

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

One must be baptized as well. It is not enough to just believe.

Water baptism or Jesus Christ baptism? Water baptism has nothing to do with being saved.

 

[jgood]

Dear Fraction and Lioncub, It's always good to back up what you say with Scripture. The reason I agree with Fraction's point that baptism does not save us is because 1 Peter 3:18 begins "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God..." Peter then goes on to say that "eight persons were brought safely through the water (speaking of Noah & his family being saved from God's judgment at that time). And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him" (1 Peter 3:20c-22). Peter begins this passage with the declaration that it is Christ's death on the cross that made it possible for man to be brought back to God (the right relationship that was lost at the Fall because of sin is restored). He, Peter, then goes on to say that baptism now saves us. Confusing? At first glance, but then Peter goes on to describe what baptism is and is not set off in our Bibles by a double hyphen: baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience, and baptism is not the removal of dirt from the flesh. If you removed the whole phrase that is set apart by double hyphens you would have..."And corresponding to that baptism now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (who has all authority given unto Him - v.22). Was it the actual going through water that saved Noah and his family? The Bible does not say that they entered the water, but it does show that Noah believed God and so his children must have also because they, too, boarded the ark. So it was the persons belief as presented in Scripture in the fact that God will do what He says He will do that saves. It is the appeal/plea made by man to be made right with God through Jesus Christ that saves us. This is not a work like baptism is, it is a response to what Christ has done for us. Baptism is a ceremony that is an outward declaration of the inward change that has been wrought in us. It is the public declaration that God has turned our hearts toward Him. The external participation of baptism will save no man without the corresponding internal participation of baptism into Christ, as Fraction put it. We can walk an aisle, get baptized, pray a prayer, etc. and still not be saved, but when God gives a man a new heart within, one that desires to follow Him, that is when a man is saved; there is no waiting for salvation until he has the opportunity to get baptized. Having said all of this, I want to add that I do believe that the desire to be baptized is definitely a good sign that God has done His redemptive work in a person's heart if the person can explain the biblical meaning of baptism recognizing that it (the act of getting baptized) is not what saves us. This "baptism into Christ" is the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit from Titus 3:5. It is Christ's precious blood that cleanses our consciences from dead works and brings us to the service of our loving LORD (Hebrews 9:14). Steven J. Cole believes that the passage in 1 Peter 3 is a call to Christians who are facing persecution to be baptized, which makes sense given it follows a passage exhorting Christians to not fear what may happen if they continue to do right. Cole states that these may have been timid Christians who were not as yet bold enough to take a stand publicly (see 1 Peter 3:13-17). This being the case, Mr. Cole also believes that Christians become Christians before they are baptized and not as a result of their baptism. I have yet to come to understand verses 19-20. God's thoughts and ways are definitely higher than mine!

 

[alphacaveman]

John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

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

Acts 4:10-12
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."


Acts 16:30-31
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.


Romans 5:9-10
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.


Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.


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


Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,


Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

You say, “But what about works? We have to have works!”

Romans 3:27
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.


Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.


Romans 4:2
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.


Romans 9:31-33
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.


Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.


Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.


Galatians 3:1-3
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?


Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So what is God’s description of salvation?
Simple, read those verses and ask Him.

I've wondered the same thing over the last few years. "Saved" used to be such an obvious thing to me as a kid and even teenager. It meant being saved from Hell.

Now, I know it still means that and it means that I'll receive the gift of Heaven. My question is more in what it means to live a Christian life. I don't know if I have a good definition of that. And I worry about my kids and if they're "saved" or not.

I wish it was easier. Thanks for the passages, they're comforting.

 

[will]

I've wondered the same thing over the last few years. "Saved" used to be such an obvious thing to me as a kid and even teenager. It meant being saved from Hell.

Now, I know it still means that and it means that I'll receive the gift of Heaven. My question is more in what it means to live a Christian life. I don't know if I have a good definition of that. And I worry about my kids and if they're "saved" or not.

I wish it was easier. Thanks for the passages, they're comforting.

Being 'saved' means just that, believing that Jesus Christ is the only way available for us to be delivered from God's condemnation.

All we needed to do to be saved is to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouth (see Romans 10:9).

Now, your next question is (by definition, but often missed) more pertinent to our lives here on earth. Therefore it is *very important* to address while we are still living, otherwise wouldn't it be better if God just call us to heaven upon our being saved?

You are quite right, a vague statement like "living a Christian life" does not help us to understand what we ought to be doing.

That's where Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission) comes into the picture. A simple and unmistakable command that the Lord gave us that has the power to set the direction for the rest of our lives.

But until you realized that the promised Helper (God the Holy Spirit) is *the key* to pursue the Great Commission, you'll be trying to do it with your own strength. A terrible mindset that has resulted in millions of ineffective Christians.

See, without understanding the Scriptures at the level that only the Holy Spirit is able to illuminate our minds into, we have no confidence nor knowledge to go and make disciples as our Lord commanded.

This is why we (who are already Christians) stutter, being timid, and in general making a poor reflection of our Lord to others around us. And remember also, even the mighty apostles were timid before they were lit up (literally) by the Holy Spirit's ministry in their soul.

So now what should we do?

1. Read the Scriptures, but now with a purpose. That is to get yourself (your heart and mind, really) in shape and ready to make disciples, not meandering aimlessly across pages and passages, or sermons after sermons.

2. Immerse yourself with good, solid biblical teachings (radio, books, internet, church Bible study classes) and pray to the Lord for His Holy Spirit to open your mind, little by little to understand more of the Scriptures day by day.

3. My pastor told me that there is only one prayer that a new (or stuck) Christians ought to be praying over and over again. "God, make my thoughts Your thoughts, and my desires Your desires"

For your children, relay the Lord's Great Commission, and model how to submit yourself under the authority of the Scripture. You'd be amazed how different things in the world look once you've taken God seriously.

 

[Zstrastwa]

Nice post and a great list of scripture you have here!

Thank you, and thank God friend.

 

[Zstrastwa]

I've wondered the same thing over the last few years. "Saved" used to be such an obvious thing to me as a kid and even teenager. It meant being saved from Hell.

Now, I know it still means that and it means that I'll receive the gift of Heaven. My question is more in what it means to live a Christian life. I don't know if I have a good definition of that. And I worry about my kids and if they're "saved" or not.

I wish it was easier. Thanks for the passages, they're comforting.

I'm glad the scriptures are comforting to you.

The simple answer, for me, in "living a Christian life" is submitting every single aspect of my life, every single thing I do, how I breathe, what I eat, the decisions I make, the people I'm around, the words I speak...
To God.

It's natural, I think, to think about your kids/family and wonder if they're actually saved. I sometimes wonder if my brother is saved even though he's told me he believes 100% that Jesus Christ died for his sins and that He is the only way to get to heaven. I think it is simply because we love that person/those people. We want DEARLY for them to be saved! We want them to experience the bliss that is Jesus. I would say pray about it, friend. Pray to Jesus to ease your mind and calm you. Pray that your children are saved, talk to them about what it means to be saved, have them pray out loud to Jesus accepting Him as their Lord and Savior, through no works.
(if they are old enough, sorry don't know how old they are)

No one can ever go wrong submitting everything in their life to God.

 

[Zstrastwa]

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

One must be baptized as well. It is not enough to just believe.

Baptism is a sign of submission to God, not "required" for salvation.

 

[RJ]

Baptism is a sign of submission to God, not "required" for salvation.

I like what you say brother Zstrastwa!

 

[brakelite]

Baptism is a sign of submission to God, not "required" for salvation.

Does that mean one can be saved but not be in submission to Him? If not submitted to Christ, there really is only one other alternative.

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Perhaps you are correct that Baptism isn't required for salvation, but I would suggest only because of extenuating circumstances, eg the thief on the cross, or an invalid on his deathbed...one cannot refuse baptism simply because he doesn't 'feel' obliged to go through with it for it is required as a demonstration of your surrender or submission to Christ.

 

[brakelite]

Being 'saved' means just that, believing that Jesus Christ is the only way available for us to be delivered from God's condemnation.

I am not aware of any scripture that explicitly says that Jesus came to save us from condemnation. While I am not suggesting that that isn't the result, I am suggesting that our freedom from condemnation is a result of what Jesus came to save us from, and that is our sins.
It is our sin that condemns us. When Jesus sets us free from sin, then there is no condemnation. He died that the power of sin over us may be broken, and He rose again to empower us to live holy lives. It is a life free from sin that rejoices in freedom from condemnation. It is a life free from sin, that is transgression against the laws of God, that has eternal life to look forward to.
Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

 

[jgood]

I wholeheartedly agree with you on baptism being evidence of our surrendering to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. It is a stepping out in faith making a public profession of our faith, and this, I believe, also is a signpost as to true life in a person, a willingness to make a public confession of faith in Christ. I had no one ask me if I wanted to be baptized after I was saved. I just had an instant urge to get baptized which I attribute to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Isn't it sad though that we rarely witness the confession of sin at the majority of baptisms these days. I can't help but think we should be encouraging people to come confessing their sins which drove them to the Savior so others would see that this is a major part of true repentance. See John 3.

 

[Zstrastwa]

Does that mean one can be saved but not be in submission to Him? If not submitted to Christ, there really is only one other alternative.

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Perhaps you are correct that Baptism isn't required for salvation, but I would suggest only because of extenuating circumstances, eg the thief on the cross, or an invalid on his deathbed...one cannot refuse baptism simply because he doesn't 'feel' obliged to go through with it for it is required as a demonstration of your surrender or submission to Christ.

The point that matters because of my original post:

Being baptized gets no one saved. I am saved because I believed on Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul and mind and because I confessed it to Him with my mouth, and anyone else in the world can do just the same. Thank you. That is the point of my original post here, not to slander words back and forth and try to "outsmart" each other.

And I am not correct, I only tell what God has shown me.
Without Him I would know nothing. Thank you, Father God.

 

[jari]

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

One must be baptized as well. It is not enough to just believe.

In my opinion babtism is just act if obedience once your saved and frankly i speculate that it could be that some one is babtised before saved and then receives the holy spirit. So my point is Faith is that saves babtism is just command and acts/works of our own cant save us.

In acts some people did receive Holy sprit before babtism:


Act 10:47-48 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? (48) And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

:shade: