From what are we saved?

We have all heard the term Saved. The question is…what does it mean? First, we must realize Saved implies there is a problem or impending doom lingering on the horizon just as there was in the days of Noah before the flood.  

Luke 17:26-27 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”

We know a worldwide flood isn’t coming again so what exactly do we need to be Saved from? The Bible teaches that we need to be Saved from the coming Wrath of God.

Rom 5:9 “…saved from the Wrath of God…”

Col 3:6 “For it is because of these things that the Wrath of God will come upon the Sons of Disobedience”

Rev 14:10-11 “he also will drink of the wine of the Wrath of God which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever…”

Why Do We Need to Be Saved?

The Wrath of God seems like something that is only for really bad people, right?  No, the Bible teaches that God’s Wrath is His red hot anger against Sin. And it will be unleashed on all Sinners on the coming Day of Judgment. 

 

Rom 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Heb 9:27 “…it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgement”

Acts 17:31 “because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness”

Eccl 7:20 “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins”

By What Standard Will We Be Judged?

It’s natural to think that God will Judge us on the amount of Good and Bad we do in our life.  In other words, if we do enough Good things, hopefully they will outweigh the Bad things, and God will let us to go to Heaven.  However, the Bible teaches we have the wrong idea about God because we think He is like us.

Psalm 50:21 (God Speaking) you thought I was just like you;…

However, the Bible teaches that God is totally different from us.  He is Holy, Morally Perfect, and Separate from all Evil and everything that is affected by Sin.   He is so Holy and so Pure He cannot tolerate Sin and utterly Hates it.  That’s why the Bible teaches He will one day destroy Sin forever.

Matt 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

Rom 10:3 “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God”

How Can We Escape the Coming Judgement?

The Bible teaches that when Jesus’s Disciples learned about God’s Hatred of Sin and the coming Judgment, they were shocked and wanted to know who could be Saved?

Mark 10:26 “Then who can be saved?”

And Jesus spent His time on Earth teaching that He was the only One who could Save us.  

Matt 1:21 “…you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”

2 Cor 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God”

Isaiah 53:5 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities”

1 Thess 1:10 “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

Rom 3:24-26 “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”  

How Do I Become Saved?

The Bible teaches that we must place our Faith in Jesus Christ.  This means to Believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and Trust in Him alone to Save Us.  That means that we believe that He hung on the Cross as our perfect substitute, bearing our Sin, taking the Punishment of God’s Wrath that we deserve, and Rose from the Dead to prove salvation was accomplished. True Belief is always accompanied by Repentance which is a turning away from our old way of life and a turning to a new way of life that follows Christ.    

Mark 1:15 “…repent and believe in the gospel”

Luke 13:3 “…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”

Acts 16:30-31 “and after he brought them out, he said ‘Sirs, what must I do the be saved?’ They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household’”

How Can I Be Sure I Am Saved?

We don’t gain our Assurance of Salvation through an Experience but rather through the Word of God.

In fact, God wants all true Believers to be certain of their Salvation.

1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life”

Rom 10:13 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

The Holy Spirit comes to live in us as a guarantee when we become Believers.  The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit gives assurance of our Salvation because He testifies with our spirit that what we believe is true.

Rom 8:16 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God”

Our lives will look different after we Trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It doesn’t mean we won’t struggle with sin, but rather we will have a change of heart. There is a new hatred of sin and love for God and His Righteousness. The life of a truly born-again Christian is not one of perfection but direction.

I John 2:29 “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him”.

So What If I'm Not Saved?

Perhaps you’ve decided this isn’t for you?  Maybe you’re just not ready to Repent and Trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?   It’s even possible, you don’t like God’s rules and being told what to do?   

Someone put it this way, if you don’t like it, then go create your own Universe and make your own rules!  If you’re in God’s country and breathing God’s air, you need to accept His Word and understand that He writes the Laws, not you. Today is the day of Salvation, so don’t delay or hesitate.  You may never have another chance to settle the destiny of your eternal Soul.

  

Jn 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him”

Phil 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”

Rev 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”