What’s the True Meaning of Being Saved?

By Xiaorui

What is the meaning of being saved? Many people believe that “salvation” refers to having our sins forgiven through believing in the Lord and repenting to Him, and no longer being condemned to death by the law. So why do we still sin? Are we completely saved? Read this article to learn the true meaning of being saved.

Regarding salvation, many brothers and sisters say with confidence: “The Bible says: ‘That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation’ (Romans 10:9–10). We have received salvation at the cross of the Lord Jesus and if we only believe in our hearts and confess our sin with our mouths, we will be forgiven—we are already saved, so we have full salvation and when the Lord comes, we will definitely enter the kingdom of heaven.” Is this viewpoint of ours actually correct? Does having our sins forgiven and being saved really mean we have full salvation? We really need to communicate this issue clearly, because it is directly connected to our entering the kingdom of heaven, a great matter.

First, we need to recognize the fact that we have undeniably received the redemption of the Lord Jesus; however, has our sinful nature been resolved? Does God forgiving our sins mean that we are now purified? As for us, if we take a look at ourselves and how most of our brothers and sisters around us live out their lives, we see that the vast majority of us follow the ways of the world; when we encounter an issue we lack tolerance and patience, and are unable to put the words of the Lord into practice. We live our old lives of sinning by day and confessing by night. Can those of us who sin so frequently really already be fully saved? Will we really get into the kingdom of heaven in the future?

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In the Bible, it has been recorded: “Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). “For I am Jehovah your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). “Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). From these verses we see that God is holy, His kingdom is holy and God will not allow unclean people to enter His kingdom. Even though our sins are forgiven, our sinful nature is still within us and we are not free from the bondage of sin. We live within a vicious cycle of sinning and confessing and are not at all purified. Frequent sinning makes us servants of sin. How could a servant of sin enter the kingdom of God? Therefore, the argument that having our sins forgiven means attaining full salvation and getting into the kingdom of heaven does not hold up.

What does “being saved” mean here? We all know that under the Age of Law, God issued the law and the commandments through Moses to lead the Israelites in their life on earth. In those days, the Israelites only had to keep the law and commandments and they would not be condemned. Any offenders had to offer a sacrifice to atone for their sin, or they would be punished. Therefore, the people of those days abided scrupulously by the law and no one dared to violate it. Toward the end of the Age of Law, people sinned more and more as their corruption by Satan grew deeper and deeper. There were no longer enough sacrifices to atone for their sins and everyone was at risk of being put to death in accordance with the law. God could not bear to see the people He had created so devoured by Satan, so God became flesh and came to earth to act as man’s sin offering by being nailed to the cross, thus rescuing man out from living under the law. Since then, if we only believe in the Lord Jesus our sins can be forgiven. We no longer suffer condemnation for failing to uphold the law; that is, we are saved by the Lord’s redemption. It is clear, then, that “being saved” is us believing in the Lord Jesus, being forgiven of our sins by repenting before the Lord, and no longer being subject to being put to death by the law. Not only that, but it also means being able to enjoy the peace, joy and abundant grace bestowed upon us by the Lord Jesus. This is what we commonly refer to as the true meaning of “being saved” by faith.

Let’s read a couple of passages together: “A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be after God’s heart? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance.”

“The sins of man were forgiven through the agency of the incarnate God, but this does not mean that man no longer has sin within him. The sins of man could be forgiven through the sin offering, but as for just how man can be made to sin no more, and how his sinful nature may be extirpated completely and transformed, he has no way of solving this problem. The sins of man were forgiven, and this is because of the work of God’s crucifixion, but man continued to live within the corrupt satanic disposition of old. This being so, man must be completely saved from his corrupt satanic disposition, so that his sinful nature may be completely extirpated, never to develop again, thus enabling the disposition of man to be transformed.”

From these two passages, we can see that we are indeed saved by the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus, but this salvation only means our sins are forgiven. It does not mean we are free from the bondage and control of sin. Since our sinful nature still exists, we often go against the teachings of the Lord and follow the lusts of the flesh and commit sins. It’s just as Paul once said: “For to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Romans 7:18–20). Paul’s words convey the inner voice of every brother and sister. We are often dominated by sin, manifesting all sorts of corrupt satanic dispositions. For instance, the Lord requires us to be honest people, but we often lie, deceive and cheat for our own advantage. In our interpersonal dealings, we plot against each other for personal gain. When we suffer through trials, we still misunderstand and blame God, even distancing ourselves from Him or betraying Him. When God’s work does not conform to our notions, we judge and condemn God at will. We follow God yet follow and adore man at the same time…. It is hard to free ourselves from this vicious cycle of sinning and then confessing. We are never able to break free from the bondage of sin, neither can we ever absolutely submit to God and be compatible with Him. How can this be called full salvation?

Do we still have hope of attaining full salvation and entering the kingdom of God? There are actually some verses in the Bible that have already revealed this to us. Let’s take a look.It is recorded in the Bible that: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (John 16:12–13). “He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). “Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). “Behold, the judge stands before the door” (James 5:9). We can see from these verses that the Lord Jesus will come again in the last days and express the truth, doing a stage of work to judge and purify mankind, thoroughly saving us from sin, allowing us to escape the bondage of sin, and ultimately making us compatible with God. We will become people who fear God and submit to Him. Achieving such an outcome must be accomplished by God’s work of judgment in the last days. Only through the judgment and revelation of the word of God can we understand the truth of our corruption by Satan as well as our natures and essences; only then can we understand God’s righteousness, majesty and inviolable disposition. Only then can we have true remorse and repentance, and have the resolve to despise the flesh and forsake Satan. We can then develop God-fearing heart; we can break away completely from the evil influence of Satan, fully turn to God and be gained by God. As our understanding of the truth deepens, we will submit more and more to God and practice the truth more and more. This way, before we even realize, we will entirely cast off sin and be purified. Only then can we attain full salvation and enter the kingdom of God. It is clear that only when we accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words in the last days can we understand the truth, know God, fully break free from Satan’s influence and throw off Satan’s corrupt disposition. Then we can live by the truth and by the word of God—this is the true meaning of full salvation. This requires us to pray more regarding welcoming the Lord’s return, to seek it with humility and to attentively heed “what the Spirit says to the churches.” Only then can we welcome God’s appearance, experience God’s work of judgment in the last days, be purified and be fully saved. Thank the Lord—may the Lord’s salvation in the last days come to us soon!

Do you understand the true meaning of salvation? Want to know how to cast off the bonds of sin and be saved by God? You are welcome to click on the button at the bottom right corner of the screen to contact us and we will reply as soon as possible.

Source: Walk in the Light

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Does “Once Being Saved” Mean “Always Being Saved”?

By Zhang Ying

Meditations on Being Saved

Every brother and sister who genuinely believes in the Lord thinks they have been saved through their belief in the Lord Jesus, because the Bible records, “For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10). So, many brothers and sisters in the Lord believe that “saved by faith” means they are saved forever. Then, does this view agree with God’s words and with the truth? Next, let’s fellowship about what exactly the real meaning of being saved is.

We all know, in the Age of Law, before God asked Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, all Israelites were slaves to the Pharaoh of Egypt and suffered great torture, living a life without freedom, to the extent that their painful cries reached Jehovah God’s ears. Jehovah God didn’t have the heart to let them be mistreated by the Pharaoh. Thereupon He called Moses to lead them out of Egypt and to enter Canaan. As for the Israelites, when they were saved by God from the Pharaoh and broke free from the tyranny of the Pharaoh, they were saved. But it cannot be said that they no longer need the salvation of Jehovah God. Hence before they entered Canaan, Jehovah God issued the law through Moses, making them know how to fear Him, how to serve Him and know how to practice righteousness, how to gain His blessings, what the evil deeds were, and what behavior would be cursed by Him, as well as how to get along with others and how to live and so on. God’s work in the Age of Law put the life of the Israelites onto the right path gradually. Their life was not chaotic any more. Especially with the law, the Israelites knew what sins were and how to offer sacrifices to God to be free of their own sins. As for the Israelites, they were saved again.

Does “Once Saved” Really Mean “Always Saved”?

However, at the end of the Age of Law, people failed to keep the law and lost their reverence for God, to the extent that they sacrificed the blind or lame animals on Jehovah God’s altar. If that continued, they would face the danger of being condemned and executed by the law. In order to free us from the threat of death, God was incarnated on earth to do the work of redemption and was crucified as a sin offering for man. As long as we prayed to the Lord Jesus to confess and repent, we would be forgiven of our sins. As such, the sinners under the law were redeemed from Satan’s hand and would not be condemned and executed by the law, living in the grace bestowed by the Lord Jesus. For people under the law, this meant that they were saved again. Just as the Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Romans 10:9). Here, “no condemnation” refers to not being condemned by the law; “you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart, you shall be saved” here means that when we believe in the Lord Jesus and accept His salvation of the cross, we won’t be executed by the law anymore for being unable to keep the law.

Because of our belief in the Lord Jesus, God doesn’t remember our transgressions. This is what it means to be saved. However, we should know that although our sins have been forgiven, yet it does not prove that we have no sins. Our deep-seated root of sin within our nature has not been resolved. Satan’s poisons such as arrogance, self-righteousness, greed, jealousness, hate, evil and selfishness make us live in sin in spite of ourselves. Even though we often confess our sins to the Lord, our sins have not been reduced but constantly increased. And most brothers and sisters cannot live out the glory of the Lord even at home and they make a fuss with relatives owing to some trivial matter. Furthermore, in the church, the co-workers always raise jealousy and strife among themselves. Meanwhile, many people are often lured by the world and then pursue the evil worldly trends and hanker after fleshly enjoyment, living in sin. These phenomena suffice to show that we have not been saved completely. We’re only forgiven of our sins by the Lord Jesus, but He never did the work of thorough rooting out man’s sinful nature, therefore, we have not achieved true sanctity.

Thus, “Once saved, always saved” is our notion and imagination and does not conform with the truth at all. What’s more, never did the Lord Jesus say that. His work of redemption is only to teach us how to be patient and humble and how to confess and repent, which only involves some changes in our outward behavior but not the transformation of our nature. So we have not been truly saved according to our current condition.

How Can We Be Truly Saved?

With regard to this issue, I’ve studied many verses. Thank the Lord. I finally found out the answer in the Bible. The verses record, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin to salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). “He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The Book of Revelation prophesied, “And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:1-5).

From these verses above, we can see God will do a new work in the last days. Moreover, this work probably refers to the work of judgment mentioned in the Bible. Through the judgment, our sins will be cleansed and eventually we will break free from the bondage of sins. Just as the prophecy says, “And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Is it not the symbol of man’s being purified? We can possibly get rid of sinful nature thoroughly at that time. It seems that whether our sinful nature can be purified is related to the work God does.

The work Jehovah God and the Lord Jesus did is not the work of removing our sins completely, but is only the work of knowing our sins and confessing sins. Only by accepting God’s judgment and cleansing work can we have the opportunity of fully being saved. Just like the Bible prophesy, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). Thank the Lord for His enlightenment. I understand what the real being saved is and the way to be ultimately purified.

Brothers and sisters, that’s all for today’s fellowship. If you have any different understanding or suggestion, please contact us at any time. May all the glory and praise be to God! Amen!

Source: Walk in the Light 

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What Is True Salvation and How Should We Understand Salvation?

Hello brothers and sisters of Spiritual Q&A:

As is known to us believers, the Lord Jesus carried out a stage of work of redemption for mankind. The pastors and elders often preach that we are saved as long as we acknowledge the Lord Jesus with our mouth and believe in Him in our hearts. Just as the Bible says, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). So, they believe as long as we acknowledge the Lord’s name, confess and repent to the Lord, we are saved. And once we are saved, we are eternally saved. However, recently I’ve heard some brothers and sisters who had went out to listen to sermons say that believing in the Lord Jesus only means receiving His redemption and having one’s sins pardoned, but not truly attaining salvation. As for what true salvation is, our church’s brothers and sisters often discuss it, but we haven’t got a certain answer. And I still don’t understand it. So I wonder how you understand it. Looking forward to your reply!

Yours sincerely,

Kewang

 

Hello Kewang:

Peace be with you! Thank the Lord! The question you raise is very crucial. It’s fair to say, understanding the truth of salvation is related to the important issue of whether or not we can receive salvation and enter the heavenly kingdom. May the Lord lead our fellowship today.

The true meaning of the salvation in the Age of Law

First, let’s see what the Old Testament says about salvation. “Whoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered” (Joel 2:32). “Hold you me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect to your statutes continually” (Psalms 119:117). These verses show us that, being saved in the Age of Law results from calling on Jehovah God’s name and following the laws and commandments issued by God. Joining the work God did in the Age of Law and the result achieved by it, we can better understand the real meaning of the salvation in that age. As is known to us, in the beginning when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, the earth was full of harmony, without corruption or conflict. And under God’s care and protection they lived happily. However, since they defied God’s command and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man became sinful. After Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, the earth began to be filled with violence. For example, Cain killed his brother Abel because of jealousy, yet he didn’t know he had committed sin. Afterward, mankind became more and more corrupted and slaughtered each other, to the point that their evil and immorality reached the peak. So, God destroyed them with a flood. Only Noah’s family of eight was graced before Jehovah God and survived, for Noah obeyed and worshiped God, and man continued to exist and develop forward. Afterward, in the time of Lot, because man became too evil, corrupt and licentious in nature, worshiped idols and evil spirits, and committed murder, robbery and theft, God destroyed the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by the fire from heaven, and saved only Lot and his two daughters. If mankind continued like this, they would be destroyed by God again and return to nothingness. Therefore, to save them, Jehovah God began the work of the Age of Law, and proclaimed the laws and commandments to constrain their behavior and guide them to live normally on earth. If people observed God’s laws, they would gain God’s blessings; if not, they would receive the fitting punishment. Because of the laws and commandments, the Israelites gradually begot God-fearing hearts. Besides, they gained God’s care and protection on account of following these laws and commandments. At that time, if people sinned, they could make burnt offerings for atonement. This way, they could avoid death because of being forgiven of sins. This is the true meaning of salvation in the Age of Law. In that age, the Israelites were saved because of calling on Jehovah God and following the laws and commandments, but that didn’t mean they were saved forever.

The true meaning of the salvation in the Age of Grace

At the end of the Age of Law, people became more and more deeply corrupted by Satan and lived in sin, so they gradually failed to abide by the laws. Thus, although people knew Jehovah God’s requirements for making sacrifices, due to them violating the laws so much and requiring pure sacrifices, they eventually ran out of pure sacrifices and resorted to making improper sacrifices to God to atone for their sins, such as blind and lame offerings. As a result, they faced the danger of being punished and sentenced to death due to violating the laws. So, according to the needs of corrupt mankind, God personally became flesh to do His work. That is, our Savior Lord Jesus came to earth to do the work of redemption—serving as man’s sin offering and thereby forgiving man’s sins, saving man from under the law and relieving man from the condemnation of the law. Only then could man be eligible to pray before God, fellowship with Him, enjoy the bountiful grace and truth given by the Lord, and no longer be condemned to death by the law because of sinning. This is the true meaning of the salvation in the Age of Grace. That is to say, this is the true meaning of these words recorded in the Bible, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Is being saved once equivalent to being saved forever?

Many Christian brothers and sisters all think that as long as we believe in the Lord Jesus, we are saved, and that once we’re saved, we’re eternally saved, and that when the Lord returns, we’ll be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom and feast with the Lord. It’s a fact that as long as we confess and repent through our faith in the Lord Jesus, our sins will be pardoned. Yet the Lord Jesus only absolved man’s sins, instead of man’s sinful nature and satanic disposition. So, man is still possessed of satanic nature and lives in the vicious cycle of sinning and confessing, unable to cast off the bondage and control of sinful nature or escape from Satan’s domain. For example, we often lie and deceive God; we still live by Satan’s life philosophies such as “Everyone for himself and the devil take the hindmost”; we take advantage of each other; for fame, status and personal benefit, we compete against and slaughter each other; we are selfish, arrogant and deceitful, completely losing the conscience and reason of normal humanity; when encountering natural and manmade disasters, persecutions, and tribulations, we misunderstand, blame and even betray God; though having believed in the Lord for years, we still cherish intentions to be blessed; while working and expending ourselves, we engage in transactions with God; we labor for crowns and the blessings of heaven. Because we cannot keep the Lord’s commandments, practice His words, or have a heart that fears God, we all live in sin and feel unbearable pain. Just as the Bible records, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18). From this, we can see that in believing in the Lord we only have our sins absolved, but our sinful nature hasn’t changed and so we still unknowingly commit sins. Can people like us be called the ones who obtain salvation? The Lord Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). Based on the Lord’s words, as we still constantly commit sins, that means we are servants of sin. If the root of our sin isn’t resolved, we won’t attain true salvation.

What does true salvation refer to?

Let’s take a look at the standard for man’s entry into the kingdom of heaven. Revelation prophesied, “And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:5). This tells us that those who will finally enter God’s kingdom are the honest people who have been cleansed from their sins. However, we still lie, engage in deception, and often commit sins. So, how can we be saved forever because of being saved once? How can we enter God’s kingdom in the future? Then, how can we gain salvation? What does true salvation refer to?

The Bible says, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). The Lord Jesus prophesied, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12–13). These verses tell us that, although we have been saved by grace, we still need to accept the salvation to be revealed in the last days. That is, in the last days, the Lord will return to express all the truths mankind needs in order to be cleansed and saved, and do the judgment work beginning from the house of God to completely resolve man’s satanic disposition, so that man can cast off sin to attain full salvation and finally be gained by God. Only then will we no longer believe in God to barter with God or for the sake of receiving His blessings and grace. Instead, we’ll believe to fulfill our duty as created beings to worship God, and for the sake of obtaining truth and life. At that time, our viewpoints, outlook on life and values will be compatible with God, and we’ll obtain transformation in our life disposition, and will thus become those who obey, revere and love God. Only then will we be people who are truly saved. Just as Revelation says, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). So, only by experiencing God’s judgment and purification of the last days, casting off Satan’s dark influence, having our life disposition cleansed and changed, breaking away from the controls and restrictions of our corrupt satanic disposition, and becoming those who practice the truth, obey and revere God and no longer sin or resist God, can we be truly saved. Only then can we be qualified to enter God’s kingdom, and obtain God’s promise and blessings.

All the above is some communication about true salvation. I hope it can help you. If you have some questions, please write to us and then we can communicate and seek the truth together for the resolution. May God bless you!

Yours sincerely,

Wang Qiao of Spiritual Q&A

Read more on our Bible Study Topics page about Salvation and Full Salvation, or in the recommended articles below.

Christian Bible study topics such as the rapture and eternal life resolve your confusion on your path of belief in God and help you grow spiritually.