What do people mean when they say I am saved?
Did God say that somewhere? That was a question that was on my mind as a young man in my late teens and very early twenty’s. You might be wondering the same thing now as you are reading this and hey, you have every right to wonder about that. It makes it sound like everybody is heading for some type of trouble at the end of their life doesn’t it? So, if this is just the opinion of some church people that you may run across that’s one thing but if this is something God actually said then the answer to that question becomes really important because one day you, me,. and everybody else living today is going to pass from this life into eternity somewhere, and so the only way to approach that final day of our life with peace and confident assurance is to know whether or not God actually said that. Do people really need to be saved, and from what, or is that just a bunch of religious talk? Let’s look at what God actually said it in the Bible.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 3, and verses 16-18, Jesus Christ makes this amazing statement about God’s love for all people of this world,His heart’s desire for us,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him,..might be saved...( John 3:16-17)
So then, there is something you and I need to be saved from according to Jesus Christ. Jesus also tells us that everybody who believes in Him will not perish, but everyone who does not believe in Him is condemned, and they will perish. Look at verse 18 of this same chapter,
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already,..(why),.. because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…( John 3:16-18).
Beloveth, there are three types of death that are talked about in the Bible. I want for the moment to talk about two of them in this blog post. The first is physical death, which is separation of the soul, spirit from the physical body at death.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also..(James 2:26)
Then the second one, “eternal death”, which is separation from God forever in a place of torment called the Lake of fire,…(Revelation 20:11-15).
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire…( Revelation 20:11-15)
This is what Jesus Christ came into this world to save us from, beloveth. It was His love for us that caused Him to take off the glory He had with God the Father in eternity, a place of everlasting joy, and love and peace, a place where He was worshiped day and night before the throne of God and the angels of God,.. and come down into time, to become a little baby first, then grow into man, so that as man, He could live a perfect life before a perfect God, and be a perfect sacrifice for the sin of the whole world, so that those who choose to believe in Him, would not be condemned to go to that eternal place of punishment called the Lake of fire.
Everyone is a imperfect sinner who will face the judgement of God one day.Everyone of us apart from faith in Jesus Christ is a condemned sinner, heading for that place of eternal punishment if we have not placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those words are not just Jesus’ words,… they are the very words of God the Father.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already,..(why),.. because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…( John 3:16-18).
Beloveth, there is a coming day of judgement, and because God is just, He must punish sin. God takes no pleasure in punishing people for sin because He loves us so and wants to show mercy to us and therefore has made only one way to escape the condemnation every one of us rightfully deserves, and that is through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. That is what God has said through His Son, Jesus Christ.
For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak..(John 12:49-50)
Notice what Jesus Christ said here? He said God the Father, the one who gives you and I our next breath, the one who has determined that you and I were going to live in this generation, and the number of days that you and I are going to live on this earth,… God the Father, is speaking in His Son,. Jesus Christ. Jesus said God the Father,. gave Him a command, “what I should say and what I should speak”,.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.., but that the world, through Him, might be saved.(John 3:16-17)
One of the sad commentary’s about that verse is the last three words’ “might be saved”. Not everybody will choose to be saved, inspire of all the warnings coming directly from God.
So, it is God who determined that the world needs to be saved. God actually said that.
Finally I want to just mention a question John the Baptist ask while he was baptizing people in a river, when he looked up and saw some of the religious leaders of his day coming to his baptismal service.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? …. (Matthew 3:7)
Beloveth, you and I have been warned by God Himself, speaking in His Son, Jesus Christ. The question we all have to ask is this, “will we heed the warnings of God”?