Let’s dive into what it means to be ‘saved’ and how to know for sure if you are. What does it mean to be ‘saved’? It means that someone has acquired salvation or eternal life, and achieved a place in the kingdom of God (or Heaven) after this life. These terms are interchangeable. If you are not saved, you’ll suffer a second death, meaning spiritual death and spend eternity in Hell. So, this is literally a matter of life and death. Take a moment to consider what happens to you after you die. It’s not something we like to think about, but it’s worth a little time and research, don’t you think? We all have to go there eventually, and none of us knows how much time we have before it happens. So isn’t it better to have an understanding of it, rather than a fear of it? It’s no longer an unknown if you know what to expect. Trust me, there isn’t anything more important you can do with your time at this moment. The good news is, there’s plenty of research and evidence available to us that proves that we can have an eternal spiritual life after our physical death. Are you going to cross that threshold hoping or knowing what will happen to you? This writing is intended to help you understand this topic and become confident and assured that you are saved and destined for Heaven, or you will at least know how to get there.

Contrary to popular belief, you can be a ‘good person’ and even go to church your entire life, but never be saved. You may have declared before your church that you believe. You may have been told that you were saved. You might have said the ‘sinner’s prayer’ and still not be saved. The sinner’s prayer isn’t what saves you. Only the Lord can save you, and that happens because you ask Him to and genuinely want him to. The Lord knows your heart, your thoughts, and your true motives. He knows if you’re only saying the words or reciting a prayer, trying to please others, or just get attention. He knows if you go to church because you think it’s what good people do, or you want to fit in, or improve your reputation. You may have done all of these things, but if you have never really known God, and don’t really believe in Him – He knows. And sadly, this means you probably aren’t saved.

Now don’t be discouraged. You can still get saved, so stay with me!

In fact, I recently watched the video testimony of a pastor; a good pastor by most accounts, who had a near death experience and found out that he was actually destined for Hell – until he called on the name of the Lord. I also heard the testimony of a good church-going woman who had a near death experience but when standing before Jesus, she discovered that He did not recognizer her as His, because she had not accepted Him as her Savior. So I’d say there’s more to this than most people think. Some think that because Jesus died for us, that nothing is required from us to reach Heaven, but this is contrary to what it says in the Bible and to what Jesus said.

Faith

Countless Scripture tell us that we are saved by faith, so that’s where we need to start. John 3:16 says that “whoever believes in Him (ie Jesus) shall not perish but have everlasting life”. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Faith is a requirement. You must believe in Jesus. To truly believe, you must know about Jesus. You should understand His life, death, and resurrection – and God’s purpose in it. Jesus was God in human form. He was sent to live among us. He lived a sin-free life and was killed by crucifixion to atone for all the sins of mankind. After His death, He was resurrected and lived among His people once again for 40 days before supernaturally ascending into Heaven. During His life, He performed many miracles which proved that He was the Son of God and He gave us many principles to live by. All of this is documented in the Holy Bible by roughly 40 different eye witnesses. I would encourage you to read at least one of the first four Chapters of the New Testament to learn more about Jesus’ life. That’s Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

If you don’t feel confident in your faith, reading the Bible will help. You can research encounters with Jesus, and I assure you, your faith will increase. You can also pray for God to strengthen your faith. Yes, you can be shaky in your faith and still come to God. I have heard of many stories about people who really didn’t believe, but they called out to God anyway because they wanted to know the truth. They wanted to know if He was real. And guess what? They got an answer. After all, in a way, this is an act of faith.

Repentance

Faith is the first step. Then it is time for you to educate yourself. Start reading your Bible more and more. Then, when you come to understand the weight of sin, you will understand why repentance is equally important. All of us are guilty of sin. We are born of sin. You might say cursed at birth. Spiritually dead, estranged from God, and condemned to Hell – until and unless, we come to have faith in Jesus and repent of our sins.

I know that sounds unfair, but it’s an unfortunate truth.

There are many laws of the Universe and this Earthly life that you may not agree with, but you’re already a part of it. You’re impacted whether you like it or not. You may not like the weather, certain seasons, or particular aspects of our human design, but at the end of the day, you have no control over these things. You just have to accept life the way it is and act accordingly. You watch the forecast. Then get your coat and your winter boots on or stay inside. Are you prepared to spend eternity in Hell because you think the system is unfair? Or would you rather learn more about this system, discover your Creator, and spend eternity in Paradise?

If you’re choosing Paradise, read on.

Repentance means that you recognize that you’ve sinned against God, you are remorseful about it, and are willing to turn away from sin going forward. Or at least you want to and are willing to try. Wanting to and actually doing it are not always the same thing, but the good news is that God can help you with this too. Simply ask Him to forgive you, and to help you stop sinning and avoid the temptation to do it in the future. There’s a reason why John the Baptist came before Jesus to baptize people “unto repentance” (Matthew 3:11). Biblically, people were expected to repent in preparation for Jesus, before they even knew Jesus. This is why part of the ‘sinner’s prayer’ is coming to Jesus, admitting you are a sinner, and repenting of your sins. If we have faith in Jesus and repent of our sins, that makes us eligible for Heaven.

Forgiveness in your own life is also important, if not required. Jesus told us that “if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). Now, none of us can stand on our own merit because of sin, so you definitely want the Father to forgive your sins. If you’d like to understand this concept better, you can read my blog Forgiveness & Unforgiveness.

Relationship

The next logical step is asking the Lord to, at least, be a part of your life. Inviting Him into a relationship with you. Some of us have found that when we try to control our own lives, things don’t end up the way we like, and we are desperate for Him to step in and fix things. Asking God to take control over your life, or to be your ‘Lord’ and King – is like the ultimate life hack. We’re talking about the Almighty God with the power to create and destroy the Universe – who also happens to have an unconditional, passionate love for you. You’re recognizing His power and authority and inviting that God to rearrange your life. Think about that for a moment. How might He fix things for you? Now if you do this, it means you are willing to submit to His direction. Just like an Earthly King, you must live according to His law, or suffer the consequences. While I wouldn’t say it’s required for your salvation, it sure helps! It will be the best decision you’ve ever made. You will find the more you submit to Him, the better your life becomes.

However if you don’t feel completely ready for that, it’s perfectly fine. Your only requirement to get saved is to have faith, then come before God, repent and ask for your salvation. When you do this, it’s like you’re accepting His gift of salvation. While salvation is a free gift (for those who have faith), it’s not automatically inherited. It technically isn’t yours until you take it (I explain this in more detail in another blog, “New Believer’s Manual“).

God will not interrupt or interfere with your own free will. If you don’t want Him in your life, He will not (generally) come uninvited. On the other hand, if you do want to know Him, all you have to do is invite Him in. Jesus tells us “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

If you’ve done all of these things; You’ve come before God with a truly faithful heart, you’ve repented, and you’ve invited Jesus into a relationship with you – I would say you’re off to a good start. But don’t think that you’ve checked a box, and you’re good for eternity. Knowing God and even having faith, is not a one-time event. He wants us to have a relationship with Him, which over time becomes deeper and deeper. That means continually seeking Him. You can’t approach someone you’ve never known, with 1 question or conversation and expect to instantly have an intimate relationship with them. It’s only the first step. The first ‘hello’. It’s as if you’re planting a tiny seed that could one day become a giant tree, with flowing green leaves that will provide shade and fruit for creatures of all kinds. It can (and should) begin a beautiful, meaningful, life-fulfilling journey with God – if you allow it to grow. He can be with you every step of the way. He can continually guide, revive, and teach you – if you let Him.

Or it can be a one time conversation where you think you’ve checked a box, and you can live your life otherwise absent from God, reject all of His teachings and influence, and hope that He will accept you at the end. However, stopping your walk with God at ‘belief’, and wanting nothing more to do with Him, is not what it means to truly have faith – and doing this may land you in that group of people that Jesus says “He never knew” (Matthew 7:21-23). Not to mention, this life is not going to be very satisfying for you. Wish there was something more to it? There is!

Having an ongoing relationship with Him is how He will know us when this life is over. I think that we tend to underestimate or misinterpret the meaning of faith or belief when it comes to God. You can believe that many things exist, while they can have no impact on your life. We believe that wind and gravity and even spirits exist, because we have seen the evidence of their existence, but we hardly give them a second thought. They are taken for granted.

In contrast, think about when you’ve believed in something, such as one of your life goals, or your most cherished relationship. When you believe in something, or you put your faith in something or someone, you trust what it stands for, you have a passion for it, you firmly defend it, you have a knowing in your heart that it will succeed, you are willing to change or rearrange your life to make room for it, you continually strive for it and pursue it, and hardly acknowledge any setbacks or failures. Virtually nothing will stop you from seeing it to completion. I believe that this is the definition of faith and belief He had in mind, when God said, have faith in Me, believe in my Son Jesus Christ. Believing in the salvation of Jesus Christ should have the same effect on you. If it doesn’t, you may want to start again at the top and keep going through these steps until it does.

Finally, life change and transformation are the result of knowing God (and being saved). This is the evidence that we belong to God. Without evidence, we can have no assurance. You should not look like, and act like, the rest of the world, if you are saved. You should not be the exact same person you were before you knew God. You can’t be, it’s impossible! Knowing God changes you. You are supposed to be different. You should feel convicted when you are doing wrong, and naturally exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. In other words, you operate in kindness, love, and peace and not hate, strife, or wickedness. See the following Scripture for more on this: Matthew 7:15-20, Mark 16:17, and Galatians 5:22-25

If you’re already firm on these principles, you’re ready to move on to baptism, relationship, and obedience. I would recommend, my “New Believer’s Manual” next.