Over the past few days, the concept of what it means to be saved has been brought to my mind over and over again. Salvation through Jesus Christ is an amazing, refining, heart wrenching, and scary process more often than naught. But what does it mean to be saved? We live in a culture where many people believe they are "saved". Let me make one point clear, I am not God, and I do not claim to be. I have no authority to judge whether someone is going to Heaven or Hell, that is not my place, nor would I ever want it to be. A judgement like that deserves a perfect Judge, and that is God's role.
However, it is my duty as a Christian to stand up for the most basic principals of the Christian faith, even in the midst of opposition of what so many view as the "norm" for salvation. Are you ready?
Salvation is not a prayer...necessarily. It is not walking down the aisle in an emotionally charged room...necessarily. It is not listing Christianity as your religion on facebook....necessarily. It is not baptism...necessarily. It is not easy....necessarily.
All of these things can be associated with salvation, and for some people this may be the moment that they truly get what salvation is, but salvation in Jesus Christ is so much more than that.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."- John 3:16
This is our hope, this is our salvation. Believing in Jesus Christ. But what does it mean to believe? The greek word for believe infers to entrust oneself in. We are called to entrust ourselves completely in Christ, not just say empty words.This is called FAITH. The result of this FAITH is a lifestyle that reflects our dependance and focus on Christ. How people do we know that claim to have believed in Christ, yet their life has not changed at all? Yes, it is a life change! God did not save us to stay the same! He saved us from sin and death so that we can walk in righteousness and life!
1 John talks extensively about what it means to become a born again Christian. It states, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God."- sounds a lot like John 3:16 doesn't it? But here is the kicker, it goes on to say, "We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him." Once you are born-again, you do not continue to dwell in darkness as you once did! There is a life change. What this is not saying is that we will be perfect, or that we will not struggle with sin, we are human and our flesh still craves for it's sinful desires. However, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, and it is impossible for someone who has the Spirit of God inside of Him to live completely in sin, for the Spirit that lives inside of us is jealous for God's glory, and has created a new creation!
Salvation is this. Completely trusting Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and a total surrender to Him as Lord and King of Kings. It is acknowledging that we are separated from God because of our sin, and it is the plea to God to save us through His Son Jesus Christ. It is the willingness and desire to repent from our sin and trust Christ with our lives. To repent means to "think differently", and to turn the other way. When someone accepts Christ as their Lord and Saviour they approach life completely differently. It is amazing to see people who have experienced a total life change through Jesus Christ. My old roommate Ryan Burden is an excellent example. Jaxson Fanta is an excellent example. I am an example, and you should be too! Are we perfect? No. Will we ever be? Yep. But not in this lifetime. This is no way gives glory to ourselves, but all glory goes to God who is finishing the work He started in us!
God still cares about the way we live our lives, if you don't believe me read the New Testament sometime. The majority is written to encourage Christians to continue living the life that God has called them to live in Christ Jesus. If someone is unwilling to surrender their life to Christ, maybe they should reevaluate their salvation a little bit. Harsh statement? Absolutely. But I take my cue from James, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one: you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder!" The result of salvation is a changed life, not a perfect life, but a changed one. I will tell you a secret, even Paul the apostle had trouble with sin, but his attitude toward that sin reflected the mindset of Christ. "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."- Romans 7:14-15
I do not want to come across as a know-it-all, legalistic, and bible-thumping Christian, but I will stand by what Jesus has done for us and what he expresses salvation to be, a complete and amazing life change done by Jesus Christ himself, not by our own works or merit, but all by His saving grace. Salvation changes a person from the inside out. First their soul is made right with God, and then over the course of our lives Christ molds us more into the image of His son, and prunes us so that we may bear more fruit (Romans 8:29, John 15). We live in a culture that claims to know Christ, yet walks in darkness and approves of the darkness. How many of us are willing to die for our faith like our brothers and sisters in hostile countries? Christianity is not a game, nor is it a cool fashion statement. It is a complete surrender to Christ to save you and help you walk through this life, carrying your cross with Him one step at a time.
So for those looking for an easy religion, look somewhere else. But to those looking for a fulfilling, life-altering, eternal, refining relationship with the creator of the universe, come to the cross of Calvary where a perfect God subjected Himself to torture and ridicule, died on a cross to pay the debt for our sins and transgressions, died, and rose again three days later so that we may put our complete hope and trust in Him and be made free from the bondage of this life. Jesus came for those who wanted to enter into a true relationship with God, not those who want Him on the back-burner.
And for those who already know Christ and have experienced his grace, I pray that you (and myself) would recognize that God wants us to change the world through the Holy Spirit that we possess. I pray that we would make Christ our number one priority, for if we truly know Him we cannot let Him be on the back-burner in our life. Christ came so that we can have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). God is love. God is truth. God is awesome.
We cannot let culture adapt who Jesus Christ is. We must follow what God's word has called us to do. Love God. Live for Him. Tell others. Be changed.
However, it is my duty as a Christian to stand up for the most basic principals of the Christian faith, even in the midst of opposition of what so many view as the "norm" for salvation. Are you ready?
Salvation is not a prayer...necessarily. It is not walking down the aisle in an emotionally charged room...necessarily. It is not listing Christianity as your religion on facebook....necessarily. It is not baptism...necessarily. It is not easy....necessarily.
All of these things can be associated with salvation, and for some people this may be the moment that they truly get what salvation is, but salvation in Jesus Christ is so much more than that.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."- John 3:16
This is our hope, this is our salvation. Believing in Jesus Christ. But what does it mean to believe? The greek word for believe infers to entrust oneself in. We are called to entrust ourselves completely in Christ, not just say empty words.This is called FAITH. The result of this FAITH is a lifestyle that reflects our dependance and focus on Christ. How people do we know that claim to have believed in Christ, yet their life has not changed at all? Yes, it is a life change! God did not save us to stay the same! He saved us from sin and death so that we can walk in righteousness and life!
1 John talks extensively about what it means to become a born again Christian. It states, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God."- sounds a lot like John 3:16 doesn't it? But here is the kicker, it goes on to say, "We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him." Once you are born-again, you do not continue to dwell in darkness as you once did! There is a life change. What this is not saying is that we will be perfect, or that we will not struggle with sin, we are human and our flesh still craves for it's sinful desires. However, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, and it is impossible for someone who has the Spirit of God inside of Him to live completely in sin, for the Spirit that lives inside of us is jealous for God's glory, and has created a new creation!
Salvation is this. Completely trusting Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and a total surrender to Him as Lord and King of Kings. It is acknowledging that we are separated from God because of our sin, and it is the plea to God to save us through His Son Jesus Christ. It is the willingness and desire to repent from our sin and trust Christ with our lives. To repent means to "think differently", and to turn the other way. When someone accepts Christ as their Lord and Saviour they approach life completely differently. It is amazing to see people who have experienced a total life change through Jesus Christ. My old roommate Ryan Burden is an excellent example. Jaxson Fanta is an excellent example. I am an example, and you should be too! Are we perfect? No. Will we ever be? Yep. But not in this lifetime. This is no way gives glory to ourselves, but all glory goes to God who is finishing the work He started in us!
God still cares about the way we live our lives, if you don't believe me read the New Testament sometime. The majority is written to encourage Christians to continue living the life that God has called them to live in Christ Jesus. If someone is unwilling to surrender their life to Christ, maybe they should reevaluate their salvation a little bit. Harsh statement? Absolutely. But I take my cue from James, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one: you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder!" The result of salvation is a changed life, not a perfect life, but a changed one. I will tell you a secret, even Paul the apostle had trouble with sin, but his attitude toward that sin reflected the mindset of Christ. "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."- Romans 7:14-15
I do not want to come across as a know-it-all, legalistic, and bible-thumping Christian, but I will stand by what Jesus has done for us and what he expresses salvation to be, a complete and amazing life change done by Jesus Christ himself, not by our own works or merit, but all by His saving grace. Salvation changes a person from the inside out. First their soul is made right with God, and then over the course of our lives Christ molds us more into the image of His son, and prunes us so that we may bear more fruit (Romans 8:29, John 15). We live in a culture that claims to know Christ, yet walks in darkness and approves of the darkness. How many of us are willing to die for our faith like our brothers and sisters in hostile countries? Christianity is not a game, nor is it a cool fashion statement. It is a complete surrender to Christ to save you and help you walk through this life, carrying your cross with Him one step at a time.
So for those looking for an easy religion, look somewhere else. But to those looking for a fulfilling, life-altering, eternal, refining relationship with the creator of the universe, come to the cross of Calvary where a perfect God subjected Himself to torture and ridicule, died on a cross to pay the debt for our sins and transgressions, died, and rose again three days later so that we may put our complete hope and trust in Him and be made free from the bondage of this life. Jesus came for those who wanted to enter into a true relationship with God, not those who want Him on the back-burner.
And for those who already know Christ and have experienced his grace, I pray that you (and myself) would recognize that God wants us to change the world through the Holy Spirit that we possess. I pray that we would make Christ our number one priority, for if we truly know Him we cannot let Him be on the back-burner in our life. Christ came so that we can have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). God is love. God is truth. God is awesome.
We cannot let culture adapt who Jesus Christ is. We must follow what God's word has called us to do. Love God. Live for Him. Tell others. Be changed.
