What Does It Mean to be Saved?

To be saved means to be translated from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light.  Hell is no longer our destination at the end of this life, but Heaven becomes our final resting place.  When we are saved, we can live free from the control of sin and its rule over our lives.  When Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, hung, bled, and died on Calvary’s cross, then rose again, He made it possible for you and I to be saved when we believe in Him.

Salvation is a topic that is much debated today. While many choose to use the term loosely, knowing what it means to be saved is important.  One of the things that it doesn’t mean is that we have the freedom to sin. I was once told that because Jesus died on the cross, I was free to sin. That individual said that God’s grace gave me the license to sin because God knew I was weak in my flesh. But I’ve grown in God since then, and I know that that is not true. God will never give us the green light to sin. If that were the case, He wouldn’t have kicked Adam and Even out of the Garden of Eden when they sinned.  The thought that we are free to sin comes from those who choose to live a double life in Christ; those who haven’t made up their minds to serve God with their whole heart; and those who still have an appetite for the things of this world. They want to both sin and love God. But we cannot have it both ways. There has to be a difference.

When God calls us to salvation and to believe in His Son, He calls us into a new way of life. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. The moment God saves us, we become new. We are new in mind, heart, action, and thought. We no longer have the same thought processes about life. We become new creatures and the old way we used to live passes away.

It is by the Blood of Jesus Christ that we are made new. His Blood cleanses our minds from sin. Granted, based on our initial feelings, it may be hard to tell just how much we have changed and to know that we are free.  We may still feel the same because we are still fleshly and know how to sin. But through the Blood of Jesus, sin no longer has dominion over us. Our desire to sin is no longer the same. The Blood of Jesus is what cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Based upon Matthew 1:21 (KJV) we all must know that Jesus came to set us free from our sins. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

Jesus doesn’t save us in our sins but from them. When sin has us bound in its hold, He rescues us and loosens us from its grip so that it no longer has control over our lives. God doesn’t want us to live bound by sin because He knows what it does to us and understands its horrific results.  That’s why He sent His Son to die for us.

When we sin, it is more than just an unrighteous act. It is the rebellious condition of the mind and heart. A sinful mind and heart are both contrary to who God is. That’s why we need to be filled with God’s Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us to live life in a way that pleases God. He comes in and changes our whole nature. When we have the Holy Spirit, our lives are no longer governed by our flesh but by God’s Spirit.  That’s the kind of freedom we should all seek:  freedom from sin and the ability to live free from its clutches. That’s something that we cannot do within our strength. We need God’s help. And we can have it through Jesus Christ. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9 (KJV)

Living a free life in Christ is possible. Trust in Him today and know that you too can be saved from sin and its strongholds.

Let us pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, I am eternally grateful that You freed me from the clutches of sin.  Thank You that I am saved now and forever.  It is my prayer that I grow more like Jesus every day.  In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.