Part 1 – Are You Saved?

You may ask one, “Are you saved?” To which they may reply “Well, I believe in God,” or “I believe in Jesus.” Do these statements mean they are genuinely saved believers? Answer: Not always.

The fact is that there are millions of people who say they believe in God and/or in Jesus and yet they are not saved. For example; Muslims believe in Jesus considering Him a prophet. The Hindus believe in Jesus: saying He is a great guru. Historians believe in Jesus: that He was a first century Jew. Sadly, many believe in the Jesus of Religious tradition, rituals, and rites, or Jesus of Nazareth as a teacher, philosopher and a ‘good man’; or the Jesus of Religion that says you need to work to imitate the Jesus of the four Gospels in order to be saved. These all believe in a Jesus, but they are not saved on their basis.

So, obviously you can believe in a Jesus and still not be saved. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and I do believe that salvation is available and found only through belief, faith “in Jesus.” Whether we know it or not at the time, when one genuinely ‘believes in Jesus’ it should be with the implied corresponding belief that; 1) Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh, 2) He died for our sins, and 3) He rose from the dead for our justification. Many do not realize that many so-called pastors of the liberal apostate church organizations do not believe one or more of these three points.

Consider the One in whom we must believe to be saved. “… they said, Believe on ‘the Lord Jesus Christ,’ and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:31) There are four elements implied in the title “The Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “The” is grammatically ‘the article,’ meaning ‘the One and Only.” The word ‘Lord’ implies ‘God as the Sovereign Master of All,’ ‘Jesus’ means ‘Savior,’ and ‘Christ’ means ‘The Anointed One sent of God.’ Of course, for most of us, the understanding of these elements came to us only after our believing unto salvation.

The fact is that by His death of the cross Jesus, as God, has already reconciled ALL mankind to God by putting away all enmity between God and man; by the sacrifice of Himself ALL sins are forgiven. But there’s one simple catch, all that’s necessary is for us to place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to receive all that He has done for us... in making saving us and simultaneously making the “children of God.”

The most effective lies are half-truths, or they in some way look like the truth... this true of the many false gospels that may have ‘bits of truth.’ The false gospels that many individuals hold to becomes obvious when you note their insecurity when they might say, “I hope I make it to heaven.” This reveals how shallow and oversimplified is their claim, “Well, I believe in Jesus.” when they’re asked if they are “saved.”

Many of those who claim to ‘believe in Jesus’ but are not saved sit in pews of religious organizations Sunday after Sunday. So, why aren’t they saved? This is because either; 1) they’ve never yet heard the true saving gospel of grace, or 2) They’ve never responded to “the gospel” in faith. Either way, they’ve never believed ‘the elements’ of the true “gospel of your salvation.” The verses below give us insight into the necessary elements of the gospel that saves by faith in Jesus.

“we … First Trusted In Christ. ¹³In whom Ye Also Trusted, AFTER that ‘Ye Heard The Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation:’ in whom also After That Ye Believed, Ye Were Sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,” “⁶To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (in Jesus). ⁷ In whom We Have Redemption Through His Blood, The Forgiveness of Sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:12-13, 6-7)

The key points of our salvation include;

1) Jesus was God in the flesh, and

2) Jesus of Nazareth went to the Cross and died for our redemption, by reconciling us and forgiving ALL our sins, and

3) He not only died for us, He was RESURRECTED to become the “life-giving Spirit” (1Cor 15:45b) to live His life in us.

Believers need to understand and appreciate the course of humanity that brought ‘salvation for all who will believe.’ Here below see the need of mankind and how the salvation of mankind developed.

God created man in His own “image,” as an empty vessel that was well suited to receive and be in union with God because every human has a “spirit of man,” (Zech. 12:1) within his physical body. God’s breathed the “breath (His Spirit) of life” into Adam’s body producing man as “a living soul.” (cf. Gen. 2:7).

But, Adam & Eve soon became tempted of the lie of the Devil to “Sin” in disobedience to God’s one instruction… thereby making Adam and all his lineage “dead” (spiritually) toward God… thus introducing “enmity (hostility)” between man and his creator God.

“But God who is rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4) had planned for this failure to be remedied through “the love of God,” which freely offers lost mankind “reconciliation” … and the “forgiveness of sins” … through…

“belief” in Jesus Christ as Savior, through His substitutionary death of the Cross for ALL mankind.

Christ’s sacrifice at the Cross makes the believer to be at “peace with God” (the “enmity” is eliminated) … and makes the believer “justified,” (declaring or making one righteous in the sight of God)

Now having “the peace OF (from) God” (Phili. 4:7) within his heart, the believer also … has “access” to and enjoys a personal relationship with God … being now united with God as “Father” … through Christ… now as “the life-giving Spirit” … who forever indwells the believer’s spirit. (cf. 1Cor. 15:45, 6:17)