What Does It Mean to Be Saved? A Bible Answer

The short answer: To be saved means Jesus has rescued you from sin and its penalty, moved you out of Satan's kingdom into His own, and given you His righteousness. It happens when you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, and it means you can know for sure that you are going to heaven.

What are we saved from?

From sin, and from the hell sin deserves. Before salvation, every person lives under "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2) Our April 21, 2024 sermon put it plainly: before a person is saved, whether they know it or not, they are dominated by Satan.

What happens the moment a person is saved?

Several things happen at once, according to the sermon:

1. You are rescued. It is like being adrift on the ocean in a boat with no oars, and being pulled to safety by the Lord Jesus.
2. You change kingdoms. God "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." (Colossians 1:13)
3. You are born again. The Holy Spirit comes to live in you and brings your dead spirit to life.
4. Your record is changed. The record of your sins is erased and replaced with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Is salvation earned by being good?

No. "We do not go to heaven based upon what we do or don't do. We go to heaven based upon the fact that Jesus is righteous." The only righteousness God accepts in heaven is His own, so He gives it to us. It has always worked that way:

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:6, KJV)

Can a person know they are saved?

Yes. The sermon opened with two questions for the congregation: "How long have you been saved? How long have you known for sure that you're going to heaven if you died right now?" Salvation is not a guess. It is something a person can know and be thankful for: "Isn't it a great thing to be saved?"

What does a saved person live for?

To serve the Lord. As the sermon put it, "We are alive to serve the Lord, not God serving us." A saved person crowns Jesus King of their life and seeks first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).