What is salvation?

In the physical, salvation can be defined as 'the measures taken in which one is kept away from agony, calamity, doom, destruction or total annihilation.' This often is referred to as 'being saved'. 

In the spiritual, salvation is when your soul & spirit is 'saved' from eternal damnation & is allowed to live in eternity.

Genesis 3:19 tells us that when the mortal body experiences death, the body will go to the ground.

Ecclesiasties 12:7 says, but the spirit will go back to God, the Father, from which it came. 

Job 14:5 tells us that every man's days are numbered, alluding to God knowing the day & hour that you will die & how you will you die for nothing is a secret to Him.

With this in mind, it's only logical to ask, if one must be saved, saved from what? And if your not saved, what does that entail? To be saved is to be kept away from an eternal damnation, separated from God the Father forevermore, kept in dark isolation, wishing we had only made a different choice while we had the chance. This is clearly visible in the story of Lazarus, Luke 16:23 the spiritually lost man, hoping others would make a different decision than he did. It will be as if you were never born, yet you will have all your senses intact, to think about the spiritual decision you made while you were still alive. 

Oh yes, you make a decision by becoming saved or choosing not be saved. And only you can make that decision on your own in the allotted time given to you, up until you take your last breathe.

This is the easy part...so easy, people often think it's so easy there must be more to it. So they start adding to the process.

The plain truth is...in order to become saved, you:

1. Must believe, Jesus is the Son of God, the Father. Jesus was born through immaculate conception from the Holy Spirit & was manifested into a mortal man.

2. Must believe, that He died for your sins. He paid the ultimate price for all your sins you have committed or for what you will commit in the future. He died, so you wouldn't have to die a spiritual death after your physical death.

3. Must believe, that he was buried & rose after three days. This is the resurrection. 

4. Must believe, that after the three days, He ascended to heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father.

If you can believe this...you are saved. (period!)

Notice I didn't say you had to go to church, tithe, quit cussing, smoking, doing drugs, etc. This is because anything you do to add to salvation takes away from what Christ did. And although you should try becoming a better person after your saved, it's not a requirement. This is where many Christians get it wrong. Thinking that just believing is too easy. They feel they must do more to show or prove they are saved. What they are doing in reality is silenting saying what Christ did on the cross wasn't enough so they must finish what Christ started. What one must keep in mind is that what Christ did, was more than enough. It doesn't need anything else to add to it, His death was sufficient to provide the free gift of salvation to all who would come to Him to receive it. 

So...is Salvation a license to sin? Paul the Apostle said, 'certainly not', most people would come out after the last paragraph & say it was. I would argue & say that 'salvation' is the extent of God's grace & mercy, in that it is sufficient to cover any sin you may commit (period!), either willingly or unwillingly, whether knowingly or unknowingly. This is the power of His shed blood that He so unselfishly spilt on behalf of you & I. But...there are those that say or ask, once your saved, are you always saved? The answer to that is...to a degree. By that I mean, again...the blood of Christ covers all your sins & you are saved the minute you invite Jesus into your life until the day you take your last breathe, but you also have what is called free will, which means you can choose to walk away from your salvation at any time, but the moment you choose to walk away, you will lose your salvation.

But in God's grace, His mercy, loving patience & understanding, He will always take you back into His fold. It's always your choice & your choice alone to make.

Because God knows every man's heart at the time of their death, he knows those who loved Him. He knows who chose Him as their God. He also knows every man & woman who will be saved & those who won't. 

This is why we, as Christians must not play judge towards another man regarding their salvation. For it is only God who judges, not man. Many of us do not even know for sure if we are saved even though we claim to be Christians, so how is it that we're going to know the final destination of anyone else. 

Remember, God is not like man, for He looks at the inward & not the outward. 

Therefore, never say this person or that person will or will not make it to heaven...that decision is never yours to make. Instead, always pray the person does make it, whether friend or foe.

[Editors Note]                                                            If you received salvation under the wrong gospel or even if you have doubts about your salvation, you should consider receiving salvation once again & under the correct gospel. 

So now you've been saved. You sought salvation & through the death of one man (Jesus) you are eternally saved...forever. But what exactly does your salvation entail? And why is it important to know? The answer to both questions is simple.

1. It would be nice to know more in detail about your salvation in case you are asked or in case you have the opportunity to lead someone to Christ, it's always better to have answers than a blank stare.

2. It's good to have the knowledge. Knowledge is powerful. Knowing everything about salvation will let you walk boldly & confidently in your walk with Christ.

Here is a scripture that you may find helpful. II Timothy 2:15 says, study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. This one scripture is 'gold'. Ist-study, (learn & know God's word so your not deceived). 2nd-a workman (taking the gospel to all the world). 3rd-so your not ashamed before God (by being knowledgeable in what you believe & why). 4th-rightly dividing (God's covenants) the word of God (who is truth).

So then, when you are saved what does it mean to you? Here is what it means & how it affects you:
1. You become 'adopted' into God's family.
2. You no longer are just a creation of God, you are now a 'child of God'.
3. Because you are adopted & a child of God's, you become an 'heir' to the kingdom of God & everything in it & of it.

And that's just the beginning, there's more...

4. You are 'justified', having earned your place in heaven as a believer in Christ. This is a one time process that goes with you in eternity.
5. You are 'sanctified', set apart from all the non-believers in the world. This is an on-going process that stops at your physical death. The process includes transforming your heart & mind into being more Christ-like.
6. Because you are justified & sanctified, you are known as a saint. Higher in position than an angel & more precious to God than any of His other created beings.                                               7. You are redeemed, fully bought & paid for by the blood of Christ Himself.                                   8. You are reconciled, once lost & separated from God, you are now back in His good graces.   9. You have become an overcomer, who has defeated the 2nd death (spiritual) after the 1st death (physical). You will either die in the physical & go to heaven in the spiritual, or you will go up in the rapture to heaven.                     10. At your physical death, your body will be transformed into a glorified body prior to entering heaven.                                                     11. You will be given a crown of righteousness for believing in Christ. The easiest of 5 crowns attainable in heaven.                                               12. You will not go through the 7 year Tribulation, but will return with Christ at the end of the Tribulation & at the start of the Millenial reign.                                                                         13. Until your death or the rapture, you as a believer are an Ambassador of Christ. You set the example for others as to how a Christian acts & the way he treats his/her fellow man. You 'love' others (meaning everyone), just as Christ loves you.