Truly Saved? (Part 2)

In the last blog post, we addressed what it means to be saved.  I ended it by saying that salvation is a gift from God and—although we don’t create our salvation—we do reflect it.  How exactly do we reflect our salvation?

I encourage you to think about salvation as more than just a one-time experience.  Yes, a Christian is someone who at some point turned from their sinful life and began to trust Jesus Christ with their life.  The five-dollar word for this change is “regeneration,” which is a fancy way of saying the person is born into a new life.

At the same time that a Christian begins this new life in Christ, Jesus justifies them before the Father.  It is as if a person in a courtroom voluntarily takes the penalty for someone found guilty by a judge.  In this case, Jesus takes the penalty for our sin and allows us to stand guiltless.

Unfortunately, many contemporary churches begin and end the salvation experience with that one-time event.  However, that’s not the end of the story.  True salvation is a lifelong transformation from our sinful nature to Christ’s holy nature.  By God’s grace, Christ grows in us and we are molded into the new creature He wants us to be.  This process is referred to as “sanctification,” which means we are set apart. 

Unlike regeneration and justification, sanctification produces visible changes in a person’s life, as they cooperate with God in maturing as a Christian.  As a Christian studies, learns, and grows, Christ will produce spiritual fruit in them.  Spiritual fruit includes changes in character (Gal 5:22-23)—changes which in turn also affect others.  As a person “set apart,” the Christian obeys Christ’s commands and walks closer with Him during life’s journey.

So, if you are a Christian, I encourage you to look at salvation as a lifelong experience and not simply as a moment in your past.  This perspective will help you encounter Christ in a much more fulfilling and productive way!