What does it really mean to be saved and how can I be sure I am? | Ask A Pastor Ep. 10

What does it actually mean to be saved? And how can you know for certain that you belong to Jesus?

In this episode of Ask A Pastor, we tackle one of the most important and personal questions a person can ask: "Am I really saved?" Whether you've struggled with doubt after a difficult season, wondered if your faith is genuine, or questioned whether you're doing enough to earn God's acceptance, this conversation is for you.

Together, we'll explore what the Bible teaches about salvation, how someone receives salvation through faith in Christ, and where true assurance comes from. You'll discover why salvation is a gift of God's grace, why your confidence should rest in God's promises rather than your emotions, and what Scripture says are the evidences of genuine faith.

We'll discuss:

• What it means to be saved according to the Bible
• How salvation is received through repentance and faith in Jesus
• Why Christianity is different from every other religion
• Three biblical signs of genuine salvation
• How to handle doubts and questions about your faith
• The freedom and confidence that come from assurance in Christ

If you've ever wondered whether you're truly saved or how you can know you have eternal life, this episode will point you back to the finished work of Jesus and the promises of God's Word.

Key Takeaway: The strongest evidence of salvation isn't that you never struggle with doubt—it's that you keep running back to Jesus when you do.

If you have a question you'd like answered in a future episode of Ask A Pastor, we'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep seeking Jesus, keep growing in your faith, and keep trusting the One who saves.

Transcript

0:01

What is up, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Ask a Pastor. So good to be back with you uh this week. If I seem a little tired, uh Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, we we were with at our uh annual uh Assemblies of God conference called Lead Conference. And we we had some business meetings, and so uh I'm coming to you after a pretty busy week so far. It's only Wednesday for me as you're listening to this, and and I've already seen feel like I've worked a full week. So if I seem tired today, that's why. But it was so good seeing all my pastor friends, all my friends. Uh, there were several people that encouraged me about the podcast, and and so I'm so so excited uh for the episode that we have for you today. I think it's uh it is honestly the most important question. And it's a it's a question that I think a lot of us wrestle with, and I think it's an important one, uh, and actually the most important question as far as our eternity goes. But as a pastor, I get asked this a lot, uh, and and I think it's it's worth answering. And and that question is, what does it really mean to be saved? And how can I be sure that I'm saved? You know, what does it really mean to be saved? And and and how can I be sure that I actually am saved? And maybe you've asked that question after a tough week. Maybe you've wondered if you're really a Christian because you still struggle with sin. Um, and maybe you've thought, well, I I prayed the prayer years ago, but was it really real? And you know, guys, I think one of the biggest struggles that uh one of the biggest things that the church has done to our culture is made them think that if they pray a magical prayer uh to God, that suddenly they are saved. When the Bible teaches that a lifetime of serving the Lord, uh seeking the Lord, trying to become more like Him is what actual salvation looks like. And so I hope today to kind of unpack for you what the Bible says as a whole uh about the Bible. But the good news is that God doesn't want his children living in constant fear and uncertainty about their salvation. In fact, the Bible says in 1 John 5 13, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Notice that word, no, not hope, not guess, not wonder, no. So let's let's answer this very big, broad question uh in two parts. So, first, let's tackle what does it mean to be saved? What is it, what does it really mean to be saved? When most people hear the word saved, they think uh of a moment, you know, walking the aisle, praying a prayer, getting baptized. Those things can be important milestones, but salvation is a much bigger, uh, much bigger than a single moment. So at the core, salvation means being rescued from sin and brought into a relationship, a right relationship with God. The Bible teaches us that all of us is sin and fallen short of the glory of God. We've rebelled against God, we've fallen short of his standards. Sin separates us and carries consequences both now and in eternity. But God loved us so much that he would not let us stay that way. And we see in John 3:16, if you've been in church long enough, you know this one. It says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus lived the perfect life that we couldn't live. He died the death that you and me both deserved. And he rose again three days later. Through his death and resurrection, he made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled with God. Salvation means that your sins are forgiven, your guilt is removed, you were adopted into God's family, you were you have received the Holy Spirit and you have eternal life. Salvation is more than just an escaping of hell. And I I think a lot of times we we think that we want to be saved because we don't want to go to hell. But I want you to hear something this today in this podcast. I always say this morning because I'm a pastor and most of the time I'm talking in the morning, but I want you to hear something today. Being scared of going to not going to hell, or being scared of going to hell is not what gets you into heaven. Being scared of going to hell is not what gets you into heaven. What gets you into heaven is a right relationship with Jesus. Because salvation is not merely getting out of something, it's being brought into something. And that something is a relationship with Jesus. And let me tell you guys, the reason we we and we as Christians push you towards salvation is because that is an actual relationship with the one who created you? What if I told you that you could have the greatest relationship in all the world? You know, I love my wife, I love being married to my wife. Uh, I feel like my wife and I have a great relationship. Is our relationship perfect? Absolutely not. But it's one of the greatest life-giving relationships that I have. But what if I told you there's even something better? What if I told you that God has the greatest relationship uh ever in a in an offering, in a free gift just for you? And the apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 2, 8 through 9. He says, For grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing, it is a gift of God, not a result of your works, so that no man may boast. Notice, salvation is a gift. You didn't deserve it, you received it by faith in Jesus Christ. That's why Christianity is different from every other religion. Every other religion says, do enough and maybe you'll be accepted. The gospel says Jesus has already done enough, and all you have to do is accept him. So the second part of this question is how does someone receive salvation? How does someone receive salvation? Romans 10 9 says it very cleanly, plainly, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. Salvation begins when a person, number one, repents from their sins. Number two, places their faith in Jesus Christ. And number three, surrenders uh to him as their Lord and Savior, meaning gives control of their life over to him. It's not simply believing facts about Jesus, it's not, it's it's basically trusting Jesus with your whole life. You can believe airplanes exist and never get on one, but saving faith gets on a plane, it places weight in Jesus as the Lord Jesus Christ. Saving faith isn't knowing about Jesus, it's trusting yourself to Jesus. So, what's the second part of that question? So, how can I know, how can I be sure that I am safe? This is where many Christians struggle. And I think if we're being honest with ourselves, most Christians struggle with, hey, I hope that I'm saved. You know, we we all hope that we've done the right thing, uh, and that one day when we we face our maker, he's going to be pleased with us. Um, they think that assurance is based on feelings. The problem is feelings change. Uh, the problem is that some days you feel close to God and some days you don't. Some days you feel victorious, some days you feel like a failure. If assurance is based on feelings, you'll constantly ride a spiritual roller coaster. But the foundation of assurance is not your feelings. The foundation of assurance is God's promises for our life. John 5 24 says, Whoever heal or whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Notice that certainty. Not might have, not hopefully has. It's Jesus says they have eternal life. Your salvation rests on the promise. Rest on God's promises, not your emotion. Your salvation rests on God's promises, not your emotions. So, what are three signs? I always try to give you practical things towards the end of the podcast to really kind of drive home uh the message that I have for you today. What are three signs of genuine salvation? You know, what what are three signs that you know uh that you know that you know that you know that you know that you are saved? Number one, do you do you trust in Jesus alone? This first question is very simple. What are you trusting to save you? Your church attendance, your morality, your baptism, your generosity, or Jesus? A saved person recognizes that their only hope is in Jesus Christ. Number two, is there evidence of a spiritual life? No Christian is perfect, but genuine Christians change. Not instantly, not completely, not, but progressively. We progressively get better. The Holy Spirit brings producing, the Holy Spirit begins to produce new desires, new convictions, and new growth. You start loving things that once you ignored and grieving things that you once celebrated. You may still struggle with sin, but you know that the struggle is against it, that you have to struggle against it, that you have to move away. Perfection isn't the evidence of salvation, it's the direction that it is. We're not going to be perfect, but we have to push towards perfection because we find perfection in Jesus Christ. It's something we will never attain this side of heaven, but we push towards being more like Christ every day. And number three, does the Holy Spirit confirm your relationship with God? Romans 8:16 says the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. That is what many Christians describe as inner confidence that they belong to Jesus. It's a voice from heaven. It's not an emotional high, it's where the spirit's producing confidence that you are a child of God, that you hear the voice of God, that God speaks to you, that you know that you know that you know that you are God's child. So what if, what if you still have doubts? Let me encourage you this. Having doubts doesn't necessarily mean that you're lost. Sometimes it's because of poor teaching. Sometimes it's because of guilt over ongoing sin. Sometimes it's because of anxiety, depression, or maybe spiritual attacks. One of Satan's favorite strategies is to make believers question what God has already settled. I love that. One of Satan's greatest strategies is to make us question what God has already established in our life. Because if we spend so much time questioning our salvation, we're not sharing the good news of Jesus with others. He wants Christians focused on fear instead of God's faithfulness. So when doubts come, don't look inward first, look upward. Look towards Jesus. Remember what he has accomplished on the cross for you. Remember his promises. Remember that he that that security rests on his grip, on you, not on your grip on him. Listen to that again. I'm gonna say it again. It's great. Remember that his security, your security, rests in his grip, not on your grip with him. Philippians 1 6 says, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. Your salvation is secure because God's finished, God finishes what he started. Your salvation is secure because God always finished what he started. So why does this matter? Why does all this matter? So when you're confident in your salvation, everything changes. You don't obey God because you're trying to earn his love, you obey God because you've already received it. You don't live in fear, you live in freedom. You don't have to wonder every day whether God has accepted you. You can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Assurance gives courage and suffering, strength in temptation, hope and uncertainty, peace in difficult times, and perhaps most importantly, assurance allows you to enjoy your relationship with God instead of constantly questioning it. So, what are my final thoughts today? If you're listening today and wondering if you're saved, don't by start by asking, Am I good enough? Ask, have I trusted Jesus? Because here's the thing: none of us are good enough. None of us are good enough to accept, uh, none of us are good enough to earn what Jesus has already done. Just ask yourself, have I repented of my sins? Have I placed my faith in Christ alone? If so, do I stand on his promises? The Bible says that those who believe in Christ have eternal life. And if you're still wrestling with doubts, remember this. The strongest evidence of salvation isn't that you never struggle with doubt, it's that you keep running back to Jesus when you do. So thank you guys for being with me today. Uh, I want to end with this. You know, if you're out there and and God has brought you to uh this uh message, and I've kind of noticed that some of these, you know, very simple topics bring the most views, and they're they're bringing the most views from outside of the geographic area of the church. And so I think a lot of people are searching this uh to find information from a reliable source. And I want you to know I'm a I'm a pastor, I've been a senior pastor for 14 years, uh, been in full-time ministry for over 20 years. Uh, I want to tell you that that I'm a I'm a reliable source. I have a master's degree in theology. Um, you know, hey, reach out to me. Uh, private message me on social media. I'd love, I'd love to chat with you. But um, I want to end this with a prayer of salvation. Now, listen, this prayer doesn't save you, it's a lifetime of living for Jesus. But this is this prayer is the first step in the rest of your life. So if you're listening, maybe you're listening, maybe you're watching, I don't know where you are. I just want you to bow your head and close your eyes. And I just want you to sit there and and just take a moment and just think. And I want you to pray this prayer with me. And you could repeat after me. And I want you to, I want you to say this out loud wherever you are, just with me with your phone. Just say it out loud. Just say, Dear Jesus, I'm a sinner. I need your love in my life. Forgive me where I failed you. I give my heart to you today. Take my life, use it for your purpose. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Hey, if you prayed that prayer today, listen, there are no lone rager Christians. So you need to find a church, get into an awesome Bible-based church that can walk you through this new relationship with Jesus because that is the lifeblood that will keep you on track. Uh, if you're geographically near us here in South Fort Worth in Cleaver, Texas, uh, we would love to have you at Hope Church. Uh, we've got we've got services at 9:30 and 11 this week. Uh, we're opening up a new location in Meridian, Texas. So if you're you're close to Boski County and Meridian, Texas, they have service at 10:30. We'd love to have you at either location. Uh, and and we'd love to have you as a part. But if you're not near any of us, go find you a Bible-based church. You can watch us online, uh, but but find you a church and get a part of it. Hey, so good to be with you today on Ask a Pastor. Uh, shoot me some questions, drop them in the comments. I'd love to answer more of your questions. I'm having so much fun doing this. But hey, that's all I got for you today. So we'll see you next time on Ask a Pastor.