How does a person know they are saved?
Millions, having ‘been saved’, have not known. There was no
discernible change from within them; whether they pretended there was or not.
How can they be saved if they don’t feel saved? Well, it’s a very good question. Jesus Christ, having
invaded that person’s life, has deposited the Spirit from the Father. The saved
person is a new creation. If they are not compelled to live as a new creation,
to want more of God, have they been saved?
If they understand their salvation comes at the recognition of
their sin and in their need of a Saviour they will understand their need of
discipleship—to grow in God.
The person that is truly saved has learned to take their steps
to the cross.
As important as the resurrection is in the salvation story, the
cross points to the conciliation of our heart’s transformation. God has
impacted us with truth: we are sinners with need of saving. And when we live
saved, cognisant of our need of God, we live with bright effect, predisposed
for life through the resurrection power of the Lord.
***
“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved, you and your household.”
—Acts 16:31 (NRSV)
***
Believing on the Lord Jesus is our
hope; our only hope of salvation. Though this is a one-off event, assuming the
Holy Spirit has taken up residence, convicting us to live as new creations, our
habit must be to continue to believe on the Lord Jesus. That requires us to commit to the
process of our discipleship—to come under the headship of Christ in actively
learning, each day, the will of God, and carrying it out to the best of our
ability.
***
The final frontier in Christian
faith is not theology, nor works, nor knowledge. It is salvation. To be saved
is a heart
transformation, which transforms our thinking. We know we are saved by the Holy
Spirit’s conviction to get us to repent—to take the step, every day, to the
cross; to where we surrender our sin and receive fresh portions of God’s
redeeming grace.
It doesn’t matter what we say,
it’s how we live our faith that counts. How big a role does repentance play in
our lives? This is a key question in understanding the real role of grace. It is also a key question in
the effectiveness of our discipleship.
If we cannot take repetitive steps
to the cross we cannot receive the resurrection power God wishes us to have.
***
When we
approach the cross,
Leaving
there our dross,
We receive
power for hope,
As well as power to cope.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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