Spiritually speaking,It means to preserve,keep,safeguard or shield a
soul from eternal damnation and punishment. It means to escape the
looming punishments of hell that awaits all sinners.
Are you saved? Have you been shielded from the eternal punishment that
awaits sinners.
As children,our earthly parents do punish us whenever we go contrary
to their will; How much more our heavenly Father.
Just like our earthly parents, God "...will render to every man
according to his deeds"[Romans2:6).There is surely an everlasting
punishment(not just for one century or a millenium) for the ungodly.
"Who Knowing the judgement of God,that they which commit such things
are worthy of death(eternal death,punishment and
damnation)..."(Romans1:32).
When we talk about being saved, we are talking about being ready and
prepared to escape the wrath to come.
If peradventure you die now(or may be the Rapture takes place now),
will you escape that great,severe,everlasting torment that awaits all
sinners?, will you escape hell and make heaven?. That is what is meant
by "ARE YOU SAVED?".
The next time someone asks you if you were saved, you must understand
He means: " Are you safeguarded and shielded from the
eternal,universal punishment that awaits sinners, if peradventure you
die now, looking at your present spiritual state and lifestyle?".
CONCEPTS THAT SHOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SAVED
The following paints good pictures of what it means to be saved:
1. THE ESCAPE OF NOAH FROM THE FLOODED EARTH[Genesis7:1] -
Noah escaped(was saved from) the ravaging flood that
engulfed the earth in his time.
2. THE ESCAPE OF LOT FROM SODOM AND GOMORRAH [Genesis19:15-
16) - Lot escaped(was saved from) the calamity
that befell Sodom and Gomorrah.
3.THE ISREALITES ESCAPED THE UNFORSEEN DEATH HANDED
OUT BY GOD ON THE INHABITANTS OF EGYPT [Exodus 12:21-30] - by
placing the blood of a lamb on their door posts,
the isrealites escaped(were saved) from death. Just as Noah,
Lot and the Isrealites escaped, you can also escape the everlasting
punishment that awaits sinners in hell(where their worm dieth not and
the fire is not quenched-mark9:44).
HOW DO I ESCAPE
John3:16 reads: "For God so loved the world(not willing that we should
suffer eternally in hell,decided to make a way of escape for us by
giving)...His only begotten Son[JESUS CHRIST], that WHOSOEVER[a
fornicator or a liar, a pegan or a religious man] believes in
Him[JESUS] should not perish(eternally in hell) but have everlasting
life(live eternally with Jesus in Heaven).
Romans5:9 reads: 'much more then being now justified(made righteous)
by His blood, we SHALL BE SAVED FROM THE WRATH THROUGH HIM[CHRIST].
It is by believing in Jesus and accepting Him as your Lord and
Saviour, thereby acknowledging and repenting of your
sins(Luke18:13,Acts2:38),confessing them(matthew3:6),asking for
forgiveness in prayer,believing in your heart that He died and rose to
remit your sins(romans10:9), that you escape the damnation of hell and
get preserved for heaven.
Remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ; "But he that shall
ENDURE(continue,persist) unto the end the same shall be
saved(matthew24:13), if you continue in My word, then are you My
disciples indeed(John8:31).
You can't go back to your sins after accepting Christ and expect to
remain saved from the retribution and judgement to come. You have to
endure,persist and continue in the teachings and doctrines of
Christ,as a true disciple of Christ in order to ESCAPE.
Salvation(being saved) is not just an experience that starts now and
end now. For instance, if as a debtor, the creditor sends you a
massage saying: ' I am coming in two weeks time to collect my money'
and you(the debtor) says to yourself: ' I am prepared to save myself
from any possible embarrassment,because I've got some money in my bank
account'. With the money in your bank account you are saved from
embarrassment, but you are not yet saved from that embarrassment until
you pay. If you squander the money, you will be embarrassed
eventually. Your salvation is not yet consummated until you make
heaven. By confessing your sins, accepting Christ and repenting of
your sins, and making amends where necessary you are saved from the
wrath to come, but if you go back to your sins, you have just
squandered your hope of our final salvation(which is, 'HOLINESS';
without which no man shall see the Lord,hebrew14:12).
Little wonder,you see the phrase "SHALL BE SAVED"(FUTURE TENSE) in
Romans5:9,10, matthew10:22, matt24:13,mark13:13, telling us that our
Salvation starts here and gets consummated in heaven. Therefore it is
imperative,you ensure it's continuity by holy living, in order to
remain SAVED and elligible to ESCAPE.
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