¿When are you really saved? 

Millions of people around the world believe that they are "saved" the moment they accept Christ. But is that true? Is there more to salvation than many believe? 

By studying the Scriptures in detail regarding the subject of salvation we discover that:

·    We are saved from death (not from the eternity of suffering in hell, as many believe).

·    We are saved by the risen life of Jesus Christ.

There are essential steps (beyond just professing the name of Jesus) that we must take.

But there is another important question that we have to answer: when are we really saved?  

Traditional Christianity speaks almost exclusively of salvation as a present reality in the life of a Christian. It is viewed as a state of believers at the time they accept Jesus Christ as the Savior (or in some denominations, at the time of baptism). In other words, if you have accepted Jesus, you are saved. Their sins are forgiven and their place in heaven is secure. That is all.

¿But is this all about salvation?

In his famous prophecy on the Mount of Olives, Jesus said, "But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13, emphasis added). The "end" refers to the end of this century and the second coming of Christ.  

So Jesus seems to be saying that salvation will occur in the future. That statement seems to indicate that being saved is a future event that believers have not yet experienced.

But there are other passages that seem to say the opposite. For example, Paul said: “By grace you are saved through faith; and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God ”(Ephesians 2: 8, emphasis added). This seems to imply that salvation is a past event.  

However, there are other places in which the Bible speaks of salvation as something that is happening: "but to those who are saved, this is, to us, it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).  

¿Then what is? ¿Will they be saved, are you saved, or are they saved?

The answer is: all three! 

Salvation is a process

¿How can all three be true?

The past, present and future aspect of being saved represent the three fundamental steps in the salvation process. Let's take a closer look at each step.

To understand this we must remember what exactly salvation is — that is, to be saved from sin and its consequences. Sin (which produces separation from God and ultimately death) is the greatest obstacle to the fulfillment of God's purpose in us, which is to become perfect beings just as He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). When a person accepts Christ and is baptized, he is only beginning the journey. Salvation must be understood as a process — not an event.  

The past, present and future aspect of being saved represent the three fundamental steps in the salvation process. Let's take a closer look at each step.

Step 1: Become a Christian (have been saved)

The first step is to be called by God and come to Him through Jesus Christ. To do this, the primary problem we have to deal with is ourselves. We will all come to God with a recorded life of sin. We need to be saved from having the experience of eternal death as a consequence of those sins (Romans 6:23). 

When we accept Christ and his blood shed for sin, we must deeply repent of those sins and be baptized (Acts 2:38). When a person rises from the watery grave of baptism, those sins are "washed away," "blotted out" - completely cleansed and excluded from the person's record (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 22:16).

This is what Paul was referring to when he wrote "by grace are ye saved through faith" (Ephesians 2: 8). Immediately after baptism, each truly repentant believer has been saved from all the sins he or she has committed prior to that time. God accepts the death of Jesus to pay the penalty for those sins in our place — we are saved from that penalty.  

So in this sense it is that a true believer has already been saved. 

Step 2: Live the Christian life (be saved)

When true believers come out of the waters of baptism, they are saved from the sins they committed before then - but there is still a problem. They will continue to live. Which means they will sin again. 

True belief, repentance, and baptism wash away our past sins, but they don't erase our future sins. To be saved from sins committed after baptism, a believer must repent and seek God's forgiveness for those sins. Writing primarily to baptized Christians, John stated: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all evil" (1 John 1: 9).

When those post-baptism sins are removed and erased from our record, we are saved from those sins. In this sense, we are being saved, it is a continuous process. As we repent of sins after baptism and continue to grow in God's character, we are saved from the death penalty for those sins, thanks to the sacrifice of Christ, and we are continually reconciled to God.   

Step 3: We will receive eternal life when Jesus Christ returns ("we will be saved")

But there is still another aspect of salvation that is in the future. Remember that there are two results of sin that we need to be saved from, they are death and separation from God. We are not totally saved, in a definitive sense, until we are made up of spirit and are perfect — no longer in danger of sin or death. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to when he said, "But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

When Jesus returns, He will bring salvation to His people: "and He will appear a second time, unrelated to sin, to save those who await Him" ​​(Hebrews 9:28). The process of being saved has only begun in our lives today — but Christ will complete it on his return. Salvation is given at the end of a physical life of faithful repentance, growing and developing a life of faith toward God (1 Peter 1: 9). This is why the Bible says that "we are saved by his life" (Romans 5:10) —because only a living, risen Savior can return and give eternal life.

This is the "hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5: 8). It is the future hope that all true Christians seek. This is to be saved from death and to become members of the family of God for all eternity.