Am I Saved?

Introduction

That simple question is the cause of more controversy, division, and personal and inner conflict than perhaps any question that has ever passed from the lips of man.  The very question forces us to confront issues of cosmology, morality, and mortality.  For that reason the secularist and humanist despise considering it.  They reject the very premise that man could need salvation. The materialist and evolutionist scoff at the concept that man has needs that go beyond the physical universe.  Even the theist struggles with answer.  The community of those who believe in an eternal God to whom all men are accountable has argued (much to the delight of secular community) and divided from one another over the terms by which this question can be rightly answered. Few questions, if any, can rival this question in its ability to stir emotions and trouble hearts.

Yet, the grand philosophical arguments roused by this question are of little importance to the single person who is quietly troubled by the condition of a solitary, burdened heart over the course and condition of its life. That heart wants a simple, reliable answer that can quiet the  demons of its uncertain path and provide hope that there is a promise of a fuller life in front of it.

This essay is written to help those questioning hearts looking for an answer in God. If yours is the mind of the materialist who has rejected the very concept of God, this document will not be seeking to answer your questions or to defend the existence of God.  There are other works you can read that make that case.  The words that follow are written to give a simple, clear and understandable guide to understanding the offer of salvation in Jesus and the abundant life that fellowship with him offers.

If you have ever asked any of these questions or similar one this document offers help to you:

• Am I saved?
• What must I do to be saved?
• How can I know I am saved?

God’s Power in Simple Words

Atonement? Reconciliation? Justification? Redemption? Sanctification?

The words people use to describe salvation are not difficult in themselves.  However, there is a reason scholarly and challenging works have been produced for nearly two thousand years discussing the intricacies of how and why God save man.  The very thought probes the depths of the infinite mind of an omnipotent God.  How could we ever expect to understand fully each element of salvation, let alone the complexities of their interaction.

So much division has arisen among people of faith from sometimes even subtle differences in understanding about these grand themes. The first time a new Bible student comes across two people in a heated discussion about imputed righteousness or forensic justification or some other similarly foreign concept, he can be quickly discouraged in his search for truth.

In all of the discussions, it is sad that at times we can sometimes forget that the Bible was meant to be simple.  The common people received Jesus in his time (Mark 12:37).  His message was spoken in simple terms. His illustrations were taken from the farming and pastoral life that was the existence his audience knew.  His message was delivered in such a way every man could understand and respond to it.  It had to within every man’s grasp because He came to call all men to Him (VERSE).

Before we move forward in this discussion, please understand the importance of this concept. Yes, the depths of the Bible’s treasures can never be fully explored in one’s lifetime.  There will never be a day that its truth fails to challenge your mind and heart.  However, it is as equally true that the truth you learn today will never be outgrown.  Truth is always consistent.  It will never turn on itself or reject a foundational principle. What this means is that the simple imagery in the Bible that God uses to help us see the difference between the saved and the lost does not lose its clarity as we learn more.  That simple imagery supports, guides, and constrains our understand as we grow in knowledge of his word.

There is in the Bible simple, easy to understand imagery and language about those who are saved and those who are lost.  It is as to grasp as the concept of being inside or outside.  It is within the grasp of every person because God is wanting to save all people (2 Peter 3:8-9).

The message that follows will not answer every question who may have about salvation.  But it will forever give you a Bible answer to the simple question, “Am I Saved?”

In Christ vs. Out of Christ

The Bible is just too “black and white” for our modern world.  These days people who can see nuance and grey’s in every topic are esteemed for their insight and measured intellect.  The Bible just speaks of right and wrong, truth and error, and light and dark. Jesus expressed this sentiment when he said, “.”. . . Whoever is not with me is against me . . .” (Matthew 12:30).

When it comes to man, the Bible is just as clear.  God’s word knows of two kind of people.  Those people are not black and white, Jew and Gentile, or even male and female.  No, in the Bible the two kinds of people are lost and saved.

It is that strict division of mankind that is really the genesis of the urgency of the question before us now.  If man is either lost or saved and there is no other possibility, then he must know at all times in which of those two categories he resides. It becomes the most important question of his life.

In the Bible, the distinction between the lost and saved is illustrated in many ways.  Some of them, we just referenced (in the truth or in error; in the light or in darkness, etc.).  You should take the time to look at each one of them.

However, in this work, we are going to focus on just one.  The Bible speaks of those who are saved as being “in Christ” and those that are lost as being separated from or “out of Christ.”

The Saved are In Christ

In his opening words to the church in the city of Ephesus, Paul made this statement,

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Those words express a fundamental truth of the Christian message and worldview.  Paul asserts that God has blessed Christians “with every spiritual blessing.” However, notice how Paul describes where those grand spiritual blessings are found.  He says God, “. . .has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.”  Paul’s affirmation is then that all of God’s spiritual blessings reside “in Christ.”

Those words, “in Christ,” are not just part of a passing phrase.  The count will vary depending on the English translation you use, but you should find that phrase around 90 times in your New Testament.  The imagery is very much foundational to the Christian message. Jesus is THE Saviour of the world. He is THE lamb of God.  In his own words, “He is THE truth, THE way, and the LIFE.”  It is natural and expected that the Bible would says all spiritual blessings are found in Him. 

One of those blessings is the impact being in Him has upon us.  Again, the words of Paul speak to this idea.  He wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Earlier, we spoke of a heart (perhaps one like yours) longing to escape the demons of its past and find peace with God.  If that is you, hear Paul’s words.  Anyone who is “in Christ” is a new creature. The answer to your heart’s question is as simple finding yourself “in Christ.”  The Bible’s answer is truly not harder to understand than that.

Outside of Christ, There is Nothing Good

The Bible’s clarity on the matter does have a more solemn and sobering side.  The question must come to mind, “What if a man is not ‘in Christ’?”

If it is true that every spiritual blessing is “in Christ,” what is there outside of Him?  The answer is not encouraging for those who choose to remain outside of Christ. 

Let’s go back to the book of Ephesians again.  Within that letter, Paul describes the condition of those who before responding to the gospel message were separated from Jesus.  He says,

. . . [R]emember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12)

His summation of those that were “separated from Christ” was that they had “no hope” and were “without God in the world.”

The imagery and the message is as simple as we have suggested.  In Christ, there is every spiritual blessing that God has to offer.  Separated from or outside of Christ, there is no access to God and there is no hope.  As we said, the Bible knows two kinds of people: lost and saved.  The saved are found “in Christ” with every spiritual blessing.  The lost are found “outside of Christ” with no access to God and so no hope for their lives and eternity.

The Blessings that are In Christ

If you continue to examine the Bible’s description of the blessings of God, the power of the statement that all spiritual blessings are in Christ becomes even more compelling.

As we stated, the phrae “in Christ” appears around 90 times in the New Testament.  So examining each of those statements would go far beyond the intent of this document. However, by looking at a sampling of verses containing the phrase under examination, we can quickly learn just how special it is for one to found in Christ.

Let’s look one slice of Paul’s writings to see all of the things he tells reside “in Christ.”  He wrote two letters to younger preacher who dear to him.  His name was Timothy and the books bear that name (1 and 2 Timothy). Much of the letters is devoted to encourgaging the youthful evangelist to be faithful in his praching of the word (2 Timothy 4:2 AND OTHERS).  In making that exhortation, Paul frequently referenced the great blessings that were “in Christ.”  The statements made in those verses will shed some light on the depth and breadth of the spiritual blessings that are “in Christ.”

Love is in Christ

Paul states love resides in Christ.  1 Timothy 1:14 reads, “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” 

There is no doubt that God loves of all mankind.  John 3:16 that because He loved the world, He sent His Son.  He sent Jesus to save the world and every person in it.  He loves each one of us.  Yet, it is still that the effect of love is found “in Christ.”  In Paul’s words the touch of that is “exceeding abundant.”  It has the power to undo all that you have. His love can claim back out of a world of darkness, not matter deeply into its grasp your heart has fallen.  But that sustain, providing love will only heal those “in Christ.” Love is the greatest spiritual blessing of all (1 Corinthians 13).  And as we have seen, every spiritual blessing resides “in Christ.”

Faith is in Christ

Paul also states that faith is found in Christ. 1 Timothy 3:13 reads, “For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Having a belief in Christ is possible for those outside of Him.  James acknowledges that the demons controlled by Satan believe in Jesus and even shudder at the thought of him, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder” (2:19). During His time on earth, many heard Jesus’ words and believed on Him without ever acknowledging who He is, “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:42-43).  You see, faith unfilled has no power within it. It is a lifeless fact stored in one’s mind, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from work is dead.”

The faith has power is faith that is found in Christ.  We can list verse after verse which speak of the necessity of faith and the great blessing it in a person’s life.  They would all be true.  More importantly, they would all harmonize with the truth expresses by Paul.  The spiritual blessing that comes through faith is found in Christ, not outside of Him.

The Promise of Life is in Christ

At the end of the question, “Am I Saved?”, is a desire to know the purpose and destiny of one’s life.  We all want to know that the course of our lives has meaning and that we are prepared for the life that continues after the death of our physical bodies. Perhaps the greatest of Christian assurances is the confidence it can provide us as we confront the challenges of that metaphysical uncertainty. The Bible proclaims that we can know what we come for us after our death.

The gospel does offer a great promise of life to us.  But the promise is conditional.  It is conditioned on whether or not we are found in Christ.  In 2 Timothy 1:1 Paul wrote, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus.” God does offer a promise of life to mankind.  As with all other spiritual blessings, that promise is “in Christ Jesus.”

God’s Grace is in Christ

The touch of God’s love, the power of faith, and the hope of the promise of life are all wrapped together in God’s grace. If it were not for His gracious nature and disposition to us, we would have no hope of answering the question before with a confident statement of “Yes, I am saved.”

God’s grace is the beginning point of every person’s salvation. We should be thankful that God has extended His grace to every person.  In Titus 2:11-12 the Bible says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age.”

There can be no doubt that God’s grace has come to all people and has brought salvation for them. That same grace teaches or trains man that there are some things that must be done and some things that should never be done.  But the verse in Titus does not tell us one thing: “Where is God’s grace found?”  His grace has appear to all men, but where is the location of that appearance?

Turning back to Paul’s words to Timothy, we find the answer, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:8-9).

Paul’s statement that God’s purpose before the ages began was to give us access to His grace “in Christ Jesus.” Yes, God’s grace reaches out to all of humanity.  To deny that is to deny the words of the Bible we have seen.  But God’s grace is found “in Christ” not of “out of Christ.”  His grace saves everyman in Christ and no man outside of Him.

Salvation is in Christ

One last example will capture the power of the point before us.  All of the spiritual blessings listed above (love, faith, life, and grace) are all parts of the whole of our question, “Am I Saved?”

If your question is about the state of your salvation, you would do well to know where salvation is found. That is the whole of it. If you reside where salvation resides, then you the answer you.  So where does salvation dwell?  Well, since being saved is most certainly a spiritual blessing, we already know that it is found “in Christ.” To that point the apostle Paul agrees,” Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).

That truth is the foundational statement of the New Testament.  In Jesus men are saved and nowhere else.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:11-12 – This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

There is no salvation outside of Jesus. Those separated from Him are without God and have no hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12). 

However, the more hopeful thought is also as equally universal. If you are “in Christ,” you are saved.  Your life has the hope of God’s promises.  Your faith is empowered. God’s grace surrounds life. His love is the constant companion of your days. The most urgent question of your heart is not just “Am I Saved?”, but “Am I in Christ?”

Sin Keeps Me Out of Christ

Before we can answer the question about one is in or out of Christ, we need to understand what keeps us from being in Christ in the first place. Again, the Bible’s answer is quite simple.  It is little three-letter word at which our secular world scoffs.  Those who dare to utter it are extremist and radicals of the worst ilk.  The word is “sin.” The concept of sin resides on the premises that there is objective right and wrong in the world that is based on the nature of the eternal God and that man is accountable to that God and His truth.  It means that the pains of conscience, shame, and guilt are not psychological disorders or misplace societal pressures. If sin is real, the guilt will feel at our wrong-doing is just as tangible and needs not medication, but correction.

The Bible speaks clearly that sin is real.  It affirms that sin will keeps us apart from God and leaves us outside of the power of his grace to save us,” Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

What is the dividing line between those individuals who are in Christ and those who are out of Christ?  The problem in Isaiah’s day is the same as in our day – sin. The limitation to save a person has never in God. His hand has never been too short to reach even the sinner farthest away from Him. His ear has always sharp enough to capture even the meekest cry in the midst of the tumult of a confused world. What keeps mankind from God has never been in God. The chasm between God and us is found in our sin. Those who have sinned are separated from God.  They are in need of being saved. That understanding is the basis of the question before us. One who has never sinned is not in need of salvation. But every person that has sinned needs to be saved.

So if the question “Am I Saved?” is answered by knowing “Am I in Christ?” and, in turn, that question is answered by knowing whether or not you have sinned, the pertinent question before you is, “Have you ever sinned?”

The Bible defines “sin” as, “lawlessness” or a “transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, ESV and KJV). Have you ever violated any law of God? You already know the answer, “yes.” Again, the Bible agrees with that confession, “[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

You have sinned.  Every person who has lived long enough to be able to make moral choices has sinned.  That is true for every person, save one – Jesus. That is why salvation can be in Him. He is making that offer to you today. As a sinner, you need be in Jesus’ right now for in Him is love, faith, hope and grace for your life.

Step From Out to In is Step “Into”

So if one who has sinned is outside of Christ and he wants to be in Christ, how does he get there? Does the Bible have an easy answer to that question. Yes it does. It can be by making use of a very simple use of words. Throughout this document, we have looked at phrases in the Bible which speak of being either “out of” or “in” Christ. Just like a person is either outside of a building or inside of a building, one is either outside of Christ or inside of Christ.

Using that illustration, a person to be inside of a building (depending on how far away, he starts) may take dozens or even hundreds of steps on his approach to the building. Once inside the building (depending on the size of the building), he may take dozens or even hundreds of steps inside the building. But there is only one step that is the transitional step from one being outside of a building to being inside of a building. It is the step that moves him across the threshold of that building’s entrance.  The preposition that describe the act of moving from “out of” a building to “in a building” is the word, “into.” As one steps through the open door before him, he moves from outside into the inside.  That final step is the step “into the building.”

As we said there are 90 verses which speak of people’s being “in Christ.” There are countless verses which speak of people’s being outside of Him or removed from Him in some way. But are there any verses which speak of that transitional step? Does the Bible that language of “into Christ” to describe the step one take to go from out of Christ to in Christ?

If did it, would that make understanding the imagery of salvation simple again? Even a young child can understand the concept of entering a building and the difference between being outside or inside. If the Bible could just speak that plainly about salvation, you could have confidence in yours. Even if the intricacies of how faith, grace, works fold together in God’s plan are beyond your experience with the Bible so far, you could know that you were “in Christ” if the Bible were just to say plainly how you could get “into” Him.

So, does the Bible ever speak of one getting “into Christ?”  And if so, how does you do it?

How Do I Step Into Christ?

While there are those 90 verses which describe all the blessings that are “in Christ,” there are only two that speak of someone getting “into Christ.” But those two verses are enough.  Just as we hoped, the Bible does use that language and the terms of its use are as readily understood as any person could hope.

Galatians 3:27

One of the verses is found in Galatians 3:27.  It reads, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” The answer of that verse is the people were “baptized into Christ.” There is nothing difficult in the language.  Each word is simple. The longest word in the verse is “baptized” and it is only two syllables and eight letters long.  Further, the language is universal.  Its reach extends to, “as many of you.”

Its meaning is clear. Paul is telling the Galatians that before they were baptized, they were outside of Christ and as many as of the Galatians as responded to the call of the gospel by being baptized were baptized “into Christ.” In so doing, they “put on” Christ. His cloak of love, faith, hope and grace surrounded them after they were baptized “into Christ.”

How does one step “into Christ” and “out of” an existence lost in sin? According to Galatians 3:27, he is baptized into Christ.

Romans 6:3-4

We stated earlier that truth is consistent.  We know that Galatians 3:27 says that one is “baptized into Christ.” What that means is that if one ever finds a verse that says we are NOT baptized into Christ, the Bible can no longer be true. Truth can never turn against itself. It is true that another verse might give additional conditions about getting “into Christ.” Another verse might mention faith or repentance or a dozen other Bible concepts.  But no verse can ever exclude the teaching of Galatians 3:27 on baptism.

However, if the only other verse in the whole of the Bible that mentions one getting “into Christ” also pointed to baptism, what would mean?  It would be an emphatic statement from God that baptism is essential to getting “into Christ.” If God only spoke of a thought twice and said exactly the same thing both times, one would be wise to follow it.

So what does the second passage which speak of getting “into Christ” say?  It reads, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3).

Truth is consistent. Both passages affirm the same truth.  The Galatians were baptized into Christ and put Him on. The Romans were “baptized into Christ” and so “baptized into his death.”  It was in his death that His blood was shed and in which man is saved. In Galatia, how many “put on Christ?” It was as many of them as were baptized. In Romans, how many found salvation in the death of Christ? It was “all of them who had been baptized.”

What About Faith? Prayer? What about . . .?

You have almost certainly heard people say that all that is necessary to be saved is to have faith.  Probably, you have heard some say that if you will simply confess your faith or utter a prayer or “pray through” or one of many other things Jesus will save you.

Now, it is beyond the scope of this brief lesson to cover all of the different elements surrounding salvation.  But our repeated affirmation that truth is consistent needs to heard one last time.  Does Galatians 3:27 teach that one is “baptized into Christ?” Those are it very words.  Does Romans 6:3 agree the one is “baptized into Christ?” Again, those are the verse’s exact words.  There is a truth expressed in those words to which the rest of the Bible must agree because truth is consistent.

You may understand every interaction of all of the different aspects of God’s work in our salvation, but you must know this. If any teach denies that a man is “baptized into Christ,” it contradicts the only two verses in the whole of the Bible that say even a single word about one’s getting “into Christ.”

The question must be asked another way. Nearly all (if not, all) Bible students would agree that salvation is found in Christ, not out of Him. Yet, many (if not, most) would exclude baptism as being necessary for one who is “out of” Jesus and so lost, to move to a saved condition “in Christ.” As we have seen, that excludes what (to every honest eye) appears to be the clear language of the Bible about one’s getting “into Christ.” Fair enough.  So then, using the Bible, how does one get into Christ, if not by baptism?

Is there a “faith into Christ” verse? Is their a “pray into Christ” verse?  Where is the “pray though” or “Sinner’s Prayer” into Christ verse?  Among the dozens of teachings which predominate modern Christian teaching about salvation (most of which expressly exclude baptism as being a condition of salvation), where is the verse which teaches any other than one is “baptized into Christ?”

To affirm that one is baptized into Christ, does not exclude his need for faith, prayer, repentance, or any other act or quality mentioned in scripture. However it does support the only Bible testimony that any man can provide from the words of the Bible text.  “As many of us as have baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” No amount of scholarship, no nuanced dissertation, and no weight of popular theology will ever change the simple, clear, and concise testimony of Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3.

Have You Been Baptized into Christ?

This essay started with the promise of offering a simple answer to the daunting and eternal question that humanity faces, “Am I Saved?” As we have seen, the Bible is truly simple on these points.

• Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2).
• Separated from God, man has no hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12).
• Every man (including you) has sinned (Romans 3:23).
• All spiritual blessings are found only in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3)
• Those spiritual blessings include: faith, love, the promise of life, grace, and salvation (1 and 2 Timothy)
• As many people as will (including yourself) be baptized, will be baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27).

Which of those statements above is not true, is not biblical? The answer is that simple.

Right now, you are either outside of Christ or in Him. That truth leaves you with an equally simple and personal question. Have you been baptized into Christ? The time to make sure your answer is “yes” is right now.

 “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16)