What does the Bible mean when it says that we are being saved? How many times are we saved? By the way, go Nicks.
Now, you’ve probably run across verses like this that may have confused you, and you might be saying, “Dan, how many times are we saved? I just don’t quite get it. I thought I was just saved one time. Do I need to keep being resaved again and again and again? And of course, the answer is no. In order to understand a question like this, you have to understand that our salvation is really spoken about in the Bible in three different tenses. The Bible speaks about our salvation in the past tense, in the present tense, and in the future tense. Uh for example, Paul writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15. He says, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel in which I preached to you, in which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.” Our justification is a one-time action that happened the moment that we believed, the moment that we placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we were saved. We were justified. We were declared righteous. It’s a judicial action by God to all those who believe. Those of us who are not righteous have now been made righteous by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. That’s past tense. We were saved. That’s justification. When the Bible talks about us being saved, it’s talking about our sanctification. Matter of fact, our whole Christian experience from justification until we die is this act of sanctification. We are in the process of being saved. In other words, we’re in the process of being made to look like Jesus, to be like Christ. We’re being transformed into his image. But our salvation is also future tense. We’re not we’re just not saved in the past. We’re not just being saved in the present. We are being saved in the future. And that is where glorification comes in. You see, there will be a time in our lives that we no longer sin again. There’s going to come a time in the future where we don’t ever need to repent. I can’t wait for that day. But also when we think about the current experiences that we go through, this is when our salvation is the most savory because we understand that finally we will have a new body. Our salvation will be complete. Meaning everything that God started in us will have been completed by his mercy and by his grace. And that is glorification. And that is all future tense. Yes, we are saved. We are being saved. And we will be saved. The Bible says, “Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved from him from the wrath of God.” That’s past and future. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, past tense, by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life. future tense. Yes, our salvation is not just one tense. It’s not just about the moment you believed. It’s about what God is doing in your life right now. It’s about what God will do in the future. This is the glory of our salvation. This is how good God is. So the question I would have for you is how do you see your salvation? Do you only see it as boy that one time I made a decision? The one time I made a I said a prayer. I repeated something the preacher told me to do. Or is it something that is active in your life right now? Present tense. That that is the key. That is what it’s all about. For if you do not see any visible fruit in your life, if there’s no repentance in your life, if there’s no desire for God in your heart, then your past hasn’t happened yet, meaning justification. The first thing you need to do is to be saved, to repent of your sins, and trust Christ for your salvation alone. And then you will see the visible fruit of sanctification which will result in the wonderful aspect of glorification. For John says when we see him we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. Amen. I look forward to that day friends and hope you do as well. So yes our salvation can be understood by three different tenses. God bless you.