Title Are You Saved?
Psalm 107:1-43, John 14:6, Romans 10:13
1. Introduction
Even among believers who have accepted Jesus and lead a religious life, when someone asks, “Are you really saved?” from someone or yourself, there are cases in which people are very confused.
There seem to be several reasons for panicking at the question of <Am I really saved?>. First, it is because of the guilt of not being able to live like a saint. Because he knows the sins he has committed so well, he is not sure of salvation. Second, there are many cases of mother's faith, and the assurance of salvation is weak because there is no groundbreaking experience of faith like a new believer. Third, I think it is because of the ignorance of the Christian view of salvation that the Bible proclaims.
This problem should start from understanding the <Christian view of salvation>.
In the Bible, words such as the gospel, eternal life, the new person, the new person, the forgiveness of sins, the grace of redemption, and faith are used with almost the same meaning as <saved>. I think there are three dimensions of this salvation.
first. Historical Salvation from the Evil Realities of Life
As the Psalm 107 text clearly shows, there are times in our lives when we wander on the desert road in the wilderness, find no city to live in, and die of hunger and thirst. There are times when we sit in chains, in darkness, in prison, and in the shadow of death. There are times when we are sick and groan from sin and iniquity. There are times when there is a storm at sea and the ship is in danger of overturning soon.
As in Luke 4:16-21, our lives are captive, blind, oppressed, or poor, and sometimes even lead to suicide. A person must be liberated and freed from the various dangers, sorrows, hardships and pains that he encounters in the field of life. This is salvation from the evil reality of life.
The Bible is very powerful in proclaiming salvation from the evil reality of this very life. A typical example is the history of the Exodus. In my distress I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me (Psalm 120:1). God is the God who saves us from the evil reality of concrete life.
second. Ontological Salvation
It was Nicodemus and the rich young man who made it clear that man could never live on bread alone. They are rich, powerful, young, highly educated people. They are the people who came to Jesus not because of the hard reality, but because the people in them were big and stuffy and their inner vitality had dried up.
When a person is young, he has no money, and when he has money, he becomes old. However, these people were young and had money, and they were the main characters of the moonlit night, but the inner world was not. Why? It could be their hidden sin. It could be a spiritual hunger. Whatever it is, man cannot live on bread alone and needs salvation from such inner, spiritual, and existential suffering.
He said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." John 7:37. They were freed from that suffering through Jesus. This is salvation from existential suffering.
third. Eschatological Salvation
It is the right rule for a person to die, and there is judgment after that. This is the eschatological eternal judgment. In this judgment, people are divided into the kingdom of God or eternal punishment in hell.
He said, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Those who call on the name of his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, will receive eternal life salvation in this last great judgment. He said in the hymn, "Even if I have a sad heart because of the sins I have committed, when I die, my words, Jesus, save me (chapter 252). Even if I lack something, you will receive me, the King in the kingdom of glory, Jesus our Savior, Jesus (chapter 545)."
3. What is the <evidence of salvation>?
Everyone who reads these words believe that they have received the <Blessing of Salvation>. Amen.
Word Fountain Church