You Are Saved
“Dad, I know you’re not dead, but can I get my inheritance?”
“Umm ... sure, son.”
So the prodigal son took his inheritance and ran off to another country. He spent all his money living a wild life. After he was broke and had nothing, a famine happened. What did he do? He got a job feeding pigs.
But he still was hungry, and no one gave him anything to eat. After the son had smelled enough pig stuff, he remembered how well-fed his father’s servants always were—while here he was, starving. So the son decided to go back to the father. He planned an elaborate apology to persuade his father to accept him back, and he headed home hoping just to be a servant.
But while he was a long way off, the father saw him coming—then ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him.
The father didn’t ask where the son had been. He didn’t ask the son for an apology or for ten reasons why he should welcome him back. No, the father got him new clothes, his debit card, and some new Jordans. Not only that, but the father threw him a party with the finest steaks, wings, and burgers around.
The father didn’t condemn the son; he celebrated him.
God saved us by His kindness and goodness, not by our effort or work. There’s nothing we could do to save ourselves. God pursued us, found us, and then saved us. It was God’s pursuit of us, not our pursuit of God, that saved us. It’s by God’s grace, not our goodness, that we’re saved. Grace is God’s radical pursuit of us in kindness and love. We’re saved by Jesus’s work on our behalf, not by any work we can do.
That’s why anyone who says yes to Jesus as Lord will be saved. That’s it. All God wants us to do is to believe that Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead: “Jesus, I believe You’re my Lord and Savior, I believe You rose from the dead, and I want You to be my everything.”
God didn’t save you to make you His servant. God saved you to celebrate you. He saved you to lavish you with His kindness. He’s not asking you to live your life trying to repay the grace He has lavished on you; He’s asking you to live your life enjoying that grace!
There was nothing you could do to earn your salvation. And there’s nothing you can do to work yourself out of it. Your salvation is a fact, not a feeling. And it involves more than justgoing to heaven when you die. The Bible says that eternal life starts now.
Think about it. What makes heaven so great? Jesus. And Jesus lives in you today, which means we can enjoy Him in every moment.
No matter what you’ve done or what you do, Jesus doesn’t regret saving you. There’ll never be an instance when He lets you go. Nothing can take you from His hand or revoke your place in heaven. Your sin doesn’t surprise God; He has seen it all, and He chooses to love you and be for you forever.
He’ll never get tired of being your Savior. He’ll never get tired of living in you. He’ll never get tired of you.
Hearing God’s Opinion
“Rest in all that I’ve already done. I’ve finished the work. There’s nothing wrong with our relationship. We have peace. I adore you. Do you hear it? My Spirit is witnessing with yours that you’re My child! You’re the one I went to the cross for. Continue to live your life in the same way that you received Me. Trust Me. Let Me take your burdens. No matter what sin you commit, you’ll always be Mine. You’re locked in for good. I promise that nothing can take you away from Me. You’re saved completely and forever.”
Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
“Umm ... sure, son.”
So the prodigal son took his inheritance and ran off to another country. He spent all his money living a wild life. After he was broke and had nothing, a famine happened. What did he do? He got a job feeding pigs.
But he still was hungry, and no one gave him anything to eat. After the son had smelled enough pig stuff, he remembered how well-fed his father’s servants always were—while here he was, starving. So the son decided to go back to the father. He planned an elaborate apology to persuade his father to accept him back, and he headed home hoping just to be a servant.
But while he was a long way off, the father saw him coming—then ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him.
The father didn’t ask where the son had been. He didn’t ask the son for an apology or for ten reasons why he should welcome him back. No, the father got him new clothes, his debit card, and some new Jordans. Not only that, but the father threw him a party with the finest steaks, wings, and burgers around.
The father didn’t condemn the son; he celebrated him.
God saved us by His kindness and goodness, not by our effort or work. There’s nothing we could do to save ourselves. God pursued us, found us, and then saved us. It was God’s pursuit of us, not our pursuit of God, that saved us. It’s by God’s grace, not our goodness, that we’re saved. Grace is God’s radical pursuit of us in kindness and love. We’re saved by Jesus’s work on our behalf, not by any work we can do.
That’s why anyone who says yes to Jesus as Lord will be saved. That’s it. All God wants us to do is to believe that Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead: “Jesus, I believe You’re my Lord and Savior, I believe You rose from the dead, and I want You to be my everything.”
God didn’t save you to make you His servant. God saved you to celebrate you. He saved you to lavish you with His kindness. He’s not asking you to live your life trying to repay the grace He has lavished on you; He’s asking you to live your life enjoying that grace!
There was nothing you could do to earn your salvation. And there’s nothing you can do to work yourself out of it. Your salvation is a fact, not a feeling. And it involves more than justgoing to heaven when you die. The Bible says that eternal life starts now.
Think about it. What makes heaven so great? Jesus. And Jesus lives in you today, which means we can enjoy Him in every moment.
No matter what you’ve done or what you do, Jesus doesn’t regret saving you. There’ll never be an instance when He lets you go. Nothing can take you from His hand or revoke your place in heaven. Your sin doesn’t surprise God; He has seen it all, and He chooses to love you and be for you forever.
He’ll never get tired of being your Savior. He’ll never get tired of living in you. He’ll never get tired of you.
Hearing God’s Opinion
“Rest in all that I’ve already done. I’ve finished the work. There’s nothing wrong with our relationship. We have peace. I adore you. Do you hear it? My Spirit is witnessing with yours that you’re My child! You’re the one I went to the cross for. Continue to live your life in the same way that you received Me. Trust Me. Let Me take your burdens. No matter what sin you commit, you’ll always be Mine. You’re locked in for good. I promise that nothing can take you away from Me. You’re saved completely and forever.”
Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
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You're Not LukewarmSaints Not SinnersAs Righteous As JesusThe Resurrection Worked, TooDraw Near to God?You Cannot Lose Your SalvationGod's Grace Is Not A License to SinForgiven of All SinsIf a Christian commits suicide, are they saved?Does Science Point to God?Do we have to give (tithe) 10% of our money?What about 1 John 1:9? Do we need to confess our sins daily?What About the Violence in the Old Testament?Can believers lose fellowship with God?Do Believers need to ask God to forgive them each day? What about the Lord\'s Prayer?Is there historical evidence for Christ and His resurrection?What Does It Mean to "Fear God"?Does the Holy Spirit Convict Believers of Sin?Does God cause suffering?What is God's Will for My Life?Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?What Does the Bible say about Depression? Is it wrong for a Christian to be depressed?What is God's Discipline?You Are Not Under the LawWill Believers be Judged for their sin?
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What did Jesus mean when He said, “I never knew you. Depart from me”?Does Hebrews 6:4-6 mean we can lose our salvation?Did God Kill Ananias and Sapphira?The Unforgivable SinWill we have to give an account for our sins?What does it mean to Grieve and Quench the Spirit?What Does it Mean to take Communion in an Unworthy Manner?
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