What Does It Mean to be Saved?
Some Christians will ask, “when were you saved?”. Generally, the people who ask this question have experienced a time in their lives when they felt a profound conversion in their lives and gave their lives over to Christ. This is when they believe they were saved.
The terminology of “being saved” has solid roots in the Bible. Jesus himself says to people, “Your faith has saved you.”
Another phrase to consider here is “born again.” It comes from Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus at the beginning of chapter 3 in the Gospel of John. In verse 3, Jesus speaks of being “born from above.” Nicodemus mistakenly interprets this as “born again” with one reentering their mother’s womb to be born again. Jesus corrects Nicodemus to understand “born from above” as “being born of water and spirit.” These verses as I have quoted them are from the New American Bible Revised Edition, the official translation by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. If one looks at other translations, one can see that the terminology of “born again” is carried throughout the passage (for example, see John 3 in the King James translation).
Using the King James translation, one can readily see a basis for speaking of the need “to be born again.” Returning to the New American Bible Revised Translation, Jesus says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5). If we want to enter Heaven, we need to be “born of water and Spirit.”
The question is how is this experienced by us in this world. Those who ask, “when were you saved” look to a distinct moment of conversion. What about a person who has been a faithful Christian their entire life? They have not experienced a specific time of conversion in their lives. Are they saved?
If you are looking for a particular moment when one is “born of water and spirit,” one needs to look no further than Baptism. At Baptism, we are born of water as water is poured over us as we are cleansed of our past sins and receive the gift of eternal life. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down upon him as the Holy Spirit comes down us in our baptism. We are “born of water and spirit” at Baptism.
The question I am really interested in today is Baptism a guarantee that we will go to Heaven. Those who ask “when were you saved” might reply here, “once saved, always saved.” Does this mean that once you have experienced this profound conversion, your future sins do not matter? I think a better way of seeing how they understand it would be to say that if you have given your life to Christ, you aren’t going to sin (see 1 John 3:4-10).
Without question, when we turn our lives to Christ, our goal should be to sin no more (just as Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery to do, John 8:11). As Catholics, when we go to confession in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we say an Act of Contrition that includes us saying that we firmly resolve to sin no more.
Unfortunately, we may repeat our sins. Here, we find hope in Matthew 18:22 where Jesus says that we need to keep forgiving over and over. Every time we come to Jesus with a truly repentant heart, we will be forgiven.
In the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7), Jesus says, “I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Luke 15:7). Of course, God desires that we never sin again but God is a loving father who is eager to forgive us (Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32). We were once lost in sin but are found in Christ when we turn to him with repentant hearts.
Ezekiel 33:10-20 offers us important guidance and comfort. In verse 11, we read, “As I live—oracle of the Lord God—I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” God does not want us to die in sin. He wants us to turn from our sinful ways to live in the life He offers us. Jesus himself assures us of this when He says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).
In Ezekiel 33:11, we read “The justice of the just will not save them on the day they sin; the wickedness of the wicked will not bring about their downfall on the day they turn from their wickedness.” Just because we live most of our lives according to the Lord’s justice, does not guarantee our salvation if we choose to sin at the end. In the same way, one could live a sinful life but at the end, turn their hearts to God and be saved. Being saved, receiving our place in Heaven, is not a question of having done more good than bad. It is a matter of what is in our hearts at the moment we face our judgment.
Do you seek a place in Heaven because it is better than Hell? Or do you seek a place in Heaven because you truly believe Jesus is the way and the truth and the life (see John 14:1-6)?
Trust in Jesus and He will save you.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff