![\"\"](\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0061171069-198x300.jpg\")
Being “saved” sometimes resonates as something illusive. You hear terms like “evangelical,” “born again,” “redeemed…”<\/p>\nBeing “saved” sometimes resonates as something illusive. You hear terms like “evangelical,” “born again,” “redeemed…”<\/p>\n
But what does it mean and how does one make it happen?<\/p>\n
First of all, let’s look at a couple of questions and scenarios that will help rule out some things that can be distracting otherwise.<\/p>\n
Imagine two individuals\u2014one is a demon the other is a believer.\u00a0Try to determine which one is which based on the way they might answer the following questions:<\/p>\n
Question #1: Do you believe in God? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n James 2:19 says:<\/p>\n You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that\u2014and shudder. (Jas 2:19)<\/strong><\/p>\n Based on that passage, what do you think the demon would say?<\/p>\n Question #2: Do you believe that Jesus is God\u2019s Son? <\/span><\/p>\n In Matthew 8:29, several demons see Jesus coming and they say:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want with us, Son of God?\u201d they shouted. \u201cHave you come here to torture us before the appointed time?\u201d\u00a0 (Matt 8:29)<\/strong><\/p>\n Obviously the believer would answer yes, but how do you think the demon will reply based on the verse we just read?<\/p>\n Question #3: Do you believe that Jesus rose from the grave? <\/span><\/p>\n Again, the believer is going to answer yes. What\u2019s the demon\u2019s answer going to be?<\/p>\n Colossians 2:15 says:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAnd having disarmed the powers and authorities, he (Jesus) made a public spectacle of them (Satan and demons), triumphing over them by the cross.\u201d (Col 2:15)<\/strong><\/p>\n Based on those two verses, how do you think the demons would answer? What do you think? Is there a difference in the way our two individuals answered the questions? Let\u2019s take a minute and review what was asked:<\/p>\n There\u2019s no difference between these two individuals based on the questions that were asked. Both answered in exactly the same way. James 2:19 indicates that demons believe in God<\/span>. Matthew 8:29 quotes a demon as accurately referring to Jesus as God\u2019s Son<\/span>, and it\u2019s evident from the other Scriptures we looked at that the devil and those who serve him are very aware of the defeat that was dealt them when Jesus rose<\/span> from the grave.<\/p>\n Do you smell that?<\/p>\n That’s the aroma of reality.<\/p>\n The fact is,\u00a0demons “believe” that Jesus is God’s Son and that He rose from the grave. So, there’s got to be something else besides just a willingness to acknowledge Jesus as a historical figure with some theological substance attached to Him.<\/p>\n But what?<\/p>\n When you believe something in your mind, it changes the way you think. But when you believe something in your heart, it changes the way you live. You see that idea expressed in Proverbs 4:23:<\/p>\n \u201cAbove all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it\u201d (Prov. 4:23)<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s significant that Scripture references the heart as what constitutes the source of who you are rather than the mind. Some maintain that if you can change a person\u2019s mind, you can change who they are, but who someone is as a person is determined by more than mere facts. Two people can be confronted with the exact same scenario and be presented with the exact same set of information yet process it differently because who you are determines the way you think.<\/p>\n With that in mind, take a look at Romans 10:9-10:<\/p>\n \u201cThat is you confess with your mouth, \u2018Jesus is Lord,\u2019 and believe in your heart<\/span> that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved\u201d (Rom. 10:9-10).<\/strong><\/p>\n “It’s with your heart<\/span> that you believe.” It’s comparable to that situation where someone agrees that diet and exercise are healthy habits. But it’s the one who actually engages those habits that demonstrates a belief that resides in his heart.<\/p>\n So, Jesus isn’t just “the” Messiah, He’s “my” Messiah.\u00a0He’s not just King of kings, He’s “my” King. He’s my Creator, He’s my Redeemer, He is my Lord.<\/p>\n Your belief doesn’t merely qualify you as morally perfect before God – which is what happens when you accept God’s gift of grace.1<\/sup> It also facilitates a complete transformation of who you are.<\/p>\n \u00a0Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,<\/span>\u00a0the new creation<\/span>\u00a0has come:<\/span>\u00a0The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor 5:17)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n When you make the Reality of Christ your reality – when you’re recognizing that what He did on the cross was for you in the most direct and personal way possible – at that point, you’re no longer respecting a Nativity scene or a crucifix, you’re now sitting down with the Son of God as your Savior and not just a lifeless idea.2<\/sup> In that moment, you go from being a spiritual corpse to having a spiritual pulse.3<\/sup> Your membership into the Kingdom of God is now guaranteed,4<\/sup>, but you’re also operating according to an entirely new internal paradigm in that God’s Spirit is living in you.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you also were included in Christ when you heard that word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit\u201d (Eph. 1:13). [See also Jn. 14:17; Gal. 4:7.]<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s His Spirit that’s now providing a Voice that, up to now, wasn’t even available (see Eph 2:1). This Voice is now guiding you and giving you a new kind of desire for doing the right thing at the right time in the right way for all the right reasons.5<\/sup><\/p>\n Let\u2019s go back to the Q\/A session with two individuals we were envisioning at the beginning of our discussion. Let\u2019s imagine that they have to answer one more question, and here it is:<\/p>\n Does the Spirit of Christ live in you?<\/p>\n Romans 8:9 says:<\/p>\n \u201cYou, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.\u201d (Rom 8:9)<\/strong><\/p>\n What would the demon say, what would the believer say?<\/p>\n What would you say?<\/p>\n According to Romans 8:9, that is the determining factor. That is what distinguishes the believer from the demon in our scenario.<\/p>\n There are many who go through life having convinced themselves that they\u2019re believers\u2014thinking that a mental acknowledgment of Christ\u2019s reality equates to the saving belief referenced in Scripture. It\u2019s not an uncommon fallacy, but it is nevertheless a departure from God\u2019s Word that is both tragic and lethal.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the belief that comes from the heart that manifests itself as a personal conviction and not just a mental acknowledgement opens the door to a relationship with the One Who put the stars in their place and gives you, not only a guarantee of an eternity spent with Him, but a life that’s truly worth living as long as you’re walking this earth.<\/p>\n That’s what it means to be saved!<\/p>\n\n
Believing With Your Heart<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A Complete Transformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n