What does it mean to be saved? Many people don't understand what salvation in Christ means and this makes them treat it as being trivial. While others mock those who are saved. And some people who have received this salvation keep going through the process of being saved again and again. This they do because they lack understanding of what it means to get saved.

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation - Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV).

Genesis

The fall of man

The salvation of our souls started from the very beginning, from the time of the fall of man. This was when God planned the redemption of man. So in Genesis 3:14-15, God declared the future to the serpent, how the seed of the woman would bruise his head while he will bruise the heel of the woman's seed.

So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly, you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:14-15 NKJV).

The above scripture talks about a seed, which connotes one seed and not more than one. And Christ is the only seed of a woman who has bruised the head of the devil, and the enemy bruised his heel in the process. This the enemy achieved by the persecution and death that Christ suffered.

God sent His Son Jesus Christ

At the fullness of time, God sent His son, born of a woman, to die for us and redeem us that we may receive the adoption as children of God.

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

- Galatians 4:4-5 (NKJV).

So, Christ came and went through this world as the Old Testament prophets prophesied, including His death on the cross and resurrection. This Christ achieved that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

- John 3:16 (NKJV).

Your victory in Christ lies on His resurrection; for death couldn't hold him captive. And when Jesus died, He went to hell retrieved the key of hell and death and set us free from the bondage of the fear of death.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

- Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV).

What Does It Mean To Be Saved

You're saved when you accept God's sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. And you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and rose again.  And you repent of your sins and confess Christ as your Lord and Saviour with your mouth.

It also means that you're born again, born of the Spirit and water (The word of God). Therefore, you're a new creation. And old things have passed away and all things have become new. Furthermore, it means that you're a part of God's family and now you can call God Almighty "Abba Father".

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." - John 3:3-6 (NKJV).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

- 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

- Romans 8:15-16 (NKJV).

Saved By Grace Through Faith

Now, you need to understand that you are saved by the grace of God through your faith in the finished work of Christ. Therefore, it's not of anything you did that you got saved; rather it's purely the gift of God. For no man can set himself free from the bondage of the devil. So, it's by grace because you didn't merit it, for while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. And all you have to do is to believe that Jesus died and rose again for your justification, and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

- Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV).

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

- Romans 5:8-9 ( NKJV).

Conclusion

God planned our salvation very well from the time of the fall of man. And the prophets spoke of this redemption process in the Old Testament, while the Lord executed it fully in the New Testament in the person of Christ. Thus, Jesus Christ was God's wisdom for the redemption of man. So, God was mindful of you and your freedom from the enemy's bondage, even before you were born. However, you get saved when you receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. Therefore, receive Christ today, if you haven't and be saved.

Ngozi Nwoke is a teacher, speaker, counselor and author of "Peace Money Can't Buy" and "The Man Jesus: What You Need to Know About Christ". She has a passion to teach people how to enjoy peace, God's love, and Christian living for a more fulfilling life. Want a more fulfilling life?