09/26/2026
Are You Really SAVED?
By Pastor Ron Flowers, M.Div.
In today’s Christian experience, the question “Are you really saved?” carries many nuances, often shaped by denominational traditions, personal experiences, and the way people were taught to understand salvation. Whether you are Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, AME, or from another Christian tradition, our lived experiences may differ. However, the Bible is very clear concerning the foundation of salvation. According to Ephesians 2:8–9, Paul teaches that we are saved by grace through faith, and that salvation is not of ourselves; it is the gift of God and not of works. This means that salvation originates with God and rests upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. When a person recognizes that he or she is a sinner in need of a Savior and receives Christ by faith, that person is justified based on what Christ has done. Good works do not cause salvation; rather, they should become the result of salvation.
Growing up in a Pentecostal church, as a little boy, I thought that “catching the Holy Ghost” was the physical evidence of salvation. I was taught that if you did not speak in tongues, you were not saved. These expressions were often based on powerful emotional experiences and supported by selected scriptures. The problem comes when we make our particular church experience the universal standard for everyone else’s salvation. Years ago, I remember a man who attended what we called a “tarrying service.” This was a gathering where people who were seeking the Holy Ghost would sit, pray, and repeatedly say, “Thank You, Jesus,” until they began speaking in tongues. One man who attended had a speech impediment, and for years I never witnessed him experience what we described as speaking in tongues. Based on what I had been taught, I found myself wondering, “Was this man saved? Would he go to hell simply because he never had the same outward experience as everyone else?”
That question forced me to look more closely at Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 12:30, the Apostle Paul asks, “Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” The expected answer is NO! Paul makes it clear that the Holy Spirit does not distribute every spiritual gift to every believer. 1 Corinthians 12:11 says that the Spirit distributes gifts to each person “as he will.” In Acts 2, the Greek word translated “tongues” is glōssa, which can mean tongue or language. At Pentecost, people from many nations heard the disciples declaring the mighty works of God in languages they could understand. This connects directly to what Jesus said in Acts 1:8, that they would receive power when the Holy Ghost came upon them and would become His witnesses to other nations. The purpose of the Spirit’s power was not merely to create an emotional experience; the Holy Spirit empowered them to witness, communicate the gospel, and reach thousands of people. In this we learn an important lesson: the Holy Spirit works according to His will, not according to our denominational expectations.
So, what constitutes salvation?
Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” When someone is born again and makes a conscious decision to follow Christ, salvation should begin producing evidence in that person’s life. Again, good works do not purchase salvation, but a transformed life should reveal that something has changed. This is why Ephesians 2:10, immediately after telling us that we are saved by grace and not by works, says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved unto good works.
On the other hand, if someone claims to know Christ while consciously choosing an unrepentant lifestyle of sin without conviction, repentance, or any desire for transformation, Scripture gives us reason to seriously examine that profession of faith. Paul asked the church at Rome in Romans 6:1–2, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” Grace was never intended to become permission to live however we choose. One of the problems in the church is that we can confuse salvation with religious expression. In some churches, salvation can become associated primarily with shouting, dancing, speaking in tongues, or another outward expression. In other settings, salvation may become associated with attending church, being baptized, serving others, or simply doing good deeds. But neither emotional expression nor good works can replace genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
The evidence of a transformed life is not merely found in what happens during a church service; it is also revealed in the character of the believer. Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23 as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Fruit is evidence of what is happening at the root. You can imitate an emotional expression, but genuine spiritual fruit develops through an ongoing relationship with Christ. This does not mean that a Christian will never struggle, stumble, sin, or make mistakes. Salvation does not immediately produce perfection. However, genuine conversion should produce a new direction, a desire to follow Christ, a willingness to repent when we fall, and an increasing desire to submit our lives to the Holy Spirit.
So, if you profess to know Christ while deliberately maintaining a lifestyle that consistently rejects His Word, it is appropriate to ask yourself a serious question: did I simply have a religious experience, or have I truly received Christ? Jesus said in John 16:8 that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit exposes truth in the midst of darkness, convicts us concerning sin, points us toward righteousness, and guides the believer into truth. The question is not simply, “Did you shout? Did you speak in tongues? Did you join a church? Were you baptized? Do you perform good deeds?” The deeper question is, “Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, and is that relationship producing evidence of transformation in your life?” Salvation is not about performing for people. It is about being saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So I leave you with this question: Are you really SAVED?
Living Streams Worship Center Media
Chicago Cubs
Downtown Monroe Historic District, Monroe
Town of Indian Trail, NC - Government
Musician's Friend
