I’m saved, now what?
Many people hear the Word and believe, but need to know “what’s next”? Often they ask, “now what”? This article is meant to give some advice/help for newer believers, but may not be bad as a refresher for anyone at any level. As always, be sure you have understood the clear gospel.
As with anything you read by anyone, start first with a simple prayer asking God to show you what’s true from His Word any time you read. And to help you be vigilant, check for yourself in His Word if what is said is correct (1 Thess 5:21; Acts 17:11) when someone tells you something. Each of the passages in this article should be linked to make it easier. So, I ask you to either read through and come back and look at each one or check the Scriptures as you go. The reason I link to multiple versions is that only some translations offer Cross References (CR)in the capitalized letter by certain portions of the Scripture. It’s really fulfilling to take the time to see if they are helpful to the place you are reading. Doing this is an important part of learning that God’s Word is more important than any man’s (or woman’s) words, including my own. I think a literal version like KJV, NKJV or NASB side by side with either one may help. Some feel KJV is the best translation.
Continue in His Word
The first thing that comes to mind (for me) is what Jesus told the Jews who had just believed in Him.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32
We need to hear the good news in the first place, in order to believe and receive eternal life for free, right? So, it only makes sense that we need to continue to hear His Word, so we can get to know more about the One who loved us so much. The Savior that offered His life freely in our place (John 10:17-18; John 14:6). 1 Peter 2:2 encourages you to desire the ‘sincere milk’ of His Word so you might grow in it.
I have told a little story to my daughters in the past as an example, somewhat like this:
Imagine if you had a man who loved you. He would do anything for you, and loved you with such a great love like no other. And He told you that He was going away for awhile to make a home for you (John 14:1-3). And while He was gone preparing this place, He called you, but you rarely spoke to Him. And He wrote you every day, and in the beginning, you combed through the letters to see what He said. But after awhile, you took it for granted, or maybe just let others read them and tell you what it said. Or you put it off, the letters stacked up, and eventually it became just another grind. Even people you didn’t know very well (or Him), were telling you what His letters to you said. And you didn’t even read them later to see if they were correctly relating what your loved one wrote. Have you shown the One you love that you care what He’s written to you?
I asked my girls, did they think their love would grow with Him if they lost communication with Him? If they didn’t read His letters — His words written to them? How would they trust and love someone they didn’t know or remembered incorrectly? Would He be hurt? So I ask you dear friend, is your Bible dusty? Or maybe you weren’t shown how to start, or you just don’t know where to begin again. If it’s a been awhile, I’d suggest starting with the book of John so you can be grounded again in the good news. Take a book at a time in the epistles, read through them and then start to study them.
Abide in Jesus
We need to pray for little things in our life. That’s abiding — just talking to God as we would another person we loved and respected. Letting them know our hurts, our desires, our needs. He cares (1 Pet 5:7), so cast your cares on Him. The Bible tells us that God even stores our tears (Ps 56:8). What kind of a tender God is that? Please take time to read (or re-read) Psalm 139. Write down some things that touch you personally.
Comfort in the Bible
The Bible tells us that these words in Scripture were written ahead of time for this purpose:
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Rom 15:4).
When I got back into the Bible (after some time of ignoring it), I had a lot to unlearn — a lot of false teachings from people that seemed sound (or were well known). My problem was I hadn’t learned to be like a Berean, which means, we need to check to see if what someone is telling us is really what the Bible says it is (Seen in Acts 17:11, and 1 Thess 5:21 among many).
There were two passages of Scripture that kind of became a simple foundation of what I decided that I could try to do with His help (and yes, I even prayed for that). The first was simply learning to trust Him and pray for more little things in my life (Proverbs 3:5-6). And passage below was a big one for me about His Word, and the simplicity that is in Christ. This time spent with Him will NOT be taken from us.
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
In the beginning, I had no clue why Jesus chastised Martha. Martha welcomed Jesus, and was busy serving every one. It didn’t seem as if she had done anything wrong. But suddenly I was seeing something different in this passage. Martha got distracted from Jesus, even by good things. But Mary, sat at Jesus feet and heard His Word.
Sometimes we get worried, distracted, troubled about many things in this life, but Mary had chosen the good part, and it would not be taken away from her. We should too, it makes such a difference. This passage is an excellent picture of spending time with Jesus and continuing in His Word. That time in His Word will never be taken away from us. His Word teaches us, yes, even you and even me (Pr 22:17-21), and cleanses us if we will take heed to it (Ps 119:9). How can we take heed to it though if we don’t know it? Jesus prayed for His disciples to be sanctified by His Word of truth. And not just them but us too (John 17:17-20).
Putting on your armor
There is a passage in Ephesians 6 about putting on our armor daily because we are in a spiritual battle in this world. So we don’t fight with tools of flesh and blood. Eph 6:10-18 tells us how to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (see also 2 Cor 10:4-5). And that when we take up His whole armor, we’ll be able to withstand evil and having done all, to stand. I suggest you read and copy the entire passage, but here are the parts of the whole armor of God.
- TRUTH – Gird your waist with it – The Word of God is truth (Jn 17:17) Can you find other Scriptures that speak about God’s Word as truth? List them here and/or make a document with verses on TRUTH.
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- RIGHTEOUSNESS – Breastplate of righteousness. We aren’t righteous through any acts of our own. (Rom 3:10 says there are none righteous, no not one). But Christ is our righteousness because we have believed (Rom 10:4; Rom 5:18-21), and does not come through any good works (Titus 3:4-7; Rom 4:2-6). Get grounded in the fact, that when you believe you have been given His righteousness, and none of it is your own (Is 64:6). Find a few more verses yourself. Search for words like righteous or just/justified. Put them here.
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- GOSPEL OF PEACE – I never fully understood this, until I began to see all the subtly distorted or unclear gospels out there. Accursed gospels that add law or works to the front or back side of salvation (Gal 1:6-10). They tell people you must finish in good works to complete your salvation or in order to prove you were saved. This is untrue. Those people are addressed in Gal 3:1-5. We cannot finish in our flesh that which God began in the Spirit. Keep reading the Word and talking to Jesus and let Him help you grow up in Him. That’s what He asks of us. Remind yourself, that God’s grace is what brought salvation to all men (Titus 2:11). And He desires none should perish (2 Pet 3:9) which is why He asks us to pray for all men, even our enemies (1 Tim 2:1-6), because He desires all should come to a knowledge of the truth.
Can believers become confused about the gospel? (2 Cor 11:3-4; Gal 3:1-5). Yes ____ No____. Even mature believers or leaders of the church? (Acts 20:25-32) Yes ___ No___. If you are unsure, ask us.
Don’t forget there is nothing you can do but believe on Christ and His work on the cross for us. Once you have believed on Him for eternal life, you are sealed by the Spirit, kept by God unto the day of redemption/salvation (Eph 1:13; 4:30; 1 Pet 1:5). Extra credit 🙂 List other locations you find the gospel in His Word.
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So refresh yourselves in the Gospel
Remember a few things about the Gospel itself. It is ALL of His work (Eph 2:8-9). It is no works, but believing is what we’re asked to do. And at that moment, we were sealed by the Spirit, passed from death unto eternal life, already translated into His Kingdom, forgiven of all of our sins, kept by the power of God, never to be lost (Eph 1:13; John 5:24; Col 1:13; Col 2:13-15, 1 Pet 1:5; John 10:28-29). Don’t let someone tell you a different or unclear gospel.
- SHIELD OF FAITH – The Bible reminds us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). This shield will help with the fiery darts the enemy sends our way, (if we’ll look for and apply Scriptures that will answer him). Jesus answered Satan in Matthew 4 with ‘it is written’. Satan twisted Scripture, Jesus rightly used the powerful Word of God to answer him. Spend time at the feet of Jesus hearing His Word like Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Hide it in your heart (Ps 119:11). It will give you light (Ps 119:30; 105). Find some passages on faith in the NT Epistles (Romans forward). This is for you.
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- HELMET OF SALVATION – Remind yourself of the passages that tell us that believers (who are all sealed until the day of redemption) can never be snatched out of His hand — that Jesus will not lose even one (John 10:28-29), nor will He ever cast us out (John 6:37-40). Salvation is the free gift of everlasting life (Rom 6:23) which is just that. Everlasting and we are promised we will never perish (John 3:14-18; John 10:28-29). Don’t listen to people that twist Scriptures to say you can lose that which is eternal. Please read more here on how Eternal life is God’s promise to all believers. Use it as a Bible study to ask questions about eternal life.
- SWORD OF THE SPIRIT – The sword is the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 gives us a better picture of what the Word can do in our lives. Do remember anyone can use Scripture, but it doesn’t mean they are using context (asking the questions of who it speaks to, what, why, where, when, how) and looking for the whole story around it, not necessarily just that verse or passage.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb 4:12
Do you find other passages on the Sword of the Spirit in the NT?
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Read Isaiah 55:10-11 to find out how God’s Word should settle in our lives and what it should accomplish. I’ll try to continue with more advice for new or believer, but for this segment, remember this always.
Choose the good part
Two things to remember simply. Spend time with Jesus in prayer and keep reading His Word. I suggest a good start with the book of John which goes through a lot of interesting things. Remember sometimes He’s speaking to those who don’t believe and some who do. He does many miracles to prove who He is to the Jews who were supposed to recognize their Messiah/Christ. And He has told them many different ways Who He is, there are seven to eight ‘I Am’ declarations in John. That is simply saying I AM (God) and followed up with something like ‘the Light of the World’). If you’d like to know more, see this article. The book was written for a purpose and that is so we would know who He is and know that in believing we would have life in His name (John 20:31).
Nowhere is the book of John is the word ‘repent’ used in the book, although it’s purpose for being written is so that we might be saved. Repent does not mean ‘repent from sin’ as many ‘street preachers’ display in bold letters on their signs. Repent is simply a change of mind about something you previously believed regarding God or yourself, anything that was keeping you from believing upon Jesus as your Savior. When we believe, we’ve had a different way of thinking regarding what truth is in that department. Once we believe, He desires we start learning about how He wants us to live.
Simple synopsis to this article?
Read the Word and pray.
As you read His Word, talk to God. Ask Questions, tell Him what you don’t understand and trust Him to eventually show you. He will teach you (1 John 2:27). Stay humble (1 Pet 5:5-7; James 4:6-7). Pray for some Christian friends who are sound in the Word who will spend time with you and help you grow. Be cautious with the church you might pick to attend. Ask some you trust to check out what their statement of faith is, and what their gospel is. Both very important before you take teaching from them. You want a church that teaches the Bible rightly.
God bless you, please feel free to comment if you’d like follow-up, use your real email (which will not be shown to others here) and I will write you back. Or you can go to Facebook and like Redeeming moments.
God bless you in your walk, and please feel free to ask any questions.
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Dear Hollie:
I was “saved” in 2013, i was lead to stop trusting in my works and rest in the finished work of Jesus through simply believing on his promise in John 3:16. (Thomas’s book Secure Forever led me to believe this)
Your articles have been a real blessing to me, i had found them way back in around 2014 and your posts help me to put my focus back on God. Thank you for providing so many articles!
There is an issue which has been troubling me recently – To put it bluntly, i am not a very good Christian. I am lukewarm and i don’t even read the bible daily (Easily distracted by things) and i lack faith in the ever presence of God.
I understand God’s will is primarely to work in us to produce good fruit after we are saved, but after 6 years i find myself going back to the same bad behaviorial patterns, SINS, and i lack a sense of Gods Chastening in my life. I expect God to give me a big revelation to stop my habitual sins, or stike me sick, etc just to cause me to follow him properl and take him seriously but nothing has happened.
I also fear what a lot of other Christians say, when i read comments from around the internet it would imply i have “Mind Belief” but not “Heart Belief” (I am sure you have heard these terms before somewhere)
In summary, i have a few questions:
1: When i experience painful doubt and feel a need for God’s word and Gospel, would you say that is a form of God’s Chastening in my life?
2: Surely since i worry about the issue, and come back to The Bible/Sermons/ and Pray, this is evident i have Heart Belief?
.I feel the answers of these questions are so obvious, they don’t really need an answer but i would appreciate some help because you said “Feel free to ask” 🙂
It feels great to get this off my chest too, thank you for reading.
– Liam
Dear Liam,
I’m so thankful that you’ve found some help here, but it comes from His Word.
How do I answer this?
What is a good Christian?
I think we all fail. Continually. But part of getting back up is remembering the two things we need. Simple answer: His Word and prayer, reading even a little, talking with Him.
When I fail, I just think, look back to Him. Try to pray for more little things (Pr 3:5-6). Tell Him about what you’re telling me about. The answer is always in the continuing in His Word. First we have to know it in order to take heed to it. This is what saves us in our daily lives (John 8:31-32; Ps 119:9-11).
A lack of His Word will have our faith wavering (Rom 10:17). We know faith comes by hearing His Word. We know He is not a liar, so just persisting like an ant. Get back up. Add to your faith (2 Pet 1:5-9), but again, that comes with His Word. Confess/admit to Him and just remember how faithful He is and just to forgive us (practically speaking, since positionally we are forgiven all trespasses – Col 2:13-15).
We are creatures of habit I’m afraid, Romans 7 is clear. His blood washed away our sin, but we need His Word so that the Holy Spirit can bring it to our remembrance in wrong doing. I think certain people have certain weak areas they struggle with, but that will be a fact until we die, our soul wars with our flesh, evil is still present within us (Rom 7:24-25; 1 Pet 2:11). If we look at the admonitions in Scripture, it seems to be continual. Lay aside the sin. Don’t be conformed. Renew your mind. Put off the old man, etc. So I think it’s a struggle we understand as the Word tends to show us our sin.
But the Word also sanctifies us (John 17:17), and cleanses us (Ps 119:9), teaches us and gives us an answer for others (Pr 22:17-21), lights up our path (Ps 119:1-5), gives us a way to answer the accuser of the brethren (Matt 4), you can see where I’m headed.
Bottom line, try to just make some time. If you can only grasp a little daily, it’s always better than none. Try to study first with His approval as your goal (2 Tim 2:15), our attitude with the Word matters. But it doesn’t return void, it will accomplish something (Is 55:10-11).
Don’t weary!
But DO stay away from other sites, youtube videos, blogs, etc., that teach load-ship. There is no difference between the mind and heart really. Think about it. What do we THINK with? The question is whether we have believed it (Christ and Him crucified) for us. He saved us by His work. They are the ones that don’t believe it by constantly talking about the quality of their faith.
Let me answer your questions separately.
Liam, you’ve asked some questions that I know plague many because of the immense amount of confusion on the internet.
1: When i experience painful doubt and feel a need for God’s word and Gospel, would you say that is a form of God’s Chastening in my life?
Here is what I think about chastening. I try not to worry about what others say it is, because every bad thing that happened in my life they’d be blaming on me and saying God was somehow punishing me. I figure the Lord will correct me with His Word if I’ll cooperate and get into it. The Hebrews were being corrected with His Word for them wanting to give up in the face of persecution. Proverbs 3 was being cited in Heb 12. Think about how the Holy Spirit moves us, and it’s through bringing God’s Word to our remembrance. The truth. That is how we are set apart/sanctified and cleansed (Jn 17:17; Eph 5:26). So when I’m in doubt, I ask God to chasten (correct) me through His Word and then I spend some time in it. He will show us where we’re going wrong. Read through Proverbs 3, it’s about peace when we depart from evil and we get wisdom. He’ll correct us when we obey to continue in it.
2: Surely since i worry about the issue, and come back to The Bible/Sermons/ and Pray, this is evident i have Heart Belief?
Evidence that you have believed? Not really such a thing 🙂 We know if we have believe the gospel or not. But even if I didn’t now, and I did at one time, God is the one who is the guarantor of my faith in Him. I like 1 John 5:9-13 for this reason. Don’t listen to men, you know what you have believed and it is God’s record of His Son. In verse 13, the second ‘believe’ is more like a continuing or potential sense (present, active, subjunctive). In other words, the Word was written to believers so we might KNOW that we (believers) possess eternal life. Why? Because we believed God’s testimony of His Son. And the reason for it being written so we might continue in faith.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Liam, it’s not by feelings of our own, it’s by what we have (past) believed regarding what God said about His Son, and He’s not a man that He should lie.
And to continue in faith, we really do need His Word. He wrote it ahead of time for our comfort (Rom 15:4) and also so we might have hope.
I hope this has helped you some. I know when I’m off track, the answer is to get back into His Word. Choose the needed thing (Luke 10:38-42). Praying for you.
Holly, thank you very much for spending the time to look over these questions with me. Your comments have been very helpful, and although i know i “feel” cold and emotionless to The Lord right now, i know this salvation is not based on our feelings.
I will meditate on the verses you sent me, and i Thank God that you did reply because i prayed to him that he would speak to me through you and i felt i could trust you wouldn’t cause me to worry because your website focuses on “Feeding the sheep” and not shutting the door to heaven 🙂
I really need to change my perspective on chastening, the way i view it i always think of “Striking with the Rod” and it can be damaging to my walk with God to view him this way all the time.
While sin is sin, it should not be tolerated but God’s word should change me as he shows me more everyday.
I have asked Jesus to reveal himself to me and show me himself through his word. I can see no other option that would help me sin less, than spending time reading God’s word which is basic Christian 101 🙂
I occasionaly ask the Lord, “I believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” and when i am far from him i am reminded of the women who said to Jesus “Even the dog gets scraps that fall to the floor from his masters table” Mathew 15-27,28 – which is a verse i find very helpful to me.
In such a dark world, it is so, so easy to stop believing in God’s Grace because God is soooo Good compared to what the world offers us, especially with how confused the world is these days. But God’s word is a light for our path.
Thank you for praying for me also, i will pray for you too Holly.
Liam, I think what has been hard for a lot of us is the wolves in sheep’s clothing. We forget they look like sheep and they do wonderful works (Matt 7:15-23). Someone shared an article with me today the difference between a believer and a Christian. Shaking my head, they twist God’s Word to their destruction. It really is perilous times. Luke 10:38-42 was/is my kind of go to passage on my walk with Him, along with Prov 3:5-6. I just need to choose to spend time with Jesus hearing His Word which will never be taken from me. Sometimes it helps to get intentional without beating yourself up if I don’t do exactly what I planned to do. One time I determined to read the book of Galatians over and over for a month along with some of my time I like to read from Psalms and Proverbs as just refreshing myself. I like to read also online, with parallel books. I choose Biblegateway only because it was one of the first I learned, and WARNING, ignore their ads, and don’t sign up for anything. I would choose ‘cross references’ to be selected (under the cog wheel) and I would pick KJV, NASB, NKJV (because the latter two have CR). And then I could go to other passages. Often I’d save them and open another window so I could add a few verses before or after (or more) to read context. Sometimes they really didn’t relate, the CR might have been because of the same phrase or word, but it’s neat to see things quoted, or other similar words (i.e. brokenhearted).
Anyways, my point is, I kept failing that month at reading through. I wanted to read all the way through and start again. I’d get through chapter 3 or 4 and instead of reading to the end, I put some sort of dumb requirement on myself to read all the way through or start over. 🙂 I can’t tell you how many times I read through the first 2-4 chapters. Now here is the interesting part. I really began to know those passages and I learned so much about what was another gospel. About finishing in our flesh. About never being justified by law (or works). In fact even trying put me under a curse. About the apostles who had fallen under the spell too and had become hypocrites who were not being truthful about the gospel. In other words, it can happen to anyone.
One night in my Jewish roots of Christianity (connecting the dots between the OT and NT – not anything like Hebrew Roots or something similar), some ‘Torah’ keepers came in from the local Messianic church. A large group of them joined one lady who would come and try to pick off people for her ‘Torah lessons’. My teacher (a woman) was able to answer them, and so was I. Galatians had the answers for them about what they were doing. They brought up Peter living by the law. I said, “nope, he lived after the manner of the Gentiles’ and he was in the right when he did that vs. acting differently when the Jews came into town.” Instant disagreement from them, but when I gave them the reference, they said they’d have to ‘ask their rabbi’ what it meant.
Can you imagine? Jesus told those who believed on Him something really simple. To continue in His Word so they would become disciples and so that the truth would set them free. I really believe our simple belief in His Word is what He asks. And I do the same as you. ‘I believe Lord, help my unbelief’. And I get back to the place where I know my faith will be strengthened. His Word. And I try to acknowledge Him in more of my ways. I don’t do the absolutes anymore, because it’s like starting a diet. If I make all these absolutes, I’ll fail. I just try to be like Mary in Luke 10:38-42 a little more with His help.
Simply put, just keep trying to spend more time with Him, whether acknowledging Him in more of your ways, just talking to Him. Thinking on Him. Praying for others as they come to mind. Read a chapter here and there and maybe study a book from the NT, and enjoy finding out some of the Cross references, what they speak to, and you’ll be blessed as you trust that the anointing you have, He will teach you. That’s where Prov 22:17-21 moved me, specifically verse 19, to which I felt so touched. Even me Lord? Even me…
So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you.
Take heart!
I think studying Galations is a great idea, it should give me great armour the next time i am challenged with questions regarding salvation. I plan to take a break from social media to armour-up in God’s word. I find myself too often, clicking on “Christian” videos, a lot of which causes me to stumble.
I am also familiar with BibleGateway and i have seen all kinds of “study Bible devotionals” are advertised there, i wouldn’t risk seeking those out, cos they could be teaching anyrthing 🙂
Your work on this site has been a blessing to me, as well as to others. Thank you Holly!
You’re welcome Liam, but I do it because He helped me out of my stinkin’ thinking, which others made me stumble in. So many mini-accusers of the brethren out there. I also liked going through the book of John again, and Romans 3-8 which are kind of all about the gift and the reason for it.
Good idea to break from the social media, Jesus took time to withdraw. God bless your week.
God bless your week too Holly. 🙂