To those of you who are confident that you are ‘saved’, or got ‘saved’ at some point in your life because you made a ‘profession of faith’ and/or ‘accepted Christ as your personal Savior’, can you clearly explain what it is that you are actually ‘saved’ from? And please know- I’m not here questioning whether anyone is ‘saved’ or not...rather just wanting to clarify if we know what it is we are ‘saved’ from.

We know that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him we might be ‘saved’ (John 3:17). Would you like to hear/read the short answer to ‘saved from what’? It is the ‘wrath of God’ we are ‘saved’ from. (Rom. 5:9). Jesus came to save us from God’s wrath that was, and continues to be on the earth today. (John 3:36)

When the flood of God’s wrath was unleashed back in the days of Noah, how was Noah and his family ‘saved’? They entered the ark. Care to guess just ‘who’ is that ‘ark’ today? Yep, Jesus is the ark and one must enter in, or ‘be IN Christ’ if they too expect to be ‘saved from God’s wrath’. And Jesus did draw a link to the days of Noah being like the days leading up to His return. (Matt. 24:37-39)

So just how does this work? Quite simply, to be honest; but it has nothing to do with just repeating a prayer. I know that might shock and even offend a few folks, yet all I can do is point you to scripture and let you study for yourself, which I strongly encourage you to do. (Acts 17:11) Scripture is rather clear as it explains what it means to be ‘IN Christ’, or ‘in the ark’. And while maybe coming to Him in prayer is a good, wise, and necessary start, there really is more to it than that. 1 John 2:3-6 would be worth underlining and meditating on.

Because of sin and transgression, God set His law in place some 430 years after He made covenant with Abraham. (Gal. 3:17,19). We know that the law brings wrath, curse, death and condemnation. (Rom. 4:15; Gal. 3:10; 2 Cor. 3:7,9). And since ‘all have sinned’ (Rom. 3:23) condemnation, death, and wrath was on us all. (John 3:36; Eph. 2:1-3) Oh, and here’s proof that this law still stands today: First of all, Jesus said He did not abolish or do away with it. (Matt. 5:17) And the very fact that most ‘believers’ today admit to ‘sinning regularly’, and ‘sin is breaking the law’ (1 John 3:4), then it’s clear that God’s law still is in place. Maybe Romans 2:13 will make more sense now?

And yet, because of His unfailing love for us, God sent His only beloved Son to die, in our place, that we might be ‘saved’. (John 3:16-17; Rom. 5:8-9) He indeed wants ‘all men to be saved’ and for ‘none to perish’. (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). But it’s not like there is some magic wand that God waves over all those folks sitting on church pews that protects them. He gave us quite a detailed set of plans for us to follow, which can basically be summed up this way: Repent and turn to Me with all your heart and follow Me as I lead you to lay down your earthly flesh nature so you can be perfected in My love.

Oh, and Jesus added this little ‘caveat’: “If you don’t repent, you will perish” (Luke 13:3,5); and that was not a threat, it was a warning offered up in love.

So how are we ‘saved’ from God’s wrath? Well, If you are truly abiding in Jesus and being led by His Spirit, which is what true ‘sons of God’ do, (Rom. 8:14) then He is leading you to be conformed to His nature and likeness so you walk just as He walked (1 John 2:6; Rom. 8:29) demonstrating God’s love for us (Rom. 5:8; John 13:34-35) which then empowers us to fulfill the same law He did. (Matt. 5:17). But make no mistake about it, IF...you are ‘in Christ’, then you no longer live according to the flesh, but by the Spirit so that all the righteous requirements of the law will be fully met in you as well. (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16,18)

That’s what it means to truly ‘abide in Christ’- you no longer ‘sin’ since you are ‘walking as He walked’. (1 John 2:6; 3:6) But if you continue to live in and practice sin, well, Jesus was the one who warned something worse might come upon you. Maybe the ‘wrath’ of God’? (John 5:14; Eph. 5:5-6)