There are many people who genuinely believe in God and are convinced they will end up in heaven when that time comes, but are not truly saved.

God refers to these people in Revelation 2:9. He mentions people that say they are Jews, but are not. Because the Jewish race has always been referred to as “God’s people”, God mentions the Jews here as a symbolic way of referring to His true people.

Although the Jewish race still has a vital role to play in God’s overall plan for mankind, He lets us know in the New Testament His true people are comprised of those who have been born again, jewish or otherwise.

God also mentions people who falsely believe they’re saved in Matthew 7:22 & 23.

Matthew 7:
22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The day mentioned in verse 22 is the day each individual is set to appear before Jesus. Obviously, these people feel the need to defend their opinion of why they belong in the kingdom. They do so by listing some of the “many wonderful works” they performed, such as prophesying and casting out devils.

They are convinced their religion is genuine, however, Jesus refuses their entrance into the kingdom and says, “I never knew you”. The greek word translated ‘knew’ refers to having knowledge of someone due to a close association with that one, or in other words, familiarity by reason of intimacy.

Because the Holy Spirit enters those who accept Jesus as savior, I believe the use of this word in Matthew 7:23 indicates the people mentioned there did not intimately receive the Holy Spirit because of a lack of genuinely accepting Jesus as savior. Jesus plainly tells them this intimacy never existed.

A coworker told me some years ago she believed she was saved simply because she was baptized in her mother’s church when she was a baby. This church was one of the many mainline denominations that correctly preach Jesus as savior. I also heard someone say they believed the entire human race was automatically forgiven after Jesus died on the cross.

Faith that gains true salvation

However, the faith that gains true salvation goes beyond believing that Jesus is the savior. This faith occurs when a person genuinely accepts Jesus as their savior.

In John 3:3, Jesus likens this moment of acceptance to a birthing experience. He states a person shall not see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

The greek words translated born again would have been more accurately rendered; born from above. We are born physically out of our mothers first, and then have to be born again (spiritually – from above) if we expect to enter God’s kingdom.

3 Keys to Salvation

Number One, the catalyst for this birth is mentioned in Romans 10:9.

Romans 10:
9)That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Verse 9 states we must confess the Lord Jesus with our mouth if we expect to be saved. It does not give a specific statement to quote verbatim. However, we are told what to believe in our hearts as we make our confession. The first half of the verse refers to Jesus as Lord.

Number Two, the second half of the verse states we must believe God raised Him from the dead. You cannot believe Jesus was raised from the dead without first believing He died.

Thirdly, you cannot believe He died without first believing He lived. In other words, you must truly accept the claim and validity of His life, death, and resurrection. As this instruction is required of every individual, a sample confession might sound something like this:

Salvation Prayer

Jesus, I believe You lived, died, and was resurrected by God. I not only accept You as the Lord, but also as my Lord.

Although each confession might sound slightly different from each individual, the confession of Jesus as Lord should include the understanding of placing oneself in a submissive position before Him. While many people receive assistance with this confession by either an ordained minister or a knowledgeable layperson, others make their confession with no one else present.

Either way, God’s omniscient nature enables Him to hear every genuine confession of Jesus and receive all who are born into His kingdom. If you find yourself thinking this information sounds foreign or possibly misguided, it is highly likely you have not truly entered God’s kingdom either.

If you have no memory of ever believing in and trusting Jesus as savior and making a confession of such, please do so now before you do anything else. At the very least, if you believe God really exists, just ask Him to help you understand the truth. If you are willing to humble yourself and receive His truth, no matter what it is, He will hear and answer your prayer.

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