“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-9‬

This is a very well known and well quoted verse by many in the church. It’s amazing, and I’m glad that people understand that we don’t earn our salvation through our own works. There is, however, something that we are missing in a lot of settings. You see, salvation should be measurable, tangible, felt, experienced, and given away to other people. What does salvation look like? Well let’s talk about that.

Restoration of Spirit, Soul, and Body.

God’s salvation, provided through His son, Jesus Christ, always comes in three parts. Just as He is a three-in-one being, so are we. This is a constant theme throughout the whole Bible.

“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts‬ ‭2:38‬

Here’s the pattern:

1. Repentance

2. Baptism in water

3. Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The Exodus story has the same theme. They leave Egypt. (repentance, Egypt represents sin.) They cross the Red Sea. (baptism in water, their old life buried in the water behind them.) They cross the Jordan river and into the promised land. (Baptism of the Holy Spirit, into the promised life.)

Now, as important as following these three things are, forgetting to follow the second two does not disqualify you from Heaven. That is not what I’m talking about anyway. The only one that is completely necessary for Heaven is repentance. (That’s the short answer) However, this is not the goal of salvation! The goal of salvation is transformation. God wants a people to represent Him on the Earth. “Be Holy, for I am Holy.”

Salvation looks like something. There is always evidence. Jesus came so that we could experience His salvation in all three parts of our being. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:5‬

There it is. Right here in Isaiah 53:5, Jesus pays for salvation in spirit, soul and body. So let’s talk practical. What does salvation look like in someone’s life?

A new life

Before I really gave everything to Jesus, I was unsure of wether or not I was saved. I know that it is by faith, but the evidence was not in my life. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭13:5

What I had was good behavior, with a rotten heart. I was a hypocrite. I knew all the right things, but behind the scenes I was a mess. I remember reading 1 John… “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:6‬

I closed my bible, terrified. I knew there was willful sin in my life. I knew I was addicted to pornography. Once I surrendered and repented, I became clean, and Jesus removed porn and it’s desires. Does that mean I’ll never mess up? No, you always have the choice to. It does mean that it’s no longer in my nature to sin, however.

Sin will lose it’s grip on you once you are saved. Salvation is tangible!

This is not a condemning word, this is an encouraging word. If you are struggling with sin, there’s an answer! Jesus can free you! The problem is usually one of three things;

1. You need to get saved.

Seriously, sometimes the problem is, you haven’t gotten saved yet. That was true for me! We must repent, change the way we think and turn from our sinful ways.

2. You need to be delivered.

Sometimes the issue is that you are being afflicted by an evil spirit. You will often not be able to control your desire for sin, and often it will come over you so strong and there will be an impulse to do it. Call on the name of Jesus and tell those spirits to leave you.

3. You need to renew your mind.

This one takes the longest. Stay in the word, get God’s thoughts, and you will lose your desire for sin. Stay in His presence, let Him love you, He desires it so much.

The eye is the lamp of the body

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” Matthew‬ ‭6:22‬

The word “single” here in the King James Version refers to one focus. Having our eye only on Jesus.

So this is the last thing I want to mention when talking about what salvation looks like. You can see it in a persons eyes. It’s truly frightening to the demonic, and also people who have demons. They can’t look you in the eye. It’s a piercing light. Some people may not be able to explain it, but it’s there. On many occasions I’ve seen it in a person’s eyes and called them out and said “hey you know Jesus don’t you?” And they usually respond and look surprised “yeah I do!” And I tell them “I can see him in your eyes.” It’s very encouraging to believers.

I have some friends who recently received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and are walking closely with God. There is a woman that they live with, and she thinks they are practicing witchcraft. One of the girl’s eyes were healed, and she can see without glasses. The other one was healed of raspberry allergies, (which used to be very bad) and they are both in love with Jesus. The woman they live with says that “there’s something about your eyes” and it bothers her.

I’ve had encounters with demonic manifestations where I told the person to look in my eyes. They say things like “you’re trying to destroy me” I’ve also told people who I’m sharing the gospel with to “look in my eyes” something about this light grabs people. One time I shared the gospel on the street with a woman who we lead to Christ, and she received the Holy Spirit. We told her to take her sunglasses off, and the light was there! She was crying with joy. It was so beautiful.

The point

Like I’ve stated, this is not about condemnation. God never points out where we’re not, He shows us where we’re called. Then He gives us grace to become what He calls us to. I would never want to bash anyone for their life. God’s heart of compassion rises up within me, and I see (by His grace) the way He does. If you need help, I would love to talk to you, pray for you and encourage you. God wants us all to look like Jesus and represent Him in this world.

Thanks for reading, I love you all.

Be blessed.