What Happens When a Person Gets Saved?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

INTRODUCTION:  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! What actually happens when a person is born again? He repents of his sins, that is, he acknowledges to God that he is a sinner and that he needs a Savior. He accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and at that moment he is born again. His sins are forgiven. He receives eternal life from God.

I. HE BECOMES A CHILD OF GOD. (John 1:12)
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

This verse tells us clearly how we can become children of God. It is not by good works, not by doing one’s best—but by receiving Him, by believing in His Name. The word “received” means to receive in faith, to receive the Word into one’s self and allow him to transform one’s life. When we receive Jesus by believing in him, we become “children of God” (v. 12). We, who were dead in our trespasses and sin, are now brought into the family of God. Because of Jesus, we who deserve death are now made to share in God’s inheritance as his children. You can imagine how honored you would feel if you were the child of some world-famous ruler. How much greater honor it is to be the child of the Creator of the universe, before whom angels bow! (Galatians 3:26).

2. HE IS JUSTIFIED BY GOD. (Romans 5:1)
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Our justification is rooted in the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Christ Jesus was “raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Those who believe in the work of Christ are counted righteous (Romans 4:22). Being declared righteous leads to peace. There is a peace now, as a result of our reconciliation with the Father. True believers are able to say, “It is well with my soul.” Regardless of what might be going on all around us, the believer can experience the peace of God because he or she has peace with God. The unregenerate person’s life is marked by restlessness because he or she has no peace with God. But the gospel brings new believers rest of soul because they are at peace with God (Matt 10:28). God, the Judge, declares the believing sinner to be “NOT GUILTY” and looks upon him as if he had never sinned. Thus the Christian stands without guilt in God’s sight, and he will never be punished for his sins (Romans 8:1).

3. THE BELIEVER IS ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED ONE. (Ephesians 1:6).
“to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

Our Lord Jesus came to earth, and by His death, burial, and resurrection He settled the sin question to God’s satisfaction. It is the infinite value of His sacrifice on Calvary that provides a righteous basis on which God can adopt us as sons. This means that the believer stands before God in all the acceptability of His Beloved Son. God sees him in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). It also means that the believer is welcome in God’s presence as long as Christ is welcome, and that is clearly forever (Ephesians 2:6, 7).

4. HE RECEIVES THE DIVINE NATURE (2 Peter 1:4).
“by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

The believer will soon notice that he has new desires, new ambitions, a new hatred of sin, and a new love for his fellow Christians. When the divine nature is encouraged by the believer himself, he will become more and more like the Lord Jesus.

5. HE BECOMES INDWELT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 Cor. 6:19).
“do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Jesus Christ died to pay the price that purchased sinful people’s freedom (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19). His blood provided the sacrifice that made believers acceptable to God. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit came to indwell those who believed in him—he took up residence in their bodies. The principle “you are not your own” has to be learned before believers can honor God with their bodies. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit fills and lives in us. Therefore, we no longer own our bodies. The Bible plainly teaches that God, the Holy Spirit, actually dwells within each believer (1 John 4:13). The body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

6. HE IMMEDIATELY BEGINS TO ENJOY THE CONSTANT PROTECTION OF GOD (Romans 8:28).
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28″

As we walk with the Lord, nothing can happen to a Christian without God’s permission. In other words, there are no accidents in a believer’s life. Everything that does happen to a child of God is for his own good. God works all things for good, not “all things work out.” Suffering will still bring pain, loss, and sorrow, and sin will bring shame. But under God’s control, the eventual outcome will be for our good. God works behind the scenes, ensuring that even in the middle of mistakes and tragedies, good will result for those who love him. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good; evil is prevalent in our fallen world. But God is able to turn it around for our long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy, but to fulfill his purpose. Note also that this promise can be claimed only by those who love God and are “called according to his purpose.”

7. HE BECOMES AN HEIR OF GOD (Romans 8:17).
“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

The Jews were convinced that they were the Lord’s inheritance, and that as such they would inherit the Promised Land. Paul explains that God’s promise includes all who believe in Christ—both Jews and Gentiles. Because we are God’s children, we are his heirs. “So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:7). We are heirs of God only because of Christ’s suffering on our behalf. As believers, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. There is a price for being identified with Jesus. We too must pay a price for following Jesus. Nothing we suffer, however, can compare to the great price that Jesus paid to save us. God is the Creator of the universe and He owns all things. God’s children are promised that they will one day reign with Christ over all the earth, and they will then possess all things.

Conclusion:
How does a person become a new creature? Note the words of this Scripture: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” It is being “in Christ” that makes a person a new creature. When a person truly believes in Christ, God places and positions him in Christ, in all that Christ is. Christ lived and died and arose, so to be in Christ means that a person lives, dies, and arises in Christ. The person who believes in Jesus Christ is identified with Christ: that is, he is counted and considered to be “in Christ,” reckoned and credited as “in Christ.”

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