I Am Saved—Now What?
Three ways you can grow in your relationship with God.
So you gave your life to Jesus—now what? Salvation might seem like a one-time decision or an arrival point—but it’s really a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus. Salvation is a free gift from God, which is why you can’t work for it. Salvation isn’t based on what you do but on what Jesus has already done on the cross.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8
Although salvation is a free gift, that doesn’t mean we put the gift on a shelf and never touch it again. Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.” But working out your salvation is different than working for your salvation. Dallas Willard says it this way: “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.”
So, how can we continue to work out our salvation, grow in our relationship with Jesus, and step into our God-given inheritance? Here are a few ways:
1. Become Like Jesus
When you ask God into your heart, it’s not just about going to Heaven someday—it’s about following Him every single day. At that moment of salvation, you enter into a partnership where He’s the Leader, and you’re the follower. He’s the Potter, you’re the clay.
To “sanctify” something means to set it apart for special use. God wants to take us through a sanctification process. In other words, He wants us to become more like Him—full of light, life, and love. The more we spend time with Him, the more we will become like Him, and the easier it will be for us to walk in victory over sin and embrace our identity as a child of God.
2. Embrace Spiritual Practices
Spiritual practices involve building habits that help us grow our relationship with God. Often, we pick up habits we don’t even know about. They become unintentional formations shaping our lives. But practices are premeditated: you plan for it. Spiritual practices form spiritual, healthy habits that make us become more like Jesus.
Jesus’ habits involved praying, reading Scripture, fasting, and worshiping at the temple (church). Adopting these same habits is not about trying but about training. You can’t run a marathon this weekend if you haven’t been in the practice of running. There’s power in practice because you get stronger and better every time. It is through spiritual practices that we will grow in our ability to hear God’s voice, follow His leading, and get to know His heart.
3. Be With God’s People
Jesus is all about people and community: His first miracle was at a party, and He asked Zaccheus to come down and have lunch at his home. Jesus was always hanging out with people, sharing meals, and helping people.
While God’s Word is for us as individuals, it’s also for the Church as a whole. We must be interconnected with God’s people so we can bear more fruit than we can alone. In fact, there are 59 commands in Scripture that can’t be fulfilled apart from God’s people.
Community is part of our spiritual inheritance. Being in community is where we learn to live out our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes, in our darkest moments, we need our church family to believe for us what we can’t believe for ourselves and to lean on their prayers and encouragement.
Next Steps:
If you want to continue to become more like Jesus, embrace spiritual practices, and grow with God’s people, check out Christ Fellowship’s Groups & Classes.
If you haven't been baptized yet, baptism is going public about your faith in Jesus and communicating to the world your heart-felt commitment to following Him. Sign up for the next baptism to take that step. You can learn more about why you should get baptized here.