Three Misconceptions About Salvation

Misconception 1 — Feeling “far away” from God means you’re drifting away from Him.

If salvation were based on how close we felt to God on any given day, none of us would make it. We’d all be basket cases trying to make sure we were always “feeling it” because we never know when our end will come, and we wouldn’t want to be caught lacking when it did.

Thankfully, though, this couldn’t be farther from the truth, because I can’t think of a more exhausting way to live.

Romans 8:38–39 tells us there is absolutely nothing that can remove us from God’s hand once we’re in it. That means when we have days we aren’t proud of, conversations we shouldn’t have, or even seasons of spiritual dryness, we are still securely grasped in the Father’s hand.

Believers are marked with a seal, the Holy Spirit, which we read in Ephesians 1. His presence is the guarantee, reminding us of our secure salvation as we await Jesus’ return. Reading further in Ephesians, we see that our salvation is through God’s grace, not anything we do or say.

We don’t earn salvation; we can’t maintain our salvation. Jesus does that. Believers can rest assured because our own works don’t save us in the first place.

Misconception 2 — Not being able to remember an exact date or moment of salvation equals no salvation.

I don’t know about you, but this is something I have struggled with multiple times during my walk with Christ. As someone who was saved at a young age, I don’t remember the exact date. My memories of that time in my life are generally hazy, and that used to bother me, especially when I’d hear stories from others who could remember the exact spot they were standing in when Jesus saved them.

I remember expressing my belief in Jesus to my parents, the meeting with our pastor, and being baptized, but if you asked me to recount the exact moment the Lord called me, I simply couldn’t do it. However, I know that I belong to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is present and active in my life.

The enemy has used this more than once to make me question my salvation, and each time has been during a season when I felt distant from God. I realize now that, by questioning my salvation, I was actually questioning whether Jesus’ sacrifice was enough.

I was questioning if God’s word is true when He says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” I was basically believing there was something I could do to maintain that salvation, rather than what God’s Word says in Romans 8, Hebrews 10, 1 John, and all the other passages that talk about our security as believers.

By questioning what God said, I was questioning his character and authority. Isn’t that just a repackaging of the age-old lie, “Did God really say?” If your salvation story is anything like mine, 1 John is a book to read on repeat, to remind you of God’s truth when the lies start to creep in.

This one honestly scares me to talk about, because the last thing I want to do is cause a believer to stumble or question their relationship with Christ. However, if this leads just one person to wake up and realize they don’t know the Lord, or that He’s speaking to them and they’re not listening, then I’ll consider it to be a mission accomplished.

Misconception 3 — You prayed a specific prayer of salvation, so you’re good.

There isn’t a specific prayer you can pray to guarantee salvation. It doesn’t work that way. Take, for example, Saul’s conversion in Acts 9 and his personal testimony in chapter 22. Saul was a Jew who considered himself incredibly zealous for God. However, he missed Jesus. He was so driven to uphold Jewish tradition that he was actively seeking out, imprisoning, and executing those who followed Jesus.

While he was on a mission to Damascus to round up more Christians, the Lord called him and stopped him dead in his tracks. Blinded by the Lord’s light, Saul couldn’t see for several days. It wasn’t until Jesus revealed himself through a brother in Christ named Ananias that Saul regained sight.

Saul didn’t walk the aisle at a church or close his eyes and repeat a special prayer. There wasn’t any music playing softly in the background, and there were definitely people with their heads up looking around (IYKYK).

Instead, Saul heard the Lord’s calling and responded directly to him. This is a more dramatic example, but it’s the formula for how salvation works. Salvation comes when we respond to Jesus, not because we say any magic words to unlock God’s grace. And it can happen anywhere, at any time, to any person.

What if this is you?

So, what can we do if we have fallen victim to any of these misconceptions? First, we should seek the Lord in prayer and fully immerse ourselves in Scripture.

Ephesians 6:13 tells us to “take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.” The armor, which consists of truth, righteousness, and the gospel of peace, is what prevents us from believing lies or falling into the devil’s traps.

We have to stay alert and persevere in prayer for each other, that we may boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel.

My prayer is that Christians would firmly hold to the hope we have in Jesus, fervently study God’s Word and live it out, and diligently seek God’s truth in a world filled with deception. I pray we would know, with confidence, who we belong to, and continually remember Paul’s words in Romans 1:16–17.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘the righteous will live by faith.’