A good friend of mine once said that whenever anyone tells him that he has been saved, the friend asks him when he changed. My friend makes a good point by this question, because one is always changed by salvation. In fact, one’s heart is changed by God even before he can be saved.

Before salvation, the “natural” man (unsaved person) is often very proud and probably feels he is good enough and in no need of being saved. That is the greatest problem, because the truth is that no one is good on earth. Romans 3:12 tells us, “They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.”

Both Jesus and His apostles said for people to repent. Repentance means change. It is a change in one’s attitude toward self and toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It means acknowledging one’s unworthiness and sinful rebellion against God. It means sincerely believing that Christ is the Son of God. Repentance also entails asking Christ for salvation.

Jesus paints a beautiful picture of true repentance with His parable about the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. He said that the Pharisee bragged about being better than other men, like the tax collector in his presence. This kind of pride is one of the things God hates the most. The tax collector, however, recognized his sad and sinful state and repented by acknowledging to God his unworthiness and by asking for God’s mercy. Jesus emphasized that this man went home justified, while the Pharisee did not.

As long as a person fails to feel any need of forgiveness, he will not receive it. People must change, not only their view and opinion of themselves, but also their view of Christ. Proud people must change enough to realize they are in need of forgiveness and salvation, otherwise they can never be saved and see Heaven.

The change wrought by salvation will also prompt good deeds. Keep in mind that no one is ever saved by good deeds, but we are saved to do good deeds. We should want to do them, if for no other reason than to display our gratitude to Christ for the enormous sacrifice He made for us on the Cross of Calvary. God expects His children to love all other people and to do all the good they can for everyone, including their enemies. This is true love.

God also provides rewards in Heaven for every good deed and every act of service for the Lord. Most Christians are not thinking of this when they do good deeds. They do them out of love and gratitude for Christ, who first loved them (1 John 4:19).

When anyone is saved, there is an observable difference in both his attitude and behavior. However, all people, even saved souls, still sin as long as they are on the Earth. This is because each one must still contend with his “Old man,” as Paul called the former, sinful self.

Again, salvation brings about a noticeable change in each new child of God. The change is evident in his attitude about himself and Christ more than in any other way.