To be saved

You and your mom are correct. The original Greek word for "saved" is "sozo". It simply means to be taken from one place safely and delivered to another. There may have been a time when you were born again...a time when God opened your eyes to His word and the truth; but sozo or saved is a constant thing. We are constantly being conformed to the image of Christ. Read Romans 8. We are never truly saved until Christ takes us out of this world. A good way to explain this is by thinking of a fire. Are we saved when we see the fireman, or are we saved when he takes us out of the fire? I hope this has been helpful. Agape.

Don't worry, the important thing about salvation is not the date. But perhaps you should consider a few things: Salvation is both a very simple and a very complex matter. It implicates God's eternal will and purpose and Christ's sacrifice for expiation of our sins that happened almost 2000 years ago. These are the decisive and universal elements of salvation, existing for the good of all mankind. But for the individual person comes a specific moment when the Holy Spirit will deliver to him God's message of grace, never mind by which means. This may be a pastor's sermon, a dreadful experience, an evangelist knocking the door or, as it seems to be in your case, the long influence of Christian education. May that be as it is, the specific moment has come when your soul, motivated by God's grace, recognizes being a sinner. This produces a reaction of repentance and the decision to put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. And you believe that because of him, God will have mercy and pardon you. Because of its immediate consequences, this moment is also called "new birth" or "personal encounter with Jesus Christ". Faith and Repentance must have been present in order to produce Salvation. Think about and you will find that such a moment in your past life, never mind whether you remember the date or not!

When you are saved is when you have given your life to Jesus Christ and confessed and repented of your sins. Christ then dwells within you and you are a new person. You life has changed and you live for Him. You no longer want to live a sinful life. Sometimes we stray away from the Lord and need to rededicate our lives to Him. I've had to do that. God bless.