How can I know for sure that I am saved?
I am excited by this question, because there was once a time when I didn’t know if I was saved or not. Then God revealed Himself to me through His Holy Spirit, and all doubt was removed. Let me share with you what I have found out about this:
First of all, there are four things that I had to realize before I could be saved:
1. I am a sinner. Rom 3:23-24 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” NIV
2. I deserve death. Rom 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.” NIV
3. Jesus died for my sins. Rom 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” NIV
4. When I repented God forgave me. Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” NIV
But once I understood these things, what assurances did I have to know for certain if I am saved or not? Here are a few:
1. External Witness: the Bible.
First of all, I discovered that God’s Word, the Bible, is accurate and true. Numerous prophecies were fulfilled in Bible times, and nowadays, God talks to me though His Word. I look forward every day to reading His message for me for that given day.
God’s Word confirms that we are saved. There is no doubt about that. I read prayerfully the following texts and discovered beyond a doubt that I am saved:
Rom 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” NIV (Wow! This text is quite powerful and removes any doubt about our salvation!)
Rom 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” NIV
Eph 2:8-10 8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” NIV (I like this text as many believe they can reach heaven by their own deeds. This is a lie! We are saved through Jesus Christ. No one else can save us, not even ourselves!)
Rom 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” NIV
John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” NIV
John 5:24 4 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” NIV
1 John 5:11-14 “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” NIV
John 1:12-13 “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” NIV
2. Internal Witness: God’s Holy Spirit
Secondly, God convinced me of my salvation through His Holy Spirit. Not only did He make me victorious over my sins, strongholds that I thought were unbreakable, but as He took His residence in me, He convinced me of my salvation.
Eph 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory.” NIV
Wow! This text is powerful. A seal in the past was used by kings to show ownership over something. The seal identified that for example a letter that was send had the authority of the king. We are sealed by God. God’s seal is His Holy Spirit who resides in us.
This guarantees our inheritance. We are saved!
Other texts confirming this can be found at:
2 Cor 1:21-22 “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” NIV
and
Rom 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” NIV
3. Changed life.
The third proof that I am saved is my own life that has been changed through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. What once used to be important to me is no longer important to me. What used to be my weakness is not my weakness any longer. God has given me victory and has changed my life all around! I still struggle with sin, but it does not have a hold on me any longer. I am forgiven and I am a new creation!
Rom 6:18 8 “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” NIV
Rom 6:11 “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” NIV
Rom 6:2 “He died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” NIV
Acts 13:38-39 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” NASU
In case I fall and stumble, I know beyond a doubt that my Father will forgive me.
1 John 2:1-2 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” NIV
My dear friend would you like to experience that kind of salvation? Would you like to know beyond a doubt that you are saved? Then kneel and invite Jesus in your heart. Answer the Saviour’s Call and accept Jesus’ invitation. Turn away from your sinful life. Accept God’s Holy Spirit in your life and you will experience victory. God keep His promised. He is awesome! Will you let Him in now?
Rob Chaffart
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In these days of confusions the devil has a subtle way of bringing thoughts into the hearts of the believers to challenge their faith in the Lord. Some who are not saved are also deceived into believing that they can be saved by the works of righteousness.
I John 4:21 “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God.
I John 5:10 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
The following scripture will give you assurance that you are saved:
Roman 10:8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou salt be saved
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed.
Christian faith is a peculiar. It is not a religion. It is beyond any religion. Religion has rules and regulation with their founders as mortals. Jesus is immortal and invisible. The only wise God. Religions have “dos” and “don’t” (legalistic) but faith in Christ is a way of life. Christian faith promises life after this world. Eternity. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”. Furthermore, Christians are eagerly expecting the coming of the Lord the second time. Even if some of us do not experience the rapture, we know when we die we shall see him in heaven. Jesus said, He has gone too prepare a place for us. We will see him and be like Him.
Once you are saved you will know. When confused, the Holy Spirit will use His word to confirm your salvation that you are in Him.
From the above passages, salvation is a process. The word that you speak out from your mouth having been convinced of Jesus’ story (death, resurrection from the grave the third day, ascension to Heaven and His glorious second coming) you heard without anybody coercing or forcing it on you.
Let’s look at this blessed Word from the Lord:
John 3:18-20: He that believeth in Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deed should be reproved.
What this scripture is saying is that you are not condemned because you have believed. You are not an accused in the law court standing trial. You have been discharged and acquitted by the highest powers. You are not longer in sin. All those who have refused to believe still stand condemned and the reason why they refuse to believe is because their deeds are evil.
I remember witnessing to a young man working for a telephone company in Nigeria. He said that he believed the Gospel but would not accept it because he could not do without taking bribe. Such a person is still bound by the devil and is condemned already. Until he accepts the Gospel; he remain a criminal.
Conversely there was another brother who was working in the same company with him. He believed the Gospel and decided to be saved instead of being condemned. He accepted that taking bribe and humanizing is of the devil. That working the path of the world, sexually immorality, deceit and all that are work of the devil. Today he has been saved. He is in one of the mission fields in Africa.
Once you are working in the path of righteousness you are saved… Your name is in the book of the lamb. Make sure you depart from sin completely.
Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whosoever confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
God is a God of mercy. At the same time he does not behold iniquity. Once you forsake your sins having confessed them all, you stand enjoying the mercy of God till eternity.
In a way salvation comes through the following to every believer:
Acceptance:
You accept the story of the living and infallible Word of God.
Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in they sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer”.
1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, where by we cry, Abba, Father.
Have you made that confession in your heart and have you left your sins? If yes, you are saved. No controversy. Continue to walk in Him.
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of anti-Christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; even now already is it in the world.
Believe: You willingly believe the Word because it is the Spirit and it is Life
Mark 1:15 “And saying, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye and believe the Gospel.”
Acts 3:38 “The Peter said unto them Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall received the gift of the Holy Ghost
I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children and have overcome, them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
12 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Forsake:
Forsake your sins and live a holy life: You forsake your sins and continue to walk in the righteousness of Him whom you have believed.
Look at this beautiful scriptures that guarantees you being in Him:
I John 2:1-5 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous; And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith I know, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth is word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know
we that we are in him.
NO CONDEMNATION
Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”.
Romans 8: 33-34: Who shall lay anything to the charge of God elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again , who is even at the right hand o God, who also maketh intercession for us”.
Romans 8:15-17 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the sons of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”.
Another property that a Christian must demonstrate is to love his fellow men with the sharing of the Gospel and desiring that others must know the truth that He has known through His grace.
LOOK AT ANOTHER SCRIPTURES THAT GUARANTEES YOUR SALVATION:
III John 9 “Whosever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God, He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
CONCLUSION:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
God bless you real good!
Rev Debo Adeyemo
N. B. Quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible
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Romans 10:9-13 says that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Ephesians 2: 4-10 says: Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. MAY ALL BE BLESSED!
DeeDee
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The primary evidence of knowing if you are saved is the Scripture, that is, have you had a salvation experience as described by Scripture. First, one must realize they are lost in sin, second one must realize that God has paid their sin debt through the cross of Christ and third one must repent of sin (not believing (trusting in, relying on, adhering to) Jesus and must believe on Jesus (trust him to save you, rely solely on him based on this shedding of blood on the cross and dying for you, and totally expressing faith in Jesus to save you (that is forgive you, redeem you, deliver you, come to indwell you by the Holy Spirit, adopt you into God’s family as a child of God and joint heir with Christ).
The secondary evidence of knowing if you are saved is your personal experience. Do you love Jesus? Do you hate sin? Do you understand the Bible? Do you realize you need to grow in Christ and get victory in certain areas of your life? Typically when a person from an unbelieving family or a family with a cycle of sin (anger, physical, verbal, sexual abuse, substance abuse, materialism, rebellion, pride, etc), there is a two to three year period of intensive growth that needs to take place.
The new Christians will need an older mature Christian to disciple and mentor them if at all possible. I have know some new Christians to be mentored by only the Holy Spirit, but Typically the Holy Spirit works with and in and along side mature believers. Passages that give me assurance of salvation are in John 6 where Jesus says ‘I will no in no wise cast you out’, John 10 where Jesus says ‘No one will pluck me out of the Father’s hand, Romans 8 where it says ‘nothing shall separate me from the love of God’, Ephesians 4 which states I am ‘sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption’ and Hebrews 3 where Jesus says to me ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’
I believe in the eternal security of the believer and find great comfort that I can never be lost. Instead of that making me want to push the envelope of sin, it makes me want to thank Jesus, live for Jesus, trust Jesus, love Jesus, and bring glory to Jesus. I do have friends who believe one can lose their salvation who are godly friends. I just laugh and tell them they will have one more thing to thank God for when they get to heaven—their eternal security!
Larry DeGarmo
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Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
That is it basically.
Much of the Gospel is given to a description of Christian lifestyle, things we should and should not do, but this little verse encapsulates salvation.
Here is a description of the process. Firstly we hear the Gospel preached to us. This may result by growing up in a Christian family, attending a church, attending an evangelical meeting, hearing it from a friend or reading about it in a book, perhaps the bible or a book or article written about the bible. Perhaps even this article.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit whose job it is to make us aware of our sin and our need for salvation, impresses upon our mind, our need. This then calls for a response from us. It may take the form of going forward in church in response to an alter call, or through the email service from answering the call in this newsletter, or it may simply be in the privacy or your own bedroom. The sinner humbles his or herself before God in prayer, confessing to their sinful state, and asking Jesus to forgive them and accept them.
Jesus will do this instantly, and from that moment the person is saved. Should they die from that point on they are assured of eternal life. However, should they go on living for days, months, years from that day, they will gradually grow in faith and Christian experience, the longer they live. They will never reach perfection in this life but sins and sinful behavior will gradually drop away. The carnal human nature will continue to sin but will be constrained by the Holy nature that is ‘born’ (being born again) in them at the time of salvation. Trust in Jesus and faith will develop and strengthen.
There are other things that the new Christian is expected to do. A public witness is expected. The means we were given for this is baptism. Either at the time of salvation or as circumstances permit thereafter, the Christian should be baptized. This is symbolic of dying to the old life (being fully immersed in water, a foreign element to us and one in which we would surely die if we did not emerge.), and being resurrected to new life in Christ. (emerging from the water). Baptism is done in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Maintaining companionship with other Christians (going to church or similar) is also necessary for renewal and strengthening. Regular feeding on the ‘bread of life’ (reading the bible) is also necessary for this growth.
Perhaps the best example of salvation is the thief on the cross.
Luk 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
Luk 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
Luk 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
Luk 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
You will notice that this man did only three things. He acknowledged his guilt. He acknowledged Jesus as Lord. He asked Jesus to forgive him (remember me…). Jesus responded with a promise that the man would be in paradise with Him.
Nothing more is required. Nothing we can do will save us. No sacrifice we can make, even giving our lives is acceptable to God because we are evil. The only thing that saves us is the Grace of God, accepting the sacrifice of Jesus as payment for our sins.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved
And that salvation is sure.
Jhn 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
Jhn 10:29 My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father’s hand.
If we sin after we are saved, and we all do, the Holy Spirit will tell us of it and bring us again to repentance.
1Jo 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
If we fail to repent and continue to rebel, we will be disciplined and brought back into line.
Deu 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, [so] the LORD thy God chasteneth thee
Job 5:17 Behold, happy [is] the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty
Psa 94:12 Blessed [is] the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
Hbr 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure; but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.
Hbr 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Hbr 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
If we ignore the chastening of the Lord it will get harder until we give up. It is possible through a concerted effort of will to refuse the Holy Spirit and change our minds about following Jesus. This is rare because it means we have to continue to ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit and the chastening of the Lord, but it can happen. Be assured it will not happen by accident. It requires premeditated deliberate sin in the face of opposition from the Holy Spirit. There are two notable examples in the bible, namely king Saul and Judas Iscariot. The following verses have reference.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
Dear reader. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, if you have born witness of this before men, if you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the resurrected Son of God, then you are saved. There will be periods of doubt, there will be sometimes yielding to temptation, there will be periods of chastening where you may think God is no longer with you. The devil will do his best to bring these thoughts into your mind. Fear not. No one is able to pluck you from the Father’s hand. While you maintain that belief in Jesus and seek after the Kingdom of God, you will remain saved. It is not your responsibility to get you to heaven, it is the Holy Spirit’s, and He is quite capable of doing it. Only a concerted effort to commit deliberate premeditated sin on your part can see you lost. The unforgivable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is refusal to repent.
Brother and Sister, if you are not presently assured of salvation, or if you are no longer sure after reading this article, please answer ‘The Savior’s Call’ in this newsletter.
Lance Wearmouth
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I believe that in order to be saved one must accept Jesus as his or her personal Lord and Savior. The important thing is not to trust your feelings. Your senses will lie to you almost 100% of the time.
Dave
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Oh what a blessed feeling to know this and I do know this. Why do I know this? First I am born again and second I said the Savior’s Prayer! Third, I just simply asked God to make sure of this.
I have a habit of talking to Jesus like He is in the room with me as I feel that He is. I simply one day said, God, I love you and when I die I want to be in heaven with you. Please always send an angel to nudge me in the right direction if you see me faltering from the right path. You came to earth and died for my sins so I know you forgive my sins and love for who I am, and I in turn love You for Who you are. Please send the wisdom and guidance of The Holy Spirit to me daily so I may walk in Your light and lead others to You. I Thank You and Praise You Dear Jesus.
In His Love, Barb