How Do I Know I’m Saved?

Ron Graham was called home on March 14, 2013. He began writing this commentary before his death and had asked me, Nathele Graham, to continue his service to our Lord by finishing what he began.

How can you know for sure if you are saved?

This is a question that has plagued mankind down through the ages and has caused much anguish. But, it is a question that is answered many times in the Bible.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

The word “record” is better translated: “testimony.” And most modern translations use the word “testimony.” John is telling us that God gave us eternal life in Jesus, but he further explained, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12).

Can it be any clearer? If you have Jesus you have eternal life:

“These things have I written unto you that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).

Who is it that has eternal life? According to this passage, it is those who believe on Him. There aren’t any ifs, ands, or buts in here. If you have Jesus, you have life─eternal life. Not temporary, but eternal. The Greek word “aiōnios” is translated “eternal” and in this context means without end─never to cease, everlasting. 

God wants us to have assurance of our salvation. We cannot have peace in our Christian lives if we worry each day whether we have done something to lose our salvation. That’s why the Bible makes the plan of salvation so clear.

“And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

Even though you are a sinner, do you believe that Jesus is the Savior and that He died to pay the penalty for your sins?

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Do you trust Him alone for salvation? 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

If your answer is: “Yes,” then you are saved!

Once a person is saved are they always saved?

When people come to know Christ as their Savior, they are brought into a relationship with God that guarantees that their salvation is eternally secure. Numerous passages of Scripture declare this fact. Jesus did not waiver on this point, and more than once made it clear that faith in Him would bring eternal salvation.

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing” (John 6:37-39).   

Then there are those much loved words of assurance which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Our salvation is not trivial to God. He created us in His image and loves us enough to have stepped into His creation to save us from eternal death. All it takes is belief on our part.

Once we believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-14).

So, the disciples first trusted Christ and passed on their faith. You and I first heard the Word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) from another believer and also believed. After we believed we were sealed with the Spirit of promise. This promise is ours “until the redemption of the purchased possession.” That means we are sealed until our life on earth is over─either by dying or by the Rapture.

Now, let me ask you something. God sealed you with the Holy Spirit when you first believed, so where does Scripture tell us He will unseal you if you commit a sin? Where does it say that once you believe your past sins are forgiven and now it is up to you to keep yourself saved by being perfect? Christ died for all sins past, present, and future. He will not “unseal” you. 

“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s 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 of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:33-34).

It is God who justifies. In Greek the word is “dikaioō” and it means to render righteous or to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus. But Paul goes on to say that Christ died and more than that, He rose again and He intercedes for us. Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? No one will, because Christ is our advocate. Who will condemn us? No one will, because Christ, the One who died for us, is the one who condemns but more than that He is interceding for us. Jesus gave us further assurance in His talk with Nicodemus:

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on 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” (John 3:17-18).

Thank You, Jesus. 

Believers are born again (regenerated) when they believe: “But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

For a Christian to lose his salvation, he would have to be un-regenerated. If that could happen we would have a yo-yo type of salvation – up and down. Now I’m saved, now I’m not. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away if we misbehave. We can’t be good enough to save ourselves, nor can we be bad enough to un-save ourselves. 

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Did Paul leave anything out? Let’s see, death? Not if we have believed in Jesus and have eternal salvation. Life? We may live as if we don’t believe in Christ, but the way we live won’t take away salvation. “Any other creature?” Could that mean not even you yourself can separate you from the love of God? Remember, the same God who saved you is the same God who will keep you. Once we are saved we are always saved. Our salvation is most definitely eternally secure!

Does all of this mean that salvation is easy and simple? Well, yes and no. It is simple in that we simply must believe in Jesus…God Himself who entered His creation to give us the only way to salvation. But the part that is a little more complicated is that we must believe it.

“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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

If we say it but don’t believe it then we aren’t saved. So, it might look like we lost salvation, but we never had it in the first place.

continue article at Rapture Ready:

http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/g284.html