How to Be Assured of Salvation

I received an e-mail recently from M.L. that really sounded like myself not too long ago. I’d like to share an excerpt with you:

I am a new Christian. Last week I was at a Bible study and someone said something about knowing with out a doubt that they were going to go to heaven. It has been on my mind since. How do they know without a doubt that they will? I struggle with so many questions and thoughts, sins and secrets. I have talked with a few people about these and have asked that they help hold me accountable but they are busy and do forget. How does a person get to that point where they know that they are going to heaven. That if they die right now that they will be with Jesus? I am not ready to die cause I want to know that I will be in heaven. What am I missing, where did I mess this up at?

You know, I have spoken with many Christians about their times as new believers, and almost to the man, they found themselves re-doing the prayer of salvation. Often, they would do this, using different words or with a different person praying with them, just to make sure they covered all of the bases. We want to be sure we didn’t leave anything out, you know. Why take the chance that God didn’t quite hear what He needed to accept our plea! I couldn’t tell you how many times I did it all over. Sometimes I felt that God wouldn’t accept the prayer of a child who hadn’t been around long enough to know what kind of a transaction he was making. Sometimes I questioned my own motives. I even felt that my own sins had invalidated my prayer at one time. I never thought to examine the reason I continued to seek God, though.

John 3:18-19 is one of my favorite passages, as it helps to explain many things about human nature and the misunderstandings of Christians. It also can help with this question.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

If you are distressed about your salvation, that is a sign that you desire God. If you are fully repentant for your sins, that is the work of the Holy Spirit calling you to renounce them. The idea that a Christian doesn’t sin any longer is a fallacy, so God must continue to make us new. If you find this hard to believe, just wait untill you reach Heaven and ask David, Jonah, Abraham, Peter, Moses or any other hero of the Bible. Our God is the God of second chances!

You are seeking the light because you love the light. You love the light by the grace of God, and it is this grace by which we are saved. That’s the short answer. Also consider 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. Note the last part of this passage. You do not maintain your salvation. God does.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Here are some questions, also, that you can ask yourself. I only ask that you take a moment to reflect on each one. You can call out the answer that is the most logical like a child in Sunday School if you like, but I’m asking you to pause before considering your answer. Think about it for a moment and then know the answer to each question in your heart.

1. Do you have a desire to read the Bible that wasn’t there before you were saved?
2. Do you ever have an inner yearning for God?
3. Would you feel cheated if you went to Heaven to find that God wasn’t there, just His gifts? That is, do you want to see His face?
4. Do you have a strong desire to keep His commandments and to serve His will?
5. Did Christ die for you? If you insert your name in John 3:16, does it send a chill up your spine?
6. Do you look forward to worshiping God in church? How about in your daily life?
7. Does God have anything to offer you in this life?
8. Do you ever have a childlike wonder of God?
9. Does God listen to your prayers?
10. Finally, what is the rock of your salvation? Are you saved according to the emotions of the day or is God’s promise sufficient to carry you when you are weary?

I’m no pastor, and I’m sure there are Biblical references that are clearer than the ones I know. I’m also sure that there are better questions to ask than these. I encourage anyone with questions of faith to approach their pastor for the knowledge and guidance they offer. Seek the light that they will be overjoyed to share with you when life seems dark! Shame and embarassment are tools of the enemy, not of God.

I also beg of you to consider the fact that, by your heartfelt desire to seek after God, you can know you are His and He is yours. If He hadn’t already softened your heart, you would not want to seek His peace in your life. I read Ephesians 2:1-10 at least once a week and find comfort in the look at where I was, where I am and where I’m going, by the grace and for the glory of God.