SURE SALVATION

HOW CAN A PERSON know for certain that he is saved? Read the following facts over and over until you fully understand them.

1.    The Bible is God’s Word. It is absolutely true. You can trust it.

2.    The Bible says that if you repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved.

3.    Now the question is “Have you ever come to Christ as a lost sinner, and asked Him to save you? Have you ever accepted Him as the Substitute who bore the penalty of your sins?”

4.    If you have, then God tells you in the Bible that you are saved.

In other words, - and this is very important to understand – assurance of salvation comes through the Scriptures. This truth is clearly taught in 1 John 5:13. Every Christian should memorize this verse.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Notice the italicized word. John wrote to those who had believed on Christ so that they might know what they had eternal life. If you have believed on Christ, you are saved. The Bible says so.

The trouble with so many is that they depend on feelings rather than on the Bible. They say, “I do not feel saved”. They expect some mysterious emotional experience, and when they do not receive it, they doubt that they were ever saved. The person who bases his assurance of salvation on his feelings is certain to have difficulty because feelings change from moment to moment. God’s Word, however, never changes. Trust the Bible and not your feelings.

But perhaps someone will ask, “Shouldn’t a person feel happy when he is saved?” The answer is definitely “Yes”. However, one must know he is saved before he can feel happy. Assurance comes first, and then feelings follow. We know we are saved because the Bible says so. We feel happy because we know we are saved.

In addition to the Scriptures themselves, there are other means of assurance for the believer. Here are three marks of a saved person.

1.    The person who is saved loves his fellow Christians (1 John 3:14).

2.    The person who is saved has the witness of the Holy Spirit within him (1 John 5:10; Romans 8:16). The witness of the Spirit is the inner joy and peace which is given to those who believe the Word of God when it says that all who believe on Christ are saved. The Spirit witnesses to Christians through the Bible.

3.    The person who is saved hates sin and loves what is right. Although a Christian can and does sin, sin no longer controls his life (Romans 6:14). He no longer lives in the continual practice of sin.

As a believer grows in the Christian life, his assurance will become stronger and stronger. There are at least three definite steps which he may take to help in this direction. 

1.    Read the Bible regularly and believe it with all your heart.

2.    Pray to the Lord to strengthen your faith as you read His Holy Word.

3.    Tell other about the One who has saved you from sin.

Finally, there is a helpful bit of advice for those who are not sure if they were ever saved, but who really want to be. Perhaps you think you might have trusted the Savior sometime in the past, but you are not absolutely certain. You long to know without any doubt that you are a child of God.

Here is what you should do. Tell the Lord that you are not sure if you are ever saved before, but you want to be saved right now. Tell Him that you know you are a lost sinner and that if you die in your present condition, you will go to hell. Then receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, believing that He died on Calvary’s Cross to pay the penalty of your sins, and that He is able and willing to save you.

Now turn to Acts 16:31. What does it say will happen if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? It says, “Thou shalt be saved”. It is the Word of God. Believe it. When Satan comes to you and tries to make you doubt your salvation, turn to Acts 16:31, or John 1:12, or John 3:36, or John 5:24, or Romans 10:9. Show him that God says you are saved because you have believed on Christ. He will not trouble you with doubts if you show him the Scriptures.

What Christians Believe
Chapter 14: Sure Salvation
Copyright, 1949, 1951, by Emmaus Bible School
Chicago, Illinois