HOW
CAN I KNOW IF I AM SAVED?
|
| 1. |
Romans
8:16 tells us: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God:" First and foremost, we have
the unshakable testimony from within us! The indwelling Holy Spirit
of God constantly reassures us that we belong to Jesus Christ. |
| 2. |
The
entire book of First John was written as a "test" for determining
the reality of salvation. Verse three of Chapter one tells us:
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye
also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." The fellowship
enjoyed by genuine Christians is proof positive of salvation.
Those who claim Christ, but yet rarely attend church to worship
God and associate with other believers, are possibly fooling themselves!
A backslidden Christian can stay out of church and away from other
believers, but I can guarantee you from first-hand experience
that there will never be a time when you will be comfortable with
it! On the other side of the coin, verse 8 teaches us that if
we deny the existence of sin within us, the Truth is not in us.
Verse 3 of Chapter two teaches us that we are genuine and growing
in grace and knowledge of Christ, if we keep His commandments.
Verse 10 teaches us that we are of Christ if we love the brethren.
Verse 15 teaches us that if anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. "Worldly Christians" is almost a contradiction
in terms and those who claim Christ, but yet cling to the value
system of this world - are suspect. |
| 3. |
1
John 5:13 informs us that the entire Book of 1 John was written
so that we can know that we possess eternal life in Christ. Do
you know for absolute certainty that, if you were to die tonight,
you would go to Heaven? |
| 4. |
The
Word of God teaches that the Bible is incomprehensible to the
"natural man"-the unsaved individual. It is a spiritual book and
the unsaved person is not only spiritually blind, but 1 Corinthians
2:14 tells us that he is incapable of knowing that which is spiritually
discerned. Do you understand the Bible? Does it make sense to
you and speak to your heart? Does it convict you of your sin and
teach you the right way? |
| 5. |
The
Bible is very clear that an unregenerate individual will not seek
God (Romans 3:11). Are you painfully aware of your sinful nature
and cry out to God from your heart for forgiveness when you sin?
If so, this is one of the signs of having been born again. |
| 6. |
The
Bible says that an unregenerate individual is a slave of Satan and
incapable of doing anything about it (Ephesians 2:2). Have you been
able to turn your back upon this world and its sinful ways? Are
all of your close friends Christians? If you have been born again,
your unsaved friends will drop you like a bad habit! (Just as an
illustration, spray a small amount of "WD-40" lubricant on a surface
wet with water and watch how fast the water retreats! A genuine
dose of salvation is like the WD-40 where reprobate buddies are
concerned.) |
| 7. |
Do
you love--really love--Christians and would rather be with them
than anyone else? Can you meet a total stranger, find out that
they are a believer, and then have instant fellowship with them?
Is there "something" in your heart that draws you to them and
establishes a closeness which cannot be explained any other way?
[We alluded to this feature in Paragraph 2, above] |
| 8. |
Do
you actually enjoy giving to the Lord's work? Do you give generously
of your time, talent, and treasury? |
| 9. |
Do
you sin less now than you did prior to receiving Christ? |
| 10. |
Have
other people seen the "fruit of the Spirit" at work in your life?
That is, can they see genuine love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
etc., (Galatians 5:22), being wrought in and through you by God's
Holy Spirit? Do they sense that you are a different person from
the one you used to be? |
| 11. |
Have
you experienced persecution because of your faith in Christ? (Former
friends who back away because of your testimony for Christ, are
a subtle form of persecution). |
| 12. |
Are
you eagerly expecting and anticipating the any-moment return of
Jesus Christ for His Church? |