How Do I Know I'm Saved?

How do I know if I'm saved? What if I'm not good? What if I keep on sinning?

Before I was aware of the intricacies of salvation, I was afraid. In an earlier post, I wrote a testimony about my childhood experience of God "speaking" to me. There seem to be so many rules, especially when you focus on the old testament, and it overwhelmed me because I couldn't even remember them all. Forget following them. So, I asked God to give me anything I could remember, so no matter what I faced in life, I would know I was doing the right thing. I wasn't exactly expecting anything, but if I got a summary of His laws, it would probably be at least a paragraph. A single word came to mind:

love.

So, I set upon my Bible immediately, and it fell right to this verse:

"And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40

Love here is the Greek ἀγαπήσεις, which means have preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of, welcome with desire, or long for. (strongs)

It seemed impossible for a word to sum everything up, yet it's never proved itself wrong no matter what I've experienced so far in life. God is love, and it makes more and more sense as time passes by. So, what does this have to do with Salvation?

First thing you need to know is that salvation didn't start when Jesus came to Earth as man. If you say it was because he was good man, you're dead wrong.

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness . . . . Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. . . . Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." (Romans 4:1–5, 9–10, 16)

No one has ever in the history of ever been saved because they were good enough, nor because they did enough good works to make up for sins, nor because they were able to completely stop sinning at some point in their life. Case in point: Abraham. Before there were Jews, Christians, or even the Israelite nation, there lived Abraham (aka Abram). We aren't told much about him before God called on him.

"The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him." Genesis 12:1-4

God was making Abraham promises before he took a single step. God chose Abraham before he'd done anything righteously noteworthy. Essentially, God was saying, have faith, believe in my promises, and I'll give them to you, and these were Earth-shaking promises. Abraham believed God. The next section, we see Abraham lying to a pharaoh and almost causing his wife to commit adultery or be raped. God saved her from this, but seriously, Abraham. He doesn't seem perfect to me. Then, he started worrying that God wasn't going to follow through with His promises when he and his wife grew old and childless. How would his children grow into a nation if he didn't have children? He started making plans to make a servant an heir. It says,

"Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6

He had momentary doubts and worries, but he decided to continue having faith in God. So, God considered Abraham righteous. Did you see it say that Abraham did this great thing, he had a heart of gold, and stopped making mistakes, so God credited to him as righteousness? Nope. It said God considered Abraham righteous because he believed God. Abraham was saved. He was righteous. Because he had faith in God and His promises.

Let's rewind back to love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Yep, it's the same word from Greek here. Do you notice that part of loving someone, including God, means you trust them? You can't love God and not trust Him. That is faith. He sees what we don't, and we won't always see the top of the staircase, even if we're called to walk up it. Abraham worried, too, what the next step would be because he couldn't see the top, and the staircase was getting a little lengthy.

Abraham loved God eventually, but it started with trust and faith. That's how he was saved.

I'm going to drag this out a little, forgive me, but I want to illustrate this further so you can fully understand.

God is called our father and we His children. Now, for those of you who have children or even someone you love a whole lot, picture this scenario.

Imagine y'all are walking along, and you see a sharp ravine. In the ravine are railroad tracks. You warn them to not get too close, but nevertheless, they suddenly slip and fall. It's too steep for them to climb themselves out and now there's a train bearing down, whistling a sharp note of warning. The only one who can save them is you. Do you:

1) Consider whether they have been good to you first

2) Reach out a saving hand for them to grab

I'm guessing for most of you with a heart, you'll grab them without a second thought. If you would do this, and you're a mere fallible human, don't you think the King of the Universe, God of love and light, would do at least this?

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-13

When you fall from grace, God is the only one who can save you. He will save you, no questions asked. Also, consider this.

Imagine the same situation as before, and as you reach our your hand, your child/loved one refuses to take it. Imagine they turn their back. Imagine they try to climb up the side to save themselves despite your urgent cries. What do you feel? These are the unsaved. They refuse God. They don't trust Him. They don't believe in Him.

Now, imagine they refused but suddenly the train is at their back and they realize, last minute, they need your help. They finally blessedly take your hand in time for you to pull them to safety. Would you:

1) Consider the fact they refused and distrusted you up to this point and refuse them help for their last minute change of mind

2) Reach out and save them anyway

I've heard of some who believe a death-bed conversion is not a truly saved person. First, that's between the person and God. You can never know a person's heart like God does. Second, if they are converted, they are saved. They are still saved. God will still save them. If you would save your child or loved one in the above situation, more so will God.

Now, let's summarize. We aren't saved because we do good works. We do good works because we're saved. God changes us mind and soul, sends His Holy Spirit to guide us because we believe in Him. When God reaches out a hand, we take it. We trust He will save us. That is salvation. If we fall again into the ravine, God will come save us again and again. He doesn't wear out his forgiveness, and I doubt any of you would allow your loved one to die just because they are constantly falling into the ravine.

Now, is constantly falling a possible sign that someone doesn't actually have faith in God? Yes. He warned them, and they didn't believe Him. Or, they decide to live their life thinking God will forgive them in the end. They obviously don't actually love God.

You return again. None of us are perfect. That's the very reason we need God.

Please believe and love. Have faith in His words. He already loves you. He already believes in you. He already has His hand outstretched waiting to embrace you on the top of the ravine.




Sources other than Bible:
Strong's Concordance