How Do I Know I am Saved? – Assurance of Salvation
“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.” -1 John 5:13
Perhaps sometime in nearly every Christian’s life, there comes a time when we have doubts about our own salvation. “Am I really saved? Am I truly going to heaven when I die?”
The common scenario
Here’s a common scenario: we have a doubt about whether or not we are truly saved, and so we ask someone—maybe a pastor or an elder at the church—seeking to gain peace of mind. And perhaps a Bible verse or two is quoted, such as this:
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” -Romans 10:13
So the dialogue begins:
“Did you call on the name of the Lord Jesus to save you?”
We say “yes, I think so…”
And then the next question—which is very vague—is asked: “were you sincere?”
We reply once again, “well, I guess so… or at least, I hope I was…”
While it is very true that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall indeed be saved, many of us are unsure what exactly this involves, and are left wondering, “was that it?”
Take a look at the very next verse that comes next in Romans:
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” -Romans 10:13-14
In the very next verses, it becomes clear that there is more than simply “calling on the Lord,” because the apostle Paul clarifies that a person can’t just “call” on someone that they don’t believe in, and they can’t believe in someone unless they are taught about them from a preacher or some other means of teaching.
While it is true that we don’t need to know every little detail found in the Bible to be saved, it is true that we do need to have a firm grasp on who Jesus was, what He did, and how we need Him to forgive our sins. If we don’t know who Jesus even was, or what He even did on the cross, how can we be expected to simply “call on the name of the Lord” to be saved. Do we even know what it is that we are being saved from?
So we see that it is possible to be sincere in our prayer, and yet without a true saving faith. We might just as well sincerely utter a prayer in Chinese or Swahili and hope to be saved. (Assuming these languages are completely unknown to us.) If we don’t know what we’re even saying, we can be sincere, and yet sincerely wrong.
A common doubt
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” -Matthew 7:21-23
Scripture makes it very clear that there will be many who, in the last judgment, will think that they were going to heaven when in fact the Lord never knew them. This is obviously a very important matter—one of life and death—and God wants for us to take these matters very seriously.
Thankfully, God also provided a means for us to know for sure whether or not we are saved: as a matter of fact, God chose to include an entire book of the Bible on the subject: 1 John. In the next entry, we’ll look more in depth at this book, and learn from the Bible what God says about salvation, and how we can be assured that we indeed have everlasting life.
How Do I Know I Am I Saved?
Assurance of Salvation: part 2
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