AM I REALLY SAVED?
The Bible does not tell you to base your assurance of salvation merely on a prayer you once prayed, a church you joined, an aisle you walked, or a baptism you received.
Instead, Scripture says:
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5
This is one of the most important questions you will ever ask:
Am I really saved?
Jesus warned that not everyone who believes himself to be saved actually is.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 7:21
Some will stand before Christ convinced that they belong to Him, only to hear:
“I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
— Matthew 7:23
So how can you know?
HAVE YOU BEEN BORN AGAIN?
Jesus said:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
— John 3:3
Christianity is not merely turning over a new leaf, becoming religious, or deciding to live a better life.
Salvation involves a work of God within you.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
The question is not simply, “Have I made a profession of faith?”
The question is:
Has Jesus Christ changed my life?
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SIN?
A genuine Christian is not sinless.
The Bible makes that clear:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
— 1 John 1:8
But there is a difference between falling into sin and fighting against it and living comfortably in continual rebellion against God.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin…”
— 1 John 3:9
John is describing a life characterized by the practice of sin.
Someone who has been born again may stumble, but he cannot make peace with sin.
When you sin, does it grieve you?
Do you confess it?
Do you desire to forsake it?
Are you fighting against the sins you once embraced?
Or are you continuing deliberately in sin while telling yourself that you are saved?
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”
— 1 John 2:3
DO YOU DESIRE TO OBEY CHRIST?
Obedience does not earn salvation.
We are not saved because we have obeyed God perfectly.
But obedience is evidence that something has happened within us.
Jesus said:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
— John 14:15
A genuine Christian develops a desire to please Christ.
Not perfectly.
Not without struggle.
But genuinely.
If someone claims to know Christ while having no concern whatsoever about what Christ commands, Scripture gives that person no basis for confidence.
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
— 1 John 2:4
DO YOU LOVE OTHER BELIEVERS?
One of the evidences John gives of spiritual life is love for God’s people.
“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.”
— 1 John 3:14
A changed relationship with God produces a changed relationship with others.
This does not mean Christians never disagree or fail one another.
It means God’s Spirit produces a real love for His people.
DO YOU CONTINUE WITH CHRIST?
Jesus warned about people who appear to receive the Word but do not endure.
True faith continues.
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”
— John 8:31
The Christian life is not merely something that happened years ago.
It is a present walk with Christ.
Ask yourself:
Am I following Christ today?
DO YOU TRUST CHRIST OR YOURSELF?
Your assurance must never ultimately rest upon how good you think you are.
Your hope is Jesus Christ.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8–9
A genuine Christian does not stand before God saying:
“Look what I have done.”
His hope is:
“Christ is my only hope.”
Your repentance, obedience, and changed life do not purchase salvation.
Christ purchased salvation.
The changed life is evidence that your faith in Him is real.
WHAT IF I STILL STRUGGLE WITH SIN?
Struggling with sin does not necessarily mean you are lost.
In fact, the presence of a genuine battle against sin can demonstrate that your desires have changed.
The question is not:
“Have I reached sinless perfection?”
You haven’t.
The question is:
“What direction is my life going?”
When you fall, do you run away from God—or do you confess your sin and return to Him?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
— 1 John 1:9
DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF FALSE ASSURANCE
One of the most dangerous things a person can do is convince himself that he is saved when his life gives no evidence that he has ever been born again.
Do not say:
“I prayed the prayer.”
“I was baptized.”
“I joined the church.”
“My family is Christian.”
“I believe in God.”
None of those things by themselves prove that you have been born again.
Jesus said:
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
— Matthew 7:16
Examine the fruit.
Examine your relationship with sin.
Examine your obedience to Christ.
Examine what you love.
Examine what you trust.
And most importantly:
Examine whether you are truly trusting and following Jesus Christ.
BUT YOU CAN KNOW
God does not want His children to live without assurance.
John wrote:
“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.”
— 1 John 5:13
Biblical self-examination is not meant to make a genuine believer endlessly terrified.
It is meant to expose false assurance while directing true believers back to their confidence in Christ.
So ask yourself:
Have I repented and turned to Jesus Christ?
Is Christ my only hope of salvation?
Has my relationship with sin changed?
Do I desire to obey Him?
Is there evidence that God is changing me?
Am I continuing to follow Christ?
If there is no evidence of a changed life, do not comfort yourself with a past religious experience.
Run to Christ.
“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
— John 6:37