8 Signs to Give You Assurance of Salvation
Have you ever been gripped by fear wondering if you are truly saved and on your way to Heaven? Perhaps you are like me and have repeated “The Sinner’s Prayer” multiple times in the past, hoping you “did it right.” Or maybe you have struggled with a besetting sin so long that you question if you are really a Christian after all? These are not just theological queries, but highly personal matters in which we seek assurance and peace.
These questions are of utmost importance because nothing in our lives matters more than our soul’s eternal destination. Jesus, Himself, said in Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
I wondered if I was really saved...
In 2006, I went through several horrible months of anxiety and depression. It was primarily because of a sudden fear that I was not saved due to sins in my past. I was convinced I was going to hell and was so distressed that I couldn’t eat or sleep. I lost 13 lbs. in four weeks. I figured that since I could not go back and undo the sins of my past and had not repented of them then, I was beyond the reach of salvation. It led to a despair that I would not wish on anyone, and I hope that what God has shown me over the years will help others who have had similar struggles with assurance of their salvation.
Of course, I never want to give anyone false assurance of salvation because only God knows our hearts and can reassure us, but the Bible tells us to test ourselves to see if we are really in the true faith:
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you— unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5, NASB95)
What signs show that I'm truly saved?
So, let’s examine ourselves with these Scripture-based qualities of a true Christian!
Read below for several Biblical signs to help you know if you are saved.
8 Ways to Know if I'm Really Saved...
1.) I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and God the Son.
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31, NIV).
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13, NIV).
The supremacy of the Gospel, or the good news that Jesus saves cannot be underestimated. What we believe about Jesus Christ is the most crucial element of our faith and salvation. We must understand that Jesus is truly God as well as truly man. He had to come to earth as a human and be one of us so He could be the substitute for our sins. But it is His deity that makes Him perfect and qualifies Him to be the only acceptable sacrifice we can offer. If He is not God, then He wouldn’t be the unblemished Lamb that can wash away all our sins. Some religions believe Jesus was a prophet or good teacher, but not truly God in the flesh.
Do you believe Jesus is 100% God as well as a 100% perfect man?
2.) I trust Christ’s finished work on the cross and nothing else.
Then they asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent” (John 6:28-29, NIV).
I don’t know about you, but I grew up believing that only good people go to Heaven, and bad people end up in hell. I think much of the world believes this lie. What do I mean by “lie”? Well, the truth is that no one is good except God. The Bible tells us that we are all sinful by nature and even our good works are like “filthy rags” to God. (See Isaiah 64:6.) We cannot work our way to Heaven or ever do enough good works to earn it. It’s not our religion or good deeds that get us there. It is totally by the grace of God, through our faith in Jesus that saves us. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
When I was re-saying “The Sinner’s Prayer” and hoping I was “doing it right”, I was trusting in myself. I was putting my faith in MY actions—not in Christ. I was measuring my salvation by my faith, rather than by Jesus’s sacrifice on my behalf. None of our works contribute to our salvation. Only faith in Christ’s perfect work does. The thief on the cross is proof of this. He was crucified and hours from death, unable to do anything to earn Heaven for himself. Yet, because of His faith, Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise that very day:
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43, NIV).
Do you believe Christ’s work on the cross is all you need to cleanse you from sin and make you acceptable to God? Are you trusting Christ’s righteousness and not your own?
3.) I believe the Bible is God’s Word and trust it as my foundation of truth.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV).
The Bible is the only book that has a Divine Author. It is also the only book that you can interact with the Author through prayer every time you read it. It has the power to inform, reform, and transform hearts, minds, and lives. Jesus Himself quoted Scripture multiple times throughout His ministry and referred to it as the Word of God. (See Mark 7:13.)
John’s Gospel opens by declaring that the Word was God who was present in Creation, and John 1:14 tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh Who came and dwelt among us.
As God, if Jesus holds Scripture in such high esteem, shouldn’t we as well?
4.) I strive to be obedient to God’s Word. I hate my sin and quickly confess and repent of it.
Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show Myself to them” (John 14:21, NIV).
As noted above, the Bible is God’s Word, which means we should take what it says seriously. If Jesus is our Lord, that means we will obey what He tells us. He made clear that our love for Him will be displayed in our actions. Of course, our obedience is not what saves us because God’s standard is perfection and we could never do enough good to pay for our sins. That is why only faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross makes us truly righteous as our sin was laid on Him, and His righteousness was credited to us. There is no sin that the blood of Jesus cannot cover when we seek His forgiveness. But, if our faith is genuine, our actions will demonstrate that. Christians may fall into sin, but they don’t dive in. We should hate the sin that killed Jesus, and it should grieve us when we do it.
Do you hate the sin you used to love? Are you quick to confess and repent? Do you strive to honor the Lord by how you live?
5.) I have a hunger for the things of God.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:44, ESV).
All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away (John 6:37, NIV).
Natural man is fallen and does not seek the things of God. Rather than pursuing God, the world is hostile to Him and His Word as we can see everywhere around us. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
When sin entered the world, the fall of man resulted in both physical and spiritual death. Dead men can’t seek anything. Those who are pursuing Him are only doing so because God is drawing them to Himself.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27, ESV).
There is a very real spiritual battle for the souls of men, and the devil does not want to see anyone come to the Lord. Yet, our Heavenly Father is calling us back to Himself through His Word and Spirit. If you feel that call and have a hunger for God, you can know that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart. The fact that we can understand spiritual things shows God is active in our lives. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior by faith, we are "born again". Even though we will all suffer physical death unless Jesus returns for us before that happens, He has made us spiritually alive.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, ESV).
Do you have a longing to know God more and spend time with Him in His Word and prayer?
6.) I am growing in the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV).
If a person has the Holy Spirit living inside of them (which God gives to every believer who trusts Christ as Savior and Lord), they will exhibit these characteristics more and more. These things do not save us, but they are evidence of God’s transformative work. Fruit of the Spirit can help assure you of the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life.
Of course, we all stumble as we live out our faith in this fallen world. We may have bad days, or weeks, (or even months), but there should be a gradual change as He makes us more like Jesus day by day (a process called “sanctification.”)
Are you growing in holiness? Do you notice spiritual growth that looks better than it did a year ago, five years ago, or more? Look at the big picture rather than just a snapshot of your life. Sanctification is a process that every believer experiences throughout our lives.
7.) I desire to share the Gospel with others and see them come to faith in Jesus as their Savior.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
When we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven and that it is only by grace through faith that we are saved, we will want to share that news with everyone we can. If we love others, we will want to warn them of the dangerous path they are on if they are not following Christ who is the only way to salvation.
Even if we are hesitant or nervous to share our faith, Jesus gave every one of His followers the Great Commission to share the Gospel. Of course, He doesn’t need us in order to save anyone, but He has given us the privilege of sharing in this important work. What an honor that He wants to partner with us in His eternal plan to save the world!
Do you have a burden to share the saving work of Jesus with others?
8.) I have a love for other believers.
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death (1 John 3:14, KJV).
I included the King James version of this verse because that is the one I read that started me on the path to assurance of my salvation. We were traveling in the southern US at the time, and as we went through the Bible Belt, we saw numerous churches and came into contact with many fellow believers. I felt an instant camaraderie and love for these people that could only be described as motivated by God. And that makes sense because God is our Father, which makes us brothers and sisters, closer than even those of our natural-born families. We are not blood relatives in the human sense, but are united by the saving blood of Jesus!
Have you ever met a fellow believer and felt an instant connection even though you didn’t know each other? That could be a tell-tale sign that you are truly part of God’s family. Nothing can separate us from His love once we belong to Him.
When Jesus said His work on the cross was finished, that means we can do nothing to add to or take away from it. It is completely done—a past action that can never be thwarted. We are saved solely by HIM! And that gives me more comfort than anything. My salvation is 100% based on the work of Christ—not anything I have done or must do. If I place my faith in myself, I will always lack assurance. I will always wonder if I’m “good enough.” (Spoiler: none of us is.) But Jesus IS good enough because He is perfect. He is God. He gets all the glory for the work He did to earn our salvation, and He is worthy of all our thanks and praise. Our lives will be a reflection of our gratitude and faith in Him.
The Most Important Sign to Know You're Saved...
Are you confident that Jesus’s finished work on the cross is enough for your salvation?
Don’t put your faith in yourself, or your performance, or how many times you’ve prayed a “Sinner’s Prayer, or even in your amount of faith—put it all in Jesus! Then you can know you are really and truly saved!
I hope that these truths will give you comfort and peace as you examine yourself and spend time with Him in prayer seeking Him and growing in faith. If you find yourself struggling in any of these areas, take that to Him as well. Remember, anyone who comes to Him, He will never cast out! We did nothing to save ourselves, and we can do nothing to un-save ourselves! That should help give you assurance of salvation.
Let the complete and perfect finished work of Christ give you peace and comfort today and always.
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