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Am I Saved?
- A downloadable tract
What an important question this is! It seems that many times we focus so much on the "time and place" as the proof of salvation that we lose sight of the big picture. It is true that salvation is a real experience that can be felt in our heart. However, the Scriptures teach that the greatest proof of salvation is not only that feeling, but the changes that take place inside us. We are not condemned for examining our salvation. In fact, the apostle Peter tells us to, "Make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10-11). We are encouraged to examine our salvation against the Word of God. In fact, a whole book of the bible, 1st John, was written to address this very subject.
Before diving into this topic, we must first discuss the place of emotion in salvation. Growing up, many testimonies I heard focused on the amazing feelings of joy and happiness expressed by those who were just saved. As a teenager, I sought the Lord for several years before I was saved in the summer of 1995. However, I didn’t feel joy at the moment I was saved. Does this seem odd? Let me clarify this. The reason I didn’t immediately feel joy was because I didn’t comprehend that I had just been saved! I only knew that there was a great burden and conviction on my heart that was suddenly gone and I was left with an amazing sense of peace. I didn’t feel like I needed to seek the Lord anymore. Because I was expecting to immediately feel joyous when I was saved, in my mind, I ruled out the possibility that I was saved. However, in the days that followed, I noticed some definite changes going on inside of me.
It is true that there should be a great joy that accompanies salvation! However, that joy itself is not an indicator of salvation, but something that happens when you realize that you are saved. The Apostle John said the book of 1 John was written, "that your joy may be full". When we look further into the context of this book, we see that the Holy Spirit was writing, through John, to those who were saved but did not fully grasp their salvation or did not understand how to stay close to the Lord. We must consider this. It is possible to be saved and at the same time not have full joy. That happens when we are not living in the light of our relationship with Christ. When we are confident of our salvation and walking closely with God, we can experience an amazing joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. After a few days of searching, the Lord helped me to know that what happened to me on that night in 1995 really was salvation. Believe me, there was abundant joy in my heart when I knew the Lord had saved me!
It is extremely important to understand if you are truly saved. If you are lost and falsely believe yourself to be saved, you are jeopardizing your eternal future by not seeking the Lord. However, if you are saved and doubt your salvation, you are ruining the effectiveness of your Christian life. How can we pray boldly in faith to the Lord if we don’t know if we are saved? There were times I felt defeated as a young Christian because I doubted my salvation. When I prayed, I always proceeded my petitions with, "If I am saved, you will answer me". Not only did I lack abounding joy, but I also lacked confidence in the Lord. James says that when we ask something of the Lord, we must do it without wavering or we will not receive what we are asking for (James 1:6-8). There is much more power and confidence in my prayer (and have seen tremendous results) now that I have come to grips with the reality of my salvation.
Sometimes, emotions are unreliable in helping you determine if you are saved. There are, however, spiritual changes that will take place in you that will bear reliable witness of your salvation. I will discuss five of these changes that you should be able to perceive if you are saved. The beautiful thing about these traits is that they will be present in every saved individual, whether or not they realize they are saved. It is important to understand them, as they not only help you understand whether you are saved, but they also show the direction that the Lord has for your life.
We do not walk in darkness
1 John 1:6-10 – “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
It would be easy to look at this passage and assume that this verse implies walking in sin. Sin is constantly tied to darkness in Scriptures. However, this passage is speaking specifically about the ignorance of sin. Most people like to keep their sins hidden or tend to be blind to their existence. It is as if they were putting them in the dark so they cannot be seen.
Those who are in darkness: cannot understand the light (John 1:5), walk in a confused path (Psalm 82:5), and are blindly stumbling (Proverbs 4:19). Again, 1 John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” While most people recognize they aren’t perfect, they are normally hard pressed or unwilling to name their faults. Even when they do so, they only go so far and are able to rationalize away their failures. They find themselves to be generally good and moral people.
Truth is like light. No one comes to Christ without coming into the light and letting it fully strike their sin so they see themselves as dirty, wretched, and vile. That’s really what conviction is all about. The Holy Spirit allows us to see ourselves as God sees us. Believe me, it is not a pretty sight. One who is really saved was humbled by the hand of God to the point where they realized that their wretched soul was not worth the price of Christ’s blood and that they deserved to go to hell. That may sound harsh, but those who are saved comprehend this message. Has the Lord brought you to that point?
After salvation, a child of God continues to be convicted of specific sins. At the moment of salvation, we become children of God and the Lord becomes our Father. A good father reproves his children and the Lord won’t shirk this duty. We cannot sin without the Lord somehow letting us know it. He says in Revelation 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent". Since your salvation, does the Lord continue to shine His light upon your heart and convict you of specific sin? Does it feel wrong to sin? This is an evidence of salvation!
We do not love the world
1 John 2:15 – “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Among the changes that occur at the moment of salvation is a change of heart away from the world and towards Christ. It is not possible for the Christian to find true happiness in a world that does not embrace Christ. The sinful things that seemed to be so attractive to us before we were saved no longer hold the same power over us. Obviously, those who are saved continue to sin and can even fall into dangerous patterns of sin, but it brings no satisfaction. In fact, they may feel that life is less enjoyable than it was before salvation if they don’t follow the Lord.
This is all due to a change that happens at salvation. We are no longer of this world, but are a new creature in Christ Jesus. We are literally strangers here in this world (1 Peter 1:1). Perhaps the best time to test this truth is right after salvation. Can you remember that time? Do you recall how you felt in the weeks and months following your conversion? Did you have a different attitude towards sin? Were you able to see things in a new and better light than ever before? I clearly remember seeing sin at work around me. It pierced my newborn heart! Unfortunately, we can grow cold and calloused to sin and it becomes hard to discern whether we really are strangers. However, look back to the beginnings and search your heart. Was there a change in your affection toward the world and its sin? This is an evidence of salvation!
We confess Christ
1 John 4:15 – “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”
This essential truth must be emphasized and explained. There is no salvation without Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me”. If someone does not believe that Jesus was God and that He came and died for our sins, salvation is impossible.
However, to understand this point, we must look at the word, "confess". Speaking in terms of our modern judicial system, a reliable confession only comes from a first person witness. In terms of salvation, we can only confess Christ if we have actually met Him ourselves. In 1 John 1:1, the Apostle John asserts his credibility to confess Christ. He said, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…" John is a credible witness because he has HEARD, SEEN, LOOKED AT, and TOUCHED Jesus the Christ!
Although we cannot see Christ with our physical eyes right now, we can have an equally realistic experience with Him through salvation. As the Apostle Paul said, “I know whom I have believed”! I have felt His peace and witnessed His presence in my heart and my life. I KNOW He is real. Are you a reliable witness? Have you felt His presence in your heart? The only way you can experience Him is through salvation!
Confessing Christ is not just saying His name in public. It is telling about your experience with Him, how you KNOW that He is real. This is not just an act of the tongue, but an act of the heart expressing what it knows to be true. Do you KNOW Christ? Do you have an experience with Him that you can recount (confess) to glorify His name?
The Spirit bears witness and leads us
Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
The presence of the Holy Spirit is the greatest witness of our salvation. In fact, it is through the Holy Spirit that God communicates with us. Have you experienced the Spirit’s leadership?
Leadership of the Spirit is much more than an emotion. It is a discernable voice in our heart that provides direction, magnifies Christ (John 16:13-14), and will always fall in line with the Bible (1 John 4:1). Many claim to feel the leadership of the Spirit in their life and then say and do things that don’t align with the Bible. Don’t get this confused with true Spiritual leadership.
The Spirit of God has fruits or evidences that allow us to be able to discern His voice. These include: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). If you are saved, the Spirit is working inside of you to lead you. This leadership will evoke actions from you that exhibit the above mentioned fruits.
Men do not have an inherent ability to be able to understand the spiritual truths of God’s Word. This may be why we see so much perversion of Scripture in the world. When they cannot grasp the truth, they often twist what they read to suit their own purposes. However, one who is saved is different. The Spirit of God dwells inside us and leads us to truth. The Spirit takes the spiritual truths from God’s Word and illuminates our minds to their meaning and their application to our lives. Has the Lord revealed the spiritual truths of His Word to you? Has He given you spiritual insight into things that you did not perceive before? This is an evidence of salvation!
We have peace with God
Romans 5:1 – “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
A real peace that we can feel is one of the most beautiful truths of our salvation. In Psalm 116, King David recounts his salvation experience. He said, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow" (Psalm 116:3). Did you experience this trouble and sorrow before you were saved? As we previously mentioned, this is called conviction and it is God’s way of letting you know where you stand before Him. You are evil and wretched and He cannot bear to look upon you because of your sin.
However, at the moment of salvation, you brought into a right relationship with God. This means that you are covered by Christ’s righteousness and God is again able to embrace you. You have PEACE with Him! At that moment, the very real trouble and sorrow placed within your heart by the Holy Spirit disappears. King David later said, "Return unto thy rest, Oh my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee" (Psalm 116:7). He had peace with God. Do you have this same peace?
Salvation can be confusing for people who expect a flood of emotion at the moment they are saved. When they fail to get that, they are often left doubting. There is only one "feeling" that we are promised at the point of salvation and that is peace. The feeling of joy comes after peace when you realize that you have been saved. Do you have peace with God?
Summary
When we honestly consider our own salvation and examine it in the light of God’s Word, we can obtain a tremendous blessing. For those who are saved, it can be a relief and encouragement to see that our experience of salvation corresponds to the Word of God. Our joy can reach new heights and we can move past the doubting to live a victorious and Spirit-filled life.
We must recognize that there are some who claim to be Christians and are not. Even during the days that Christ led the church, there were some that falsely professed salvation, like Judas Iscariot. Don’t let yourself be one of those who will stand before the Lord someday and say, "Lord, Lord, haven’t we prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?" He will say, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
In contrast, don’t be left doubting your salvation just because your experience of salvation might be different than others. Examine your heart against the truth. If it matches, leave the doubting behind and go on to serve the Lord in boldness, doing greater things for Him than you ever imagined.
Am I Saved?
- A downloadable tract
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