How to be Certain You Are Saved

Colin Melbourne
© 05-08 Born-Again-Christian.Info

Part 1 of 3

God wants you to be absolutely certain that you are saved right now. He wants you to be free of doubt about your salvation, so that you can stand confident before Him today, tomorrow, and forever.

The keys to assurance of salvation

The LORD Jesus Christ has provided the only way for you to be at peace with God. The Lamb of God was sacrificed so that you can be assured of a place in Heaven and know you will never be condemned.

What He did for you; is perfect, complete, and finished. You cannot add to it, improve it: nor ever deserve it. Salvation is a gift that you receive by God's grace, and everyone who asks receives.

If you are not 100% sure of your righteousness before God, keep reading, do what God says, and you will have divine righteousness, joy unspeakable, and peace that passes all understanding.

• Make sure you do what God says you must do to be saved. Not what theologians say: but what God says.
• Make sure you have the Bible evidence that proves you are saved.
• Make sure you don't fall from grace: into works and legalism.

Do what God tells you to do to be saved

If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Ro. 10:9-10,13 Holy Bible NIV

Note: Lord here means Almighty God. We know because verse 13 is a quote from Joel 2:32, which uses the Hebrew name for Almighty God: YHWH, for LORD. (The Greek word used is Kurios.) So confessing 'Jesus is Lord' shows that the believer believes that Jesus is Almighty God in the Flesh. (Jn. 1:1,14)

Jesus said, I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life. And will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life. Jn. 5:24

Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, he who believes has eternal life. Jn. 6:47

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Ac. 10:43

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn. 3:16

Salvation comes by heart faith in the LORD Jesus Christ: Repentance from unbelief in Him saves you.

Repent and believe the good news! Mk. 1:15

Faith Alone: By Grace Alone

People want to earn their salvation, but you cannot. The only 'work' God requires is this:

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. Jn. 6:29

Assurance of salvation is given only on the basis of God's grace to those sinners willing to repent and have faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. That is why the Holy Spirit wrote to born again believers:

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no-one can boast. Eph. 2:8-9

That's not hard work: it's no work at all. Just trust that Christ did enough to make you blameless before God.

Cults like to pervert the Word of James and usually interject at this point:

You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. Jas. 2:24

They claim this proves that works are essential for salvation. If so that would contradict the Gospel of God's grace. No! The Holy Spirit was simply contrasting real living faith with dead useless faith. You can see genuine saving faith by its fruit, the works done in gratitude to Christ. The works do not save, it is the source of the works, faith in Christ which saves, because it is genuine living faith. The works prove the faith is living. It is the root, not the fruit, that saves.

What do you have to believe in your heart?

That Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, in other words: Almighty God (YHWH) in the Flesh. He always claimed it, and countless scriptures prove it (Jn. 12:41+45; Is. 6:5; Jn. 1:1+14; Rev. 1:8, Rev 22:13+16; Is. 48:12; Lk. 6:5; Jn. Ch 8, Col. 2:9, etc.), one of my favourites is Christ's dire warning:

I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Jn. 8:23-24 KJV

Remember this is God speaking, declaring Himself to be YHWH in the Flesh. It is even more powerful than the KJV translators made it. They added the word 'he'. Christ actually said:

...for if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.

YHWH means I AM. Jesus was telling those unbelieving Jews they were looking straight at God.

If Christ be not risen

To be saved you must also believe in your heart that Christ was raised from the dead. His resurrection proves many vital Gospel facts: that He is God, and never sinned, that He paid your debt, conquered death, sin, and Satan for you.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Ro. 4:25

The Two Keys

Repentance from unbelief in these two Gospel facts are the keys to salvation. That Jesus is YHWH, God in the Flesh, and that He was sacrificed to pay your sin debt being raised to life, fulfilling the Scriptural prophecies of the Messiah.

The instant you truly repent and believe these truths in your heart, proclaiming your faith that Jesus is LORD: God's Word says you are saved.

That was the message Paul preached when asked:

What must I do to be saved?

They replied; Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Ac. 16:30-31

Notice: There are no rituals, rites, or sacraments involved in Scriptural salvation. No works to perform: simply believe in Christ as Lord in your heart, and tell the world.

What About Repentance from Sin?

Oh this is such a precious truth to understand. Hordes of preachers have missed it. Religion programmes sinners to believe that giving up sinful habits will save them from God's wrath. They say in their hearts,

'I'll quit fornicating, boozing, gambling, and lying, I'll go to church, get baptised, read my Bible, and follow Jesus.'

Is that you? Listen; It's false: utter vanity.

Repenting from such sin is wonderful and crucial, but don't make the mistake of putting the cart before the horse. Salvation must come first.

The only repentance that saves is repentance from unbelief in Christ's finished Sacrifice for you personally. This must come first. Once you've embraced that Gospel fact: God's Spirit will enter your heart and break the bonds that keep you ensnared to sin, setting you free. It is happening to many of you as you read this. Only after you are saved can you repent from all other sin, because only then do you have God's Spirit in your heart enabling you.

When anyone genuinely believes in their heart they will turn away from sin and follow Jesus, obeying His Word not to merit salvation, but because they love Him for saving them.

Christ Alone

The cults object to the beautiful simplicity of God's way to be saved. For example they twist God's Word to imply water baptism is essential for salvation. The Roman Catholic cult adds a whole raft or sacraments, rites and rituals before their doctrine begrudges the faithful a degree of 'salvation'. They are demonic counterfeits easily exposed by a comparison with God's Word read in the Holy Spirit.

No, there's absolutely nothing you can do to save yourself other than to trust completely in the finished Sacrifice of the Saviour on your behalf.

Believe that He did enough to make you righteous, justify you and bring you spotless into His presence forever.

Have you done that Beloved? Make sure you are trusting in the Rock, and not building your hope on sand.

Part 2 How to be sure you are saved: Make sure you have the Bible evidence that proves you are saved.