“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.”
(Romans 5:10)
One of the most important questions I can ever ask myself is: “Am I truly saved?” And the Christian who cannot answer this question with resounding confidence should desire to know what they must do to attain such assurance.
Paul spoke of this assurance in Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” True salvation is effectively and sufficiently provided for in God’s merciful Covenant of Grace, and the person who believes in Jesus Christ by saving faith is justified as soon as he or she believes. But assurance of salvation comes by exercising our faith toward the goal of spiritual maturity and Christlikeness, actively pursuing obedience through the process of sanctification (Phil. 2:12).
As Christians, we should be diligently working to attain this assurance, for harboring doubts about our eternal destiny makes us much more vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. In addition, a Christian who lacks assurance of salvation is himself a miserable, tormented soul.
How, then, do we obtain assurance of salvation?
The essential first step is to ensure that your understanding of salvation is synchronous with the Gospel message of Scripture (1 Cor. 15:1-4). You must experience a conviction of your sin, along with the understanding that you are headed for hell apart from the saving grace of God and the meritorious work of Christ on the cross. You must know that you can do nothing to procure your salvation and that God is your only hope. And you must humbly confess your sinful state before a holy God, ask for forgiveness and for the blood of Christ and His righteousness to be applied to your account. You must ask God to rule and reign and live in your heart as Lord and Savior of your whole life.
This experience happens at a point in time. You don’t evolve into salvation or grow into the family of God. Rather, just like the birth of a child is a particular event on a specific day and time, you experience the new birth at a specific point in your life. And from that moment forward, your “desires” change. You desire spiritual things. You desire to read your Bible. You desire to be with other believers. You “love the brethren.” These qualities are experiential of true saving faith.
And yet assurance often grows over time. Thomas Manton rightly said, “Assurance of salvation is both promised and possible because it is God’s will that we have a full and strong assurance of our faith. 1 John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life.””
One testimony to your salvation is the witness of the Holy Spirit within you. Does God’s Spirit commune with your spirit to affirm your salvation? Does He convict you when you lie, or cheat, or do anything contrary to God’s law? Are you grieved when you do something that breaks fellowship with your heavenly Father?
Another testimony to your salvation is evidenced by your life. When you examine your life, do you find the fruits of the Spirit of God – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Jesus told His disciples that you can tell whether a person is truly saved by the fruit they bear in their life (Matt. 7:16). And James says that a faith that does not show up in life by obedience to God’s Word and evidenced by good works is a dead faith (James 2:14-26).
Another strong test of true salvation is our relationship to sin. Every sin we commit after becoming a Christian can cause us to doubt whether we are truly saved. But perfection is not the test for salvation. God knows we are prone to sin because of the old nature that we still carry, so He gave us an advocate in Christ and a way to properly seek forgiveness, cleansing, and forsaking of sin in order to restore our fellowship with Him (1 John 2:1).
But if you fall into sin and enjoy it and find that you can continue sinning without guilt, then you are not born of God. 1 John 3:9 says plainly, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”
A man must first be saved before he can be assured of salvation, for he cannot be assured of that which he does not have. But assurance of saving faith is cultivated as we grow in grace and knowledge of God and Christ our Savior. Colossians 2:6-7 says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
If you will be assured of your salvation in God, first make certain that you experienced the new birth – saving faith – as Scripture defines it. Then see that you trust and obey Him, enjoy and honor Him as the One who will complete His work of salvation in you. Know that He is able to keep you until the day of Jesus Christ. Then come to adore Him as He affirms His presence and assurance of His Spirit abiding in you moment by moment.
- Lord, before being justified by Your Spirit and experiencing true saving faith in Your Gospel, I could not please You. Before You regenerated me, I was dead in sin. I was not Your friend; I was Your enemy. I was not a son of Yours but a child of wrath. Keep me ever aware of the gift of salvation and Your Spirit who now lives in me, and keep me thankful that You are now not only my friend, but my Father.
- How can I expect assurance if I do not work to cultivate my faith, Lord? If I neglect so great a salvation, if I do not use the means You have given to cultivate a true and full assurance of faith, what can I expect? I ask that You empower me to live rightly before You as I work to strengthen my faith, so that I may know in whom I have believed.
- You alone, Lord Jesus, are my Savior (Luke 2:30). As Zechariah said, “my eye has seen Your salvation.” That is You, Lord Jesus, the One appointed to be my Savior through the Father’s gracious covenant.
- Lord, I know that salvation is obtained by grace. Help me see the work of Christ clearly in my salvation, that I might grow in my faith and assurance in Your Word and the testimony of Your Spirit in my heart.
Further References for Romans 5:10
2 Cor. 5:18-19; Col. 1:20-21; Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:32; Heb. 2:17
