Are You Really a Christian?
How do you know if you are really saved? If you were asked that question, how would you answer it? For many people, salvation is merely a PAST experience that was the result of an emotional response to an altar call or just the reciting of the sinner’s prayer. For others, salvation is only an attempt to try and do your best to live a “good” life and be a “good” person. While for others, salvation is simply an intellectual assent to a set of beliefs about God, Jesus, and the Bible.
These views of salvation leave many people, both those who do not attend church and those who sit in the same pew at church every week, with the belief that they are on their way to heaven. However, Jesus clearly warns that many will stand before Him claiming to be saved and He will say the following, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). In light of this sobering verse, it is crucial you know how to answer the question, “How do you know if you are really saved?”
The apostle John provides the answer to this question in his first epistle, “These things I have written 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). Consider the following signs that John sets forth in knowing that you have eternal life.
1: Admit that you are a sinner. (1 John 1:8-9)
2: Live a life of obedience and keep God’s commandments. (1 John 1:6-7; 2:3-6, 29; 3:7-10; 5:2)
3: Display love to others. (1 John 2:9-11; 3:10, 15, 17-19; 4:7-9)
4: Do not love this world (world system ruled by Satan) or the things in this world. (1 John 2:15-16)
5: Acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. (1 John 2:22-23; 4:15)
6: Possess the hope and longing for Jesus’ return. (1 John 3:2-3)
7: Love other believers and enjoy having fellowship with them. (1 John 5:1)
8: Persevere in the faith. (1 John 2:24)
The apostle Paul told the Corinthians to examine themselves to see whether or not they were in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). As you move into the New Year, examine your life to make certain you are in the faith and will inherit all God has planned for those who love and obey Him.
I strongly encourage you to study in more depth each of these scriptures so you can know for certain that you have eternal life. May we all yearn for the day when we hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21).
- Dr. BJ Rudge
