If you recently have had the experience of receiving Christ, you may have had times when you doubted the reality of that experience; that is, you may have questioned whether you were really saved. Without the real assurance of salvation as a solid foundation, it is difficult for a new Christian to grow and experience the deeper things of the Christian life. Nevertheless, the Bible says it is possible to know absolutely, unreservedly, that you are a saved person. How can this be? Let us read 1 John 5:13:
I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life, to you who believe into the name of the Son of God.
It is not, “that you may think,” not, “that you may hope,” but “that you may know.” We do not need to wait until we die to find out; this assurance is for us to enjoy today.
How can we have the assurance of salvation? There are three means:
Our first means of assurance of salvation is God’s Word. While man’s word may be untrustworthy, God’s Word remains sure and steadfast. It is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18; Num. 23:19). Whatever God says stands firm forever (Psa. 119:89).
What God has said is not a matter of conjecture. His Word is neither vague nor intangible. It comes to us today in written form, the Bible.
The Bible is God’s very Word, inspired by Him (2 Tim. 3:16). We can take this Word, believe this Word, and trust this Word.
What then does God say about salvation? He says that the way of salvation is a person, Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 10:43; 16:31). He says that whoever believes that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord is saved. He says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:9-13).
Have you done this? Have you believed in Christ and confessed openly that He is your Lord? Have you called on His name? If so, you are really saved. God says so. That settles it.
Not only do we have God’s Word outside us telling us we are saved, we also have a witness inside us, telling us the very same thing. What the Bible speaks to us from without, the Spirit confirms within. First John 5:10 says, “He who believes into the Son of God has the testimony in himself.”
Sometimes, after we have received Christ, we may not feel saved. Nevertheless, if we check within the deepest part of our being, with our spirit, we will find a kind of inner witness, an assurance, that we are children of God. “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). If you doubt that you have this inner witness of the Spirit, try this simple experiment: try declaring boldly, “I am not a child of God!” You will find it very difficult to even whisper such a falsehood. Why? Because the Holy Spirit within you bears witness, “You are a child of God!”
The third means of assurance is our love for other brothers and sisters in Christ. First John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers.” A saved person undoubtedly senses a kind of love for others who are also saved. You sense a desire to fellowship, to enjoy Christ with others. This is the spontaneous result of being saved, one of the clearest signs of a saved person. This love transcends the cheap, selfish “love” of today’s age. It is a love that is impartial—it loves those who are alike and those who are different. This is the real oneness and harmony the world longs for. Yet it is ours when we receive Christ. “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity!” (Psa. 133:1). This is the testimony of a saved person.
By these three witnesses—God’s Word, the Spirit’s inner witness, and our love for the brothers—we may know and be sure that we are really saved.