Many think that salvation is something in the future, so they think that there is no way for them to know whether they are saved now. But in His Word, the Bible, God clearly tells us that salvation is a matter for the present; moreover, He assuredly tells us that we can know that we are saved. Once we believe, we are saved, and at the same time, we can know that we are saved.
1. “You may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
Although many received the Lord as their Savior, they do not know that they have eternal life. Many also think that although they believed in the Lord, whether or not they have eternal life is a matter that will be decided by the Lord in the future when He returns. They do not think that we can know for ourselves now. Some even go so far as to suggest that it is impossible for us to know whether we have eternal life in the present. They say that we can and should have faith in the present, but to know whether we have eternal life is something that is impossible. They think that there is no way to know whether we have eternal life in this age. But God clearly and assuredly wants us to know that we have eternal life. Thus, according to God’s Word and ordination, we can and should know that we have eternal life.
2. “We know that we have passed out of death into life” (1 John 3:14).
God, through the apostle John, not only tells us that we have passed out of death into life the moment we believe (John 5:24), but He also assuredly tells us that we can know that we have passed out of death into life. After we believe, we can know that we have eternal life and have passed out of death into life. Since we know we have eternal life, we also spontaneously know that we have passed out of death into life.
3. “We know that we are of God” (1 John 5:19).
Those who are saved are regenerated by God and are of God. This is something those who are born of God and who have His life can know and should know. How can anyone teach that a person cannot know the parents who gave birth to him? How can anyone teach that one should not know the father to whom he belongs? Since we were born of God by faith and obtained God’s life, we can know that we are the children of God with His eternal life, and we should know that we belong to God and are saved by grace.
4. “For we know that...we have a building from God...eternal, in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).
This verse speaks of knowing that we will obtain an eternal building in the heavens built by God. This eternal building in the heavens refers to the redeemed body, which will be eternal. Our present body is merely an earthly tabernacle; it is temporary. Although we are saved and have the Lord’s life, we are still sighing and laboring in this tabernacle. When the Lord returns, our body will be redeemed, and we will be clothed with a glorious body, which will be our eternal building in the heavens. This will cause our mortal body to be swallowed up in life. For this purpose, God did a work of life in our spirit and is using His life to cultivate us so that He can use this life in us to swallow up our outward body and completely redeem us by His life from our inward spirit to our outward body in the future. Thus, we will enter into the freedom of His glory. For this, God is not only doing an inward work of cultivating us in His life, but He also gave us His Spirit as an inward pledge and guarantee, to be the collateral and the warranty that He will accomplish this matter for us. We will obtain a glorious, redeemed body, an eternal building in the heavens (vv. 2-3). Since we are saved and have God’s life, we can know this fact now, by His life working in us and by the Holy Spirit whom He gave us. We can know that we will be clothed in a glorious body and will enjoy the heavenly, glorious freedom (Rom. 8:21-23).
5. “We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2).
Despite the fact that our inward spirit has the Lord’s life, our outward body is still not like the Lord. When He is manifested, He will transfigure the body of our humiliation into a glorious body like His own (Phil. 3:20-21). We can know this by the life He gave us and by the word He spoke to us. Since He regenerated us in our spirit, causing us to have His life and nature so that we are like Him in life and nature, how could He allow our body to remain eternally in the humiliation of the old creation and not transfigure it so that we will be like Him outwardly? According to the spontaneous spiritual principles of life, we can know that we will be like Him, especially since He used clear and definite words to tell us that He will accomplish this matter. This is something we can know now.
6. “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).
We are children of God. We have the life of God, and we can know this fact now because we have proof. Our proof is the Holy Spirit witnessing with our spirit. This is also an inward proof that cannot be erased, so we should not doubt it.
7. “We should be called children of God; and we are...Now we are children of God” (1 John 3:1-2).
Because we know that we have obtained God’s life and have been born of God, we also know that we are children of God. We can say with assurance that we really are children of God. The tone of the apostle John’s word here is so bold; it leaves no room for doubt. The spirit within every child of God who has the divine life says Amen to this point.
8. “For our commonwealth exists in the heavens” (Phil. 3:20).
A citizen of the heavens is one who is saved. We are heavenly citizens; we are saved. This is a fact we can know now. If this were not the case, how could Paul be so certain in his wording? Some might say that Paul might have known that he was part of a heavenly commonwealth, but that we cannot know. However, Paul does not say, “My commonwealth exists in the heavens.” He says, “Our commonwealth exists in the heavens.” Our includes all believers who have received grace. All who have believed and who have received grace are saved; they have a commonwealth in the heavens. Therefore, everyone should and can know that they are saved. They can confidently confess their citizenship in the heavens.