Beth-El Baptist Church
01/22/06
Greg Tomlinson
How can I know for certain that I am saved?
A very valid question that people can and have from time to time concerns the reality of eternal life for themselves. Today we will look at whether or not someone can know for certain about their eternal state of salvation and if so then how can they know.
1. Is it possible to know for certain that I have eternal life?
John 10:16, 10:27; 20:31
The scriptures are very clear that it is possible for an individual person to know with complete certainty that you have eternal life. In 1 John 5:13, the word ‘know’ carries the idea of seeing, perceiving, discerning, discovering. In other words, it means that the knowledge of having eternal life is absolutely knowable.
2. What are the requirements to have eternal life?
Titus 3:5
1 Peter 3:18
The requirements for eternal life are simple, but not easy. The scriptures tell us that all you have to do is to believe in Jesus Christ. Any attempt to earn your salvation by works or good deeds is fruitless. It is not your good deeds that make you qualified to receive eternal life, but it is the good deeds of Jesus by dying on the cross for your sins that make you fit for eternal life (Romans 4:3-5).
Also note that there are two types of knowledge concerning Jesus and what he has done. There is head or intellectual knowledge. This is made up of the facts concerning his death, burial, and resurrection. The second knowledge is the knowledge of the heart. This is the knowledge in the depth of your soul or being that concerning the facts of his death, burial and resurrection. It is this heart or soul knowledge that results in eternal life. This knowledge is the type of knowledge that will hold fast to Jesus and his resurrection regardless of what others, including scientists, tell you regarding his death, burial and resurrection.
3. What does it mean to ‘believe in Jesus Christ’?
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
John 3:37-40; 15:5
Romans 6:3-8; 8:3
Galatians 2:16-17
1 John 5:4-5
Believing in Jesus Christ is to trust him. You trust that Jesus died on the cross, not for his wrong doings, but for your own. You trust that Jesus was buried in the tomb. You trust that Jesus rose again the third day. Jesus defeated death. As a result of Jesus’ defeat over death, by placing your trust in his completed work on the cross, sin and death no longer have eternal power over you. Your soul has been purchased by God and for God. Therefore you now belong to him.
4. What are some internal evidences that I have eternal life?
Romans 8:15-16, 23
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Under most circumstances, the presence of the Holy Spirit is sufficient evidence. This is associated with an understanding from the very depth of your heart that you are saved. There is also an intense desire to keep the commandments of God and to obey the voice of God. The desire to obey can lead to some who intensely question their salvation for they have established in their own mind external evidences that should be there but they do not see them to the degree that they would like to. For example, Martin Luther, called the father of the reformation, was so obsessed by his sinfulness that he would go to the confessional several times a day and spend hours confessing his sin. No sooner would he leave the confessional then he felt defeated because he forgot to confess some particular sin.
The primary evidence to look for regarding eternal life is an intense desire to please God and to be obedient. The external evidences are not the primary evidences but are secondary and are used as a type of barometer or check on the validity and the outworking of your salvation.
1 Samuel 8:7
Matthew 16:13-17
Mark 8:27-29
Luke 9:18-20
1 Timothy 3:16
1 John 4:2-3
2 John 1:7
Another internal evidence is associated with who Jesus is. Some see Jesus as a very wise man or as a prophet of God. The key is whether or not Jesus is the ‘Christ’, that is the anointed King of Israel. The proper and true King of Israel is none other than God the creator of heaven and earth. If Jesus Christ is God in flesh, then that is yet one more piece of the internal evidence necessary for salvation.
5. What are some external evidences that I have eternal life?
Matthew 10:22; 24:13
Mark 13:13
Galatians 5:22-23
2 Timothy 3:14-15
James 2:14-18
1 John 2:3-6; 18-19
The external evidences are primarily what are called the ‘fruit of the spirit’. These are external presentations of the internal working of the Holy Spirit. There is also the desire to be obedient to God and it is carried out through actions. While no man is perfect, there is the general trend or tendency of the individual. Those who claim to be of and from Christ and continue in working to be obedient to the commandments of Jesus Christ are exhibiting the fruit that Jesus talked about. There are some though that will, at first, appear to be obedient to Jesus Christ who will later fall away. These may or may not be saved. It is God who knows who is saved and the individual, in his heart, can know as well.
In some true believers, the works may not be as evident as in others. There are some who get caught up with wanting to do that they do not do. They fret and fuss over their salvation so much that they will not walk according to their calling. If this is the case with you, then review the internal evidences: who is Jesus and what did Jesus do for you. Evaluate not based upon head knowledge but upon the depth of your heart. Then walk by faith doing what God has called you to do and quit worrying about you faith, live it!!!!
6. Is it possible to deceive myself regarding my state of eternal life?
Galatians 6:3-4
1 John 1:8
It is possible for an individual to intellectually believe that they are saved. They may even perform “good works”. But if the only knowledge they have of Jesus is intellectual, then he is deceiving himself. The truth of the matter has to do with the heart and not with the head.
It is completely possible for an individual to know that they have eternal life. They need to believe in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross in their heart and not just their head. The intense questioning of ones own salvation could be an indication of their salvation for they are overly concerned with it. These individuals need to quite worrying (easy for me to say) and move forward living for Jesus and not living in the what ifs and maybes.