Am I Really Saved?

Almost all Christians at one time or another have the distressing experience of doubting their salvation. This doubt can sometimes be traced to one of two conditions. The first involves a distancing from God through indifference or a willful disregard for his laws. The other situation may arise from the person's inability to see God as a loving, forgiving Father.

The first situation is a common one for many Christians. We all sin, even after we are saved. Yet, some continue in sin and turn away from the commitment which they made to make Christ Lord of their lives. The sin may not necessarily be a terrible act of wickedness. Even the neglect of spiritual disciplines brings the same result: a distancing from God which robs us of joy or peace. Guilt festers within and if the sinning continues, our hearts grow cold and hard until we no longer sense the presence of God.

Even when we are conscious of the presence of these sins, it is difficult to break the cycle of neglect or wrong action. We fear God will reject us and no longer want a relationship with us. We think he will punish us for our willfulness. And we hear Satan's mocking voice telling us that we have lost our salvation. We look at the lives of other Christians and think they never experience problems or doubts. And we look at unsaved friends and wonder whether there is really any difference in their lives and ours. We find ourselves on a treadmill of doubt and self-justification, sin and neglect, guilt and despair.

The other common cause of doubting one's salvation is a lack of assurance that God really cares for us or that his mercy and grace are infinite. For whatever reason, we may have developed a picture of God as a demanding and punishing God. We think that God will only accept us when we get pure enough, do enough holy acts, or manage to meet some impossible standard. This unattainable goal makes us feel defeated before we start.

Both of these forms of doubt stem from a common source. That source is the misunderstanding of who God is and how his salvation is accomplished. The Bible says that God is love and that he has reached out to humanity to demonstrate that love (John 3:16). God is truly a God who loves us and wants us to have salvation (Matthew 18:14). God's love does not depend upon our goodness; he loves us even before we love him (1 John 4:10).

Part of this misunderstanding about God involves the process of salvation. We worry about whether we "did it right" or whether we really "got saved," especially if that first commitment was made as a young child. Because our understanding of Christ was necessarily limited at that early age, we wonder whether we really experienced the repentance and regeneration we hear discussed in sermons or Bible studies.

This anxiety becomes even more acute when we experience temptation and return repeatedly to our sins. We think, "I'm supposed to be a new creation and yet here I am with the same old mistakes and problems." Everyone else seems to be secure and joyful in the Christian life, and we question whether we really "have the Spirit." But our salvation does not depend on whether we "feel saved" or whether we measure up to others or even whether we avoid sin. Our salvation does not depend on our feelings or actions, but on God's actions--his redemption and providence.

God is not a vengeful, capricious God, sitting on his great throne thinking of ways to punish us or make our lives miserable. He is not watching like a policeman, hoping to catch us in a sin so he can pounce on us. God knows when we sin and he knows when we are being hypocritical. He sends his Holy Spirit to convict us and to guide us back into a holier life. He knows our shortcomings, and yet he still loves us.

Even when Christians sin, God forgives us and restores us to fellowship, if we return to him, confessing the sin and accepting his forgiveness (1 John 1:8-9). He wants us to have a relationship with him, and he wants us to live forever with him. This kind of unmerited acceptance may seem too good to be true, but it is the assurance of the good news of the Gospel.

This means the Christian can relax and be at peace with self and God, free from having to perform in order to gain God's love or acceptance. Loving Christ is not then an obligation, but a spontaneous response. Since God's love is not dependent upon any actions or behaviors that could be performed, the Christian is free to pray, read the Bible, share words of testimony, and obey God's laws out of love for Christ and gratitude to God, not because of fear or duty.

This does not mean, of course, that Christians are free to live any way they want, heedless of God's laws. Paul answered that question in Romans 6-8. The truly repentant person will not presume on God's grace, shrug off wrong actions as if they do not matter, or remain spiritually ignorant or immature. The essence of faith is to grow toward maturity and holiness in Christ (Ephesians 4:15).

All this is based on the assumption that the person experiencing doubt has indeed made a true commitment of self to Christ. People may attend church all their lives and know all the facts about the Bible. Yet, all this is just head knowledge if there is no commitment to Christ as personal Savior.

This acceptance means to understand that we are alienated from God because of sin and that the only way to return to a relationship with God is to believe that Christ is God's only Son, and that he died on the cross for our sins and was raised to life again as a promise of everlasting life for those who believe in him. It means opening oneself to a personal relationship with God and being willing to turn away from sin and live a life pleasing to God--not to win his favor, but as a response to his love.>

The person who has made this commitment can rest secure in the assurance of salvation, regardless of feelings or failures. The apostle Paul put it like this: "For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels or other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present or the future, neither the world above nor the world below; there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39). So we may be assured--not on the basis of our feelings but of his power--that he will keep us safe for the salvation which will be revealed at the end of time (1 Peter 1:5).