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I Know That I Am Saved?
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Can I know
that I am saved? It appears to be a simple question, and one
that I am sure many Christians would be quick to answer with
an astounding, “YES!” But dig a little deeper, and ask how
do you know that you’re saved? Then, it can be a little
challenging for those who learned the first principles of
becoming a Christian but have failed to mature spiritually.
Those of us who have put on Christ through baptism should
understand that this is the beginning point of the journey in
the life of a Christian, and from that point forward each of
us individually chooses how we live our life, whether in
service to God, or to ourselves. So how can I know that I am
saved? Here are a few points that can help us answer that
question.
I can know that I am saved when I understand the need to love
God. In Luke 10:25-28, the lawyer asked Jesus,
“What must he do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked him
what is written in the law, and the lawyer replied, “Love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your strength, and with all your mind, love your
neighbor as yourself,” to which Jesus said, “you have
answered correctly,” and then proceeded to give the account
of the good Samaritan. It requires more than just saying, “I
love you.” It requires a total commitment of oneself to God,
and to treat EVERYONE as you would treat yourself.
I can know that I am saved when I understand that love
requires action on my part. In John 14:15-18, Jesus
said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” This
is not a set of tasks that we check off to earn our salvation,
but a willingness to do whatever God asks us to do because we
love him. In 1 John 3: 11-24, John tells us that if we love
God we will love each other, and to let us not love with word
or with tongue but in deed and truth.
I can know that I am saved when I understand that I must not
love the world or the things in it more than I love God.
In 1 John 2:15-17, John warns us not to love the world and the
things of the world, because if anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. If we love to participate in
the things of the world, which is contrary to the true nature
of the Father, how can we have fellowship with Him?
I can know that I am saved when I understand that I can not be
saved by doing it by myself. In John 15:1-8, Jesus
uses the illustration of the vine and the branches. Jesus is
the vine and we are the branches. The branches can not bear
fruit on it’s own, but has to be part of the vine. We as
Christians need to understand that we are a part of the body
(the church), and when we recognize that we are doing this for
God’s glory, and not our own self interest, then the bearing
of fruit will take care of itself.
I can know that I am saved when I understand that I can not
give up and that I need to keep trying by drawing nearer to
God, by encouraging others, by loving my brothers and sisters,
and by doing good works. In Hebrews 10:19-31, the
writer encourages the brethren to draw nearer to God by being
an active participant, and not a passive participant. A
relationship requires active participation to grow and nurture
a relationship. We accomplish this one step at a time. If we
become passive or stagnant we will tend to fall back into the
world, which will result in a fearful expectation of the
judgment.
These are only a few practical illustrations that will help us
answer the question “how can I know that I am saved.” The
challenge is to not only understand these things, but to put
them into action.
Matt Craig
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Copyright (C)
2009
Southside Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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