A few years back a friend called and confided that sometimes… when she really thought about it… she wasn't sure if the whole salvation thing was real. "How do I know I'm really saved?" she asked. I heard the same question from a lady who'd been a church member for fifty-some years. "I want to be be sure," she said.
I'd say most of us at one time or another have questioned if that too-good-to-be-true offer of salvation … was.
When it comes right down to it, how do you know? I mean, know. We could quote a bunch of Scriptures, and those truths form the only real basis for our assurance. My friend and I walked through those. She'd heard them all before, but they weren't clicking. We kept talking, though, and settled on some solid indicators of genuine, life-changing belief.
Your struggle is your first clue. You can't doubt something that never happened in the first place. Then there are few other pieces of evidence.
- Do you have family and friends you want to see experience Jesus the way you have? A real salvation experience produces a desire to share it.
- Have you ever had a prayer answered? God hears the prayers of those who belong to Him.
- Have you ever had a flash of insight during a Bible study? That's the Holy Spirit and He only works with believers.
- Do you have a deeper understanding of God than you used to? That's growth, and it's a definite mark of real belief.
I wear a bracelet as a reminder of a time when God assured me He'd never let go of my hand. What gives you that reassurance when you need it?