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Fundamentals of Christianity 1
Lesson One

How Can I Know That I Am Saved?

 

According to 1 John 5:13, we can know that we have been born-again. We don't have to go around in fear wondering if we will make it to heaven when we die. We are instructed to examine and test ourselves to see if Jesus is in us, so we won't be disqualified. God wants us to know for sure, and we can know for sure. Today, we are going to examine ourselves and learn how to help others examine themselves.

I have written these things to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have everlasting life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you not recognize for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless you fail the test. 2 Cor. 13:5

We have a part to play in obtaining salvation, and God also has a part to play.

I. Our part in obtaining salvation:

1. Hear the truth of the gospel concerning salvation. We must hear before we can believe.

Most assuredly, I say to you, He who hears my word and believes in Him who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; but has passed from death into life. John 5:24

2. Believe:

3. In complete sincerity, confess in prayer to God our sinful nature and our need for forgiveness. Sample prayer: Lord, I have sinned forgive me. I believe you are the Son of God. I invite you to be my Lord. The words we use are not as important as true repentance in our heart and a desire to put our faith in God for salvation and live in accordance to His word.

4. Put our trust in Jesus alone for eternal life. Make a decision to follow Him.

5. Confess our salvation publicly: If we believe God has saved us, we will want to tell people. Public confession is our faith in action. Faith without works is dead. We cannot be ashamed of Him or when we die and stand before our Father, He will be ashamed of us.

But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is the word of faith which we preach) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scriptures says whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. Romans 10: 8-11

If we have done these things, then we can know without a doubt that God has done His part. We must trust that God has done His part, just as His word promises He will.

For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

II. God's Part in saving us:

  • To forgive our sins, giving us a clean slate
  • To rescue us from Satan's kingdom, translating us into His kingdom, now and eternally
  • To receive us as His child
  • To set us free from the bondage of sin
  • To make us a brand new person on the inside
  • To lead, guide and help us
  • To give us the gift of the Holy Spirit

III. Examining ourselves - evidences of our salvation:

1. Our trust is totally in the price that Jesus paid for our salvation . We are not trusting in any other thing to get us into heaven. Ask yourself, where is my trust?

2. There will be a change in our life after we are born again. Read Romans 8:9, 12-14. The amount of change will vary depending on how deep into sin we were at the time of our conversion.

We will have visible "fruit" of salvation, or the fruit of the Spirit. We will want to keep God's commands and our conscious will help us do that. We will love God and people. We will want to do good, not evil.

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. Now he who keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:14,18-19,21,24

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. Romans 5:5

Being saved does not make us perfect, but it does make us different. That difference should be clearly visible. We grow in this as we mature spiritually, but there will still be a difference in the way we were before we were saved. Ask yourself if you are different now then before you believed.

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:3,4

3. Another evidence of our salvation is the witness of the Holy Spirit to our spirit that we are born of God. We will sense in our heart that we are a child of God, that God is our Father. This witness of the Spirit will bring us peace. We may not feel it all the time, but sometimes it will be very strong. Ask yourself do you feel that inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:16

The Spirit in us cries, "Abba, Father" Romans 8:15; Gal. 4:6

You will have times of doubt. Satan will lie, telling you that God has not saved you or that you are a fake, etc. This is normal. Would he tell you that you are lost if you really were? No, he wants you to doubt your salvation to keep you from growing in the Lord. If you never grow, you will never be a threat to his kingdom and he can keep you defeated in your life. He doesn't want us stable and strong.

4. If we are born again, we will sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. We will feel the guidance, the teaching, and the convicting of the Holy Spirit in our life. Do you feel the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit?

By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit
1 John 4:13

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Romans 8:14

5. When an alter call is given to receive salvation do you feel the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart to come to Him or do you have peace?

If you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit during a salvation alter call then perhaps you have never received Jesus as your Lord. There is a possibility that God is not dealing with you about being saved but about a sin or about surrendering a certain part of your life to Him. Pray and He will let you know what it is He wants. Never resist His tugging. Whatever He wants for you will be good!

IV. Resist doubt: If you know you are a child of God, settle that issue forever; resist the lies of the devil. When the enemy attacks, go to God, confess your love and devotion to Him, ask Him for peace that you are His and He is yours. He will give you the reassurance you need.

Look Back and remember the moment you surrendered your life to Jesus and to the many times He has made Himself real to you. Although you may be experiencing doubt at the present time, or some of the time, if you can look back and see the Spirit's leading in the past, that is a confirmation that you belong to God. Has God talked to you and done things in your life before? Then He is your Father. Has He ever chastened you? Then He is your Father. He does not chasten those that do not belong to Him.

If you are still in doubt, repent and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. Invite Him to be your Lord. Do this until there is no more doubt that you are a child of God. Forever settle the issue and be prepared to help others do the same. Then give yourself to spiritual growth.

 

Weekly Challenges:

Read:

Galatians 5:13-26 Meditate on it a while. Think about the difference between the lust of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. Apply it to your own life. How can you walk more in the Spirit and less in the flesh? Ask God for His help in doing so.

Your proverb chapter that corresponds with each day and one chapter from John beginning with chapter one. End your devotional time with prayer.

Think:

If you died and went to the gates of heaven and they asked you why they should allow you into heaven, what would you say?

How can you use the information you learned in this lesson to be prepared to help others who might be struggling with knowing for sure that they are born-again?

Operation L.O.V.E.: Pick the family member you have the hardest time being kind to, and do something extra kind for them this week.

Memory verses for the week:

*For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

*For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

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