How to Know, Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt, That You are Saved and Headed for Heaven!

How can anyone be CERTAIN, without any doubts, they are headed to Heaven?

I often notice the following types of people:

1)  Those who are clearly saved and living a life that declares this to everyone.
2)  Those who "said a prayer," but are uncertain if it was as simple as that.
3)  Those who "said a prayer" at a young age, and can't remember their entire experience.
4)  Those who claim salvation, but live only for Jesus when it is convenient for them.
5)  Those who are clearly living for themselves and seem to not have any conviction toward serving God.
6)  Those who show many fruits of a Christian, but also looks like the world in many other ways.

Do you fall into one of these scenarios?  Are you certain, 100%, of your salvation?

In this post, if you read it in its entirety, you will find the encouragement you need to know by the end of the day, for certain, if you are really saved or not.  No more doubts, no more questions.  You will be able to be CERTAIN from this day forward of your Salvation!  Are you ready?

What is Salvation?

First, we need to define what Salvation is.  Many people will claim it to be many different things, so I want to make sure we are on the same page.

I have heard many good people tell others, "All you have to do be saved is say the ABC's!"  The ABC's as I have heard them (you may have heard them differently) are:

A- Accept that you are a sinner and that God sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins.

B- Believe that Jesus is the only way and believe upon Him and the Father.
C- Confess your sins.
My friend, if this is the plan of salvation you have followed, I'm sad to say that you are not saved.  While these are also required for salvation, there is one VERY important element that has been left off of this....


John 3:16-21

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."


YOU MUST REPENT AND TURN FROM YOUR SINS!!!

Does that mean you never sin again?  No!  But you are declaring before God and others that you will live a life that strives to turn from sin.  In other words, when you make a mistake, you do all you can to keep yourself from doing it again.  You are quick to repent and feel remorse for sinning against the Father.

I'm sad to say that many people believe they are going toward Heaven simply because they believe God is real.  Remember what the Bible says:

James 2:19

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

It's more than just simply believing in God.  The devil knows for certain that God is real.  He's seen Him, been with Him.  He knows for certain that God is real and Holy!  Here, James says they even TREMBLE!  This verse should show you that it is much more than simply knowing that God is God and Holy.  The devil, himself, knows that Jesus died on the Cross. 

So not only do we need to believe that God is the perfect Creator of this world, but we need to believe that God loved us so much that He sent His perfect Son Jesus to be our bridge to Him.

Try to imagine for a moment a perfect God.  Imagine how He could not even tolerate sin or it would corrupt His holiness.  That is why Jesus came.  Previously, for people to speak to God, there was a divider.  Only the Priests could enter the Holy of Holies.  To pay for your sins you would have to sacrifice a clean lamb.  You see, something had to die for our sins.  Our sin is what separates us from God.  Jesus broke that divide and became our bridge.

When Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and died upon the Cross, He took the sin of the entire world (all that you ever did, and all that you will ever do) upon Himself.  God had to turn His back upon Jesus when He died upon the Cross.  A Holy God could not bear the sin.

Jesus came in the form of flesh so that you and I could have everlasting life with God in Heaven.  Not only do you have to believe that, you need to accept Jesus as your Savior (since He is our only chance at eternal life in Heaven), and we need to turn from our sins and live a life that is pleasing to Him. 

Everyone likes to quote John 3:16, as I have shown above, but the following verses are equally as important.  If you do evil, then you hate the light.  We are either living a life to serve God, or we are not.

Matthew 6:24
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. "

 

So Salvation is realizing the need for a Savior, believing that He died on the Cross and rose again in 3 days for you,  confessing your sins before God, and turning from those sins, striving to live a life pleasing to God, not to self.

Salvation, itself, is a very simple concept.  But it's difficult, as flesh, to turn from our sins.  It does not mean we will never sin again.  Once we have done the above, we are saved.  All of our sin is covered under the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary.  However, a person who is genuinely saved, and didn't just say a prayer to guarantee themselves into Heaven, will have remorse when they allow their flesh to win.  A Christian is quick to repent and does not want to sin because they want to be pleasing to their Lord.

So, am I saved?

 

So, how do I know if I'm really saved?  Maybe you were young and are unsure if you understood everything.  Maybe you don't really remember your Salvation experience so well.  Now that you understand what Salvation is, how do you know if you're saved or not?

First of all, let me say that Salvation is simple that, yes, even a 5 year old can understand it.  You don't have to be a Bible scholar, know the names of all the books of the Bible, know every Bible story, or how to pronounce all of the names in the first chapter of Matthew.

All you have to do for Salvation is what we talked about in the previous section (highlighted in purple).  So are you saved?

Well, we can look at the fruits of your life today and tell.  I like how Steve Maxwell puts it:

 

Are you longing for Heaven?  Do you have a desire to see Jesus?  I've heard people say they want to go to Heaven, but not right now.  They've got too many good things going on in life.  My friend, you should want to be with Jesus right now!!!  If not, you need to re-evaluate your relationship with Him.  Christians WANT to be with Him in Heaven!  (You can view more of Steve Maxwell's ministry here!)

Okay, so are you saved?

 Let's take a look at the following questions to find out.  Make sure you are answering your questions honestly, and not trying to justify your sins.  Remember, your eternity is at stake!  There will be no justifying our sins on Judgment Day!

1)  When you sin, do you have a remorse?  I'm not just talking about a simple moral code.  All of us have a moral conscience.  If we didn't, none of us would ever see the need for a Savior. 

For example, if you could steal money from your employer and know 100% that you wouldn't get caught, would you do it?  Don't be quick to answer.  Let's say you could steal enough money to make sure you and anyone in your family would never have to work again, and no one would be the wiser that you took the money.  In fact, your company is so rich, they'd never even miss the money.  Would you do it?  If your answer is yes, then I would strongly question your salvation.  A Christian should have a desire to please the Lord and not want to break His Commandments. 

Sure, there was David in the Bible.  He planned out his adultery and even murder.  Yet, David was a man after God's own heart.  How can this be?  Well, certainly, David was human.  He allowed Himself to become distant from God.  When we are not in daily communion with Him, sin becomes easier.  And the more we sin, the easier it gets.  Also remember that David lived prior to Jesus'.  We now have the Holy Spirit for our constant conviction. 

 

So, if you sin, you will have remorse.  It doesn't mean you won't sin, but if you plan out your sins and dismiss the fact that it is unpleasing to God, I would question your Salvation.

2) Do others know you are a Christian?  Do your friends, family, and coworkers know that you are a child of God?  Do they see it in your lifestyle?  Do you tell them this?  If these people were to write your obituary, would "Christian" be one of the first things they said about you? 

You see, when we are saved, we should have a burning desire to tell others about Jesus.

                               

Are people surprised when you tell them you are a Christian?  They shouldn't be if you're living the life of telling others about Him.  A Christian will have a sincere desire for others to be saved.  So think about some people that you know for sure are headed for Hell.  Do you have a strong desire to see them saved and living right, or do you think they'd be getting what they deserve?  Maybe you're just indifferent about their soul.  A Christian, my friend, will have a desire to see all of the lost saved.  Do you have that desire?

3)  Have you ever sat down and prayed about your Salvation?  I know this sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how many people are going around doing good deeds, assuming they are saved.  WORKS WILL NOT GET YOU INTO HEAVEN.  Don't get me wrong, they are a RESULT of your Salvation, but no matter how many good things you have done, they cannot override yours sin.  You still need Jesus.  You still need the Cross. 

 

So, have you ever sat down and prayed for your Salvation?  Certainly, you may not remember every aspect of that experience.  For me, I was about 10.  I don't remember much about the prayer, but I do remember my heart.  I couldn't forget that.  What about you?

So does answering No to any of these questions mean I'm not saved?!

 

Most likely.  Understand me when I say, there is no way for me to know if you are saved or not.  You see, I don't know your heart.  But you do, and so does God.  You know if you're answering these questions honestly or not.  You are evaluating your own heart right now.  You know if you're trying to justify your actions.  I can't say, with certainty, that if you answered no to any of these questions that you're not saved, but you can answer that.

I CAN tell you, if you answered no to any of these questions, there is a real problem with your relationship with God.


                 So what if I still am not sure if I'm not saved?

Then get saved right now.  Think about it.  If you take steps to get saved now and weren't saved to begin with, you just gained an eternity in Heaven!  If you were already saved, then it doesn't hurt to reaffirm your salvation.  Either way, you can know for certain your heart right now, and know that you are 100% saved!  It is as simple as it is written above in purple.  Don't go to bed tonight without this assurance.  You may not have tomorrow.  You never have to question your salvation again!

 

 

If you're having doubts about backsliding and such, you can read my thoughts on Eternal Security Versus Losing your Salvation here.

There is a great 30 minute video you can watch about false converts.  You can watch it for free on youtube by clicking here, or by watching the video below:

False converts are flooding our churches.  They are "confessing" their sins and asking Jesus to come into their heart, but they are not making a change.  As a result, our churches are straying further and further from preaching the Gospel because it is filled with those who want the promise of Heaven, but without having to change their lifestyle.

I hope that if you may have been a false convert, you would consider rereading what is written above in purple!  Let today mark the day that you changed your eternity!


Okay, so whether you were saved or you just got saved, you're saved, so now what?

Now you need to follow the Lord in Baptism.  Make sure you are attending a Bible Preaching church regularly and tell your Pastor that you need to be baptized.  Church attendance does not save you, but a Christian should want to be with like-minded people. 

Now:
                                                     

Mark 16:15 & 16
 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. "

If you are saved, and want others to have the same assurance as you, I encourage you to share this post on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and Twitter.