::Devotional:: ‘Can You Know You’re Saved?’

What type of fruit grows on an apple tree?  Apples.  What type of fruit grows on a grape vine?  Grapes.  Did you notice that both of those plants were identified by their fruit?  Would you be uncertain it was an apple tree as you stared at the branches full of apples?  Would you doubt the grape vine as you gazed upon the abundant grapes weighing it down?  Of course not.  The evidence is right there before you.  Salvation is the same way, you just have to know what to look for in your life.

If you’ve been a Christian for more than five minutes, I guarantee you’ve asked yourself the question “am I really saved?”  Is it possible to know that you’re saved?  Absolutely!  You can know you’re saved with as much certainty, if not more, than you know your own name.  God’s word says that certain things will be present in the life of a true believer, someone who has been saved, that couldn’t be there unless they were saved.  All we have to do is examine the Bible to identify those things and then examine our lives to see if they are there.  If they are, we can be confident of our salvation.

In yesterday’s post, It’s More Than A Feeling, we identified 1 John as the best book of the Bible to examine when it comes to this question.  John wrote it specifically to address the assurance of salvation.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

John also helps us identify what evidence of salvation we need to look for in our lives so that we can have confidence in our salvation.  The first thing we need to look for is a desire to know and obey his commands.

3 And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments. 4 If someone says, “I belong to God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him.  1 John 2:3-5 NLT

Now, how many of us have willingly disobeyed God’s word even after we’ve been saved?  Does that mean we aren’t obeying God’s word and we don’t love him?  No, it simply means we are sinners, saved by grace, struggling through leaving the tendencies of our sin nature and abiding in the Lord.  This is not a pass/fail type deal.  Another way of saying this is, “do you have a desire in your heart to know God’s word and live by it, no matter how hard it is to do so?”

So many folks fall into Satan’s deception by thinking that the Bible is optional.  “It’s only for those folks who want to be really spiritual, like Pastors and Sunday School teachers.”  They think the Bible is an accessory to the Christian life just like a WWJD bracelet or a John 3:16 T-Shirt.  It is so much more than that.

Do you have a desire to know God’s word and to obey it?  Yes, we all struggle with it; but when you fall down do you get back up and try again?  If you do, then I’d say you’ve just identified the first piece of solid, factual evidence of your salvation.  Congratulations!

-Stay Rooted Col. 2:7-