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How to Know if You Are Saved?

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
These are all good questions....

How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

We are not 'saved' until it happens. We can work towards it, but so much can happen in a person's life to alter perceptions and change thinking. So we first have to understand what "salvation" is....and what a "salvage" operation means when it pertains to humans? Who is the savior and what are we being saved from?

Why was there a need for salvation in the first place?

This is how I understand it from the Bible....Our first parents introduced "sin" into the world and deliberately separated themselves from their Creator. They disobeyed a direct command for which they had no excuse. Death was the penalty but it was not implemented straight away. God allowed the humans to fulfill the first part of his mandate to them....to "fill the earth" with their 'kind'.

The word "sin" is an archery term which means to "miss the mark"....so when humans sinned, they lost their spiritual and physical perfection and passed that onto their children, who were caught up in this mess through no fault on their part.

A life lesson needed to be impressed on them, so that future abuse of free will would never impact on humankind again, the way it did in Eden. 'Telling' us to obey him was obviously not enough, no matter how severe the punishment....we had to be 'shown' the folly of independence from our Maker and what results from disobedience to his commands.

At the conclusion of this 'lesson', humans would have made up their own minds about the value of sticking with the Creator and obeying his laws...or going the way of independence and ignoring them.

But an accounting was sure to come, because this is not the way that God intended for us to live on this planet.
We have had sufficient time to work things out for ourselves, mostly without any intervention from God.

So we are being "saved" from a coming judgment, where God will demand an accounting of all of his intelligent creation...including the angels. We have to remember that humans were not the first rebels, but were roped into a rebellion by a very powerful spirit creature, who has used his abilities to deceive men into worshipping him.
To be on the winning side Jesus said we need a few things that distinguish us from the rest.....

John 17:3...
"This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ."
We need to know the God we worship and we need to know his son, who was sent to be our means of salvation, paying a debt left to us by our first parents. So Jesus paid the price for our release from condemnation to sin and death, thereby protecting us from the coming day of judgment. But our salvation depends on us "doing the will of the Father" as instructed by Jesus Christ.

It is my belief that Christendom fails on all counts....They do not know God at all because they have turned Jesus into God, something he never once claimed.....none are doing what Jesus commanded, instead, they are finding excuses not to, and introducing all manner of of beliefs and practices that were never "Christian" in the first place.

This is why Jesus said...
Matthew 7:21-23...
"Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. 22 Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!"

So...calling yourself a Christian, even displaying what some believe is the proof of the holy spirit, means nothing unless you back it up by what you do in harmony with God's will. What you do is motivated by what you believe....so accurate knowledge of the true God and the role of Jesus Christ in his purpose is vital.
Only those "doing the will of the Father" will be spared. It is up to us to determine what the will of the Father is in this "time of the end" because "few" are on the road to life.
When Jesus said that he "never knew them".....he meant that he has never recognized those "Christians" as his own.

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

Salvation is not guaranteed......there are none of us who do not sin...so what does that mean in reality?
To me it means that we must be vigilant with regard to Jehovah's standards, especially with the world's standards dropping continually. We don't just want to be doing better by comparison, but by sticking to the high standards that God has laid out in his word. This gets more and more difficult as acceptance of immorality increases.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

That was my experience too. But even though I lost faith in the church and its pathetic leadership...I never lost faith in God or his word. I just knew that he had to be somewhere I had never looked. Yet he was right there in plain sight all along.

It occurred to me that God's people had never been a majority...they had always been at odds with other more populous nations, especially with regard to their worship. God told them to maintain that separateness.

When Jesus said that those on 'the road to life' would be "few", it was because that road is 'cramped and narrow'. (Matthew 7:13-14) Most would choose the easy way....but it is a dead end.

He stated that his true disciples would be "no part of this world", meaning that they would not get involved in its politics, It's greed for wealth and power, or its immoral lifestyle....no matter what everyone else was doing.

We only have to look at the situation in Rome when Jesus walked the earth to understand that the political situation was difficult, to say the least. As the son of God, he had the power to fix that, but it wasn't God's time for judgment. The oppressed Jews were planning a revolt....Jesus told his disciples that his Kingdom was nothing to do with any of that. (John 18:36)

I believe that the scriptures have the answer to everything. If you were "seeking" then perhaps you were looking in all the 'obvious' places....but God isn't in the obvious places. His adversary will never allow God and his people to appear to be anything but despised fools in this world. (John 15:19-21)

If you genuinely seek, Jesus said, "you will find" (Matthew 7:7).....but you have to "keep knocking....keep seeking...and the door will be opened to you". Then you will understand everything....

That was my experience anyway....
 

loverofhumanity

We are all the leaves of one tree
Premium Member
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

@halbhh The wedding parable...

One is invited but finds at the wedding they are not chosen

Folks have sincerely, in their hearts accepted Jesus as their Savior. For example the Westboro Pastor had sincerely believed he had accepted Jesus. Went on to assume every thought, understanding of God came to him divinely inspired.

Was he right or should Christians not assume their own salvation?

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

For example, I accept Jesus when I was seventeen. I took it on faith that everything that happened to me was God refining my spirit. The people I met, the situations I ran into were all intended towards making me worthy.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?

I think the truth is nobody actually knows where we stand with God. We can assume we are saved or such but no one really knows what his own end will be. So we need to be ever vigilant and never take anything for granted always seeking to act and behave according to the Holy Books.
 

BilliardsBall

Veteran Member
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

@halbhh The wedding parable...

One is invited but finds at the wedding they are not chosen

Folks have sincerely, in their hearts accepted Jesus as their Savior. For example the Westboro Pastor had sincerely believed he had accepted Jesus. Went on to assume every thought, understanding of God came to him divinely inspired.

Was he right or should Christians not assume their own salvation?

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

For example, I accept Jesus when I was seventeen. I took it on faith that everything that happened to me was God refining my spirit. The people I met, the situations I ran into were all intended towards making me worthy.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?

Biblically speaking:

1) The gospel or good news is "Jesus, according to prophecy, died on the cross, rising again, seen by eyewitnesses"

2) The response: "Trust Jesus, not your good deeds, to perfect you heavenly salvation"
 

halbhh

The wonder and awe of "all things".
Biblically speaking:

1) The gospel or good news is "Jesus, according to prophecy, died on the cross, rising again, seen by eyewitnesses"

2) The response: "Trust Jesus, not your good deeds, to perfect you heavenly salvation"
As wonderfully summarized in 3 verses (not just the 2 sometimes quoted, but the full 3) --

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Sometimes people will wonder how do we "do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do", the "created in Christ Jesus to do good works" -- and the answer is so clear in the Gospel of John chapter 15 verses 1-17.

John 15 NIV

There you really get it how we are to "do good works which God has prepared for us to do" ! :)
 

Wandering Monk

Well-Known Member
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

@halbhh The wedding parable...

One is invited but finds at the wedding they are not chosen

Folks have sincerely, in their hearts accepted Jesus as their Savior. For example the Westboro Pastor had sincerely believed he had accepted Jesus. Went on to assume every thought, understanding of God came to him divinely inspired.

Was he right or should Christians not assume their own salvation?

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

For example, I accept Jesus when I was seventeen. I took it on faith that everything that happened to me was God refining my spirit. The people I met, the situations I ran into were all intended towards making me worthy.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?

Saved from what?
 

halbhh

The wonder and awe of "all things".
Christian answers to this question will be contingent on their preconceived soteriology. Calvinist types are going to say you were either never saved or that you'll come back to the faith before you die. Others who believe salvation can be lost will say you may have genuinely been saved at some point, but your apostasy now damns you.
ah, but those are only 2 of the more prominent (lately prominent on the internet) beliefs, but the most mainstream of all isn't one of those 2, but another which says something quite different from both of those: Luke chapter 15. (though of course it's possible to force this chapter into a calvinist view, a more neutral reading, or just listening, will be able to hear there is both aid and an individual choice involved. Not 1 vs the other, but both together, in the prodigal story)
 

halbhh

The wonder and awe of "all things".
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

@halbhh The wedding parable...

One is invited but finds at the wedding they are not chosen

Folks have sincerely, in their hearts accepted Jesus as their Savior. For example the Westboro Pastor had sincerely believed he had accepted Jesus. Went on to assume every thought, understanding of God came to him divinely inspired.

Was he right or should Christians not assume their own salvation?

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

For example, I accept Jesus when I was seventeen. I took it on faith that everything that happened to me was God refining my spirit. The people I met, the situations I ran into were all intended towards making me worthy.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?
You raised several interesting questions, and I didn't notice that very last question. The real answer is in Luke chapter 15, especially in the 3rd story Christ gives. If you read with a listening attitude, you get a lot more. One thing I get: this 'son' was at first alive (of course), but later Christ says he is in a condition of being "dead" -- Christ's own choice of wording, and then..."alive again" (!). :) I don't argue with the Teacher about what He is teaching, so instead of those random doctrines some might give you, I'd trust the Teacher, always, instead of the random doctrine from some camp. Seems the reality according to Christ that in relationship sense one can be "alive" and then later "dead" and then could turn, and return and be "alive again". One might not imagine that is the rules (as some false doctrines imagine other rules), but this is from the one who would know, better than anyone else (!) :) (i'm kinda laughing at the other notions like....let's call that false one: "Once Lost Always Lost" -- lol! Fortunately for me, the actual true rules are instead the ones Christ says)
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

.....

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?
This sounds very much like my path out of the church as well, and absolutely, a sincere, "faith" can lead to disbelief. It did for me. When what you hear being preached, does not line up with what they are actually saying and doing, it takes a great deal of faith to examine it and conclude they aren't speaking truth. A true believer on the other hand, one who never doubts or questions their beliefs, they have very little, or no faith at all.

To your question about "salvation". How does one "know" if they are "saved" or not?

There are other ways to understand what salvation actually means. To me, it is synonymous with Enlightenment, or being free from delusion and suffering in this world. That is an experiential thing. You either are Awake, or you are not. In other words, "salvation" is not about the afterlife with a good box and a bad box you get sorted into based upon the stuff you did here in this world. Rather, it's about this life, here and now, and how we live presently.

Are we truly Free? Or are we wrapped up in the melodramas of life, worrying whether we are worthy or not in this life. IT's the realization you are perfect in your imperfections. Life is a cosmic dance, and we its dancers dancing out its song. And when we can live free from the condemnations and judgments we let the world stifle our liberated spirits with, then we are saved. We are free.

Salvation is simply the abundant joy of being, freed from all that blocks its light in ourselves. Anything that doesn't give that, is not salvation at all, but a delusion that believes life doesn't really begin until after we are dead. That's nonsense.
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
I was a hopeless alcoholic for many years. I have now been sober longer than I drank. So I can certainly say that I have been saved from myself, through my faith in power greater than myself.

Are you saved from your alcoholism? Or Saved from all such potential entrapments?
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
A person can know he is saved if he first believes the gospel and is baptized into Christ for the remission of sins and then renders the obedience of faith.

So a person can know they are themselves saved in this way. Can they prove it to others independent of their salvatory status?

Does that belief in the gospel have to be belief in a literal history truth?
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

@halbhh The wedding parable...

One is invited but finds at the wedding they are not chosen

Folks have sincerely, in their hearts accepted Jesus as their Savior. For example the Westboro Pastor had sincerely believed he had accepted Jesus. Went on to assume every thought, understanding of God came to him divinely inspired.

Was he right or should Christians not assume their own salvation?

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

For example, I accept Jesus when I was seventeen. I took it on faith that everything that happened to me was God refining my spirit. The people I met, the situations I ran into were all intended towards making me worthy.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?

I think it is best to give one's story and say specifically what they were saved from. This story then evidences their salvation...but this is little 's' salvation and not some ongoing all-encompassing status. As explained in another post, there is plenty of New Testament teaching that suggests salvation is a state to continually strive for.

Those who say it is one way or the other and not both are unfamiliar, perhaps, with the full range of potential meaning of "salvation".
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
There’s this thing called “hope.” Hope is defined as “the assurance that God’s purposes will be fulfilled.” Since God desires that all be saved, we have the hope that we shall be saved.

We all live within a story that has finished (up to today) and yet not finished (unless we are on our death bed).

As such salvation is an established fact in the past in the context of one's transcendence of self-imposed difficulties and also a hope (as you say) of the future that one will cross the final finish line in good spirits.
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
What do you think salvation means?

I have understood it means that your sins are forgiven and you are saved from the judgment that would come because of sin.

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

But, when one is saved from the judgment, it would be god not to gain new judgment. That is why I believe Jesus said:

"Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more."
John 8:11

There must happen change in persons “heart” so that he becomes righteous.

Jesus answered him, "Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can't enter into the Kingdom of God! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'
John 3:3-7

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be to them a God, And they will be to me a people. They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, Every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' For all will know me, From the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more."
Hebrews 8:10-12 (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13

It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.
John 6:63

So, you can be sure that your sins are forgiven. But, to get eternal life, you must be righteous. And, if you are righteous, it comes visible in actions.

He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10

How do you know your sins are forgiven?

For example, let's say you wake up one day and you have had a head concussion and have amnesia...the person who says they are your spouse tells you you are a saved Christian. How can that person know, without resorting to the story of their life, that they are saved or not?
 

Jesuslightoftheworld

The world has nothing to offer us!
How does a Christian know they are saved? Is this a knowledge thing of a faith thing?

@halbhh The wedding parable...

One is invited but finds at the wedding they are not chosen

Folks have sincerely, in their hearts accepted Jesus as their Savior. For example the Westboro Pastor had sincerely believed he had accepted Jesus. Went on to assume every thought, understanding of God came to him divinely inspired.

Was he right or should Christians not assume their own salvation?

Should a Christian be certain of their salvation or continue to question it?

For example, I accept Jesus when I was seventeen. I took it on faith that everything that happened to me was God refining my spirit. The people I met, the situations I ran into were all intended towards making me worthy.

Where going forth into life, in faith lead me was to doubt the church, doubt the leaders, question the validity of the Christian religion itself. No where was one who exemplified the standards put forth by Jesus in my mind.

So I went seeking. What I found was a lot of ignorance, self righteousness and questions that Christianity couldn't answer.

So for me, sincere belief lead to non-belief. Did my once sincere belief save me or was I never saved?

I know I am saved because God told me. “No one gets to the Father but through Me”, says Jesus. We saved through faith alone.
 

Straw Dog

Well-Known Member
I have a story.....God's Favored led a rebellion
and got kicked out of heaven
and so did one third of heaven as followers

if the right hand position …...right beside God
can be lost

then there is NO such thing as a secured position

Interesting theology, Thief.

I agree that there is no such thing as a fixed security. Everything is subject to change.
 

Straw Dog

Well-Known Member
What I have observed is that God never actually speaks to me... it’s always somebody else speaking for God and, presumably, with the same authority as God.

Maybe God doesn’t speak at all but he just listens... maybe we should all just shut up and listen to the music playing all around us. Like the monks do in their monastery.

Listen and observe...

All this nonsense about salvation... if you can’t let go of your humble human life, then you don’t deserve it or understand it.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
Are you saved from your alcoholism? Or Saved from all such potential entrapments?
The potential for falling under the spell of my own self-generated delusions is always there. And probably somewhat inevitable as a part of the human condition. But I now know that there is a way out once I'm able to recognize the problem and I find that it's a lot easier, with practice, to recognize it sooner if it occurs, and to avoid it entirely for longer periods of time.
 
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A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
How to Know if You Are Saved?
Once you're saved, if you look really, really closely, there is a little halo of pale yellow light around your anus. If you can't see it, then there is still something wrong in your life preventing you from "saved" status.
 
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