“And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” (1 John 3:19-20)
When someone asks you whether you know for sure that you are a child of God, how do you respond? I remember as a child trying to answer that question. I would always say, “Yes! I know I’m saved!” After answering, however, I would always ask myself whether or not I really knew for certain.
You see, when I was very young, I prayed with my mother to accept Christ as my Savior. But, I didn’t, and still don’t, remember it! I don’t remember what I prayed, or where I was. I loved going to church, and told my grade school friends about Jesus, but I didn’t remember when I got saved. I was so worried that I would pray, “Lord, if I’m not saved, please save me now.” I prayed this prayer every night! I had no confidence in my salvation, but was too embarrassed to ask my parents or teachers for help.
A few years later, I began reading through the book of 1 John. As I read, I began to see many verses that told me how I could know for sure that I was saved. For example, 1 John 4:15 says that if I confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, God lives in me, and I live in Him! For each of these verses, I would write a paragraph about how I knew from that verse that I was saved. Even though I don’t remember what I prayed when I asked Jesus to be my Savior, I know that right now I am trusting in His payment on the Cross for my sins! I also know that God cannot fail, and that He has promised that if I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then I am (not might be) saved and have eternal life.
Are you struggling with whether or not you are truly saved? Maybe you don’t remember what you said when you prayed for the first time; maybe you don’t know if you said the right words; maybe you don’t even remember praying! Are you worried that you didn’t “do it right” or that God didn’t hear you? 1 John 1:9 says that God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins” when you confess them to him! When you told God that you were a sinner and asked Him to forgive you, He did! In 1 John 5:11, 13-14, God tells us that we can know – not just guess or hope – that we are truly saved and have eternal life. God knows you better than you know yourself. Even though you may not “feel” saved, God knows whether or not you have truly trusted in Jesus Christ to be your Savior.
If you have doubts about your salvation, read through 1 John, pray that God will give you assurance that you are saved, and talk to your parents or teachers. You can know for certain that you are saved!
God wants you to have assurance that you are His child.
My Response:
» Am I struggling with doubts about my salvation?
» Do I believe that God has heard me and has accepted me as His child?