Most of us have had times during our Christian walk where we doubt our salvation. Rather than feeling secure in our salvation, we feel somehow that we are not really saved. Maybe we feel we didn’t believe “enough” or we feel we wouldn’t doubt our salvation if we were truly saved. If you are going through this or have gone through this, know you are not alone. It’s very common for believers to doubt their salvation at least once during our lives.
Am I Saved?
Personally, I have faced the question of “Am I actually saved?” countless times. Just last week I had the same question come into my mind after finishing the Gospel of Matthew. Rather than focusing on the salvation that Jesus has given us, I was focused on all of Jesus’ statements on hell. I started connecting salvation with works, which is never good to do. While Jesus does talk more about hell than any other topic during His earthly ministry, he never tells us that if we place faith in Him, we will go to hell.
Salvation is based solely on placing faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). Placing faith in Jesus means believing that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Lord tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17). As Jesus tells us, the Father loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us.
Moreover, Jesus tells us that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. Now, if you’re like me and have been told John 3:16-17 too many times for you to count, most likely the effect of the verse has been washed out. Since you’ve heard it so many times, John 3:16-17 has become mindless words. If it has become mindless words to you, I challenge you to carefully read John 3:16-17 just as I did and see how it highlights the truth of God’s love and how we have eternal life by believing in Jesus.
Believing in Jesus is sufficient for salvation. We don’t have to follow the law in its completeness, nor are we to be the “perfect” people. Rather, believing in Jesus and accepting Him as your Savior and Lord is all that is required for salvation. We cannot earn salvation in any other way. Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, and there is nothing we can do to lose it. There are many people who spread the lie that one can lose salvation, but this isn’t true. Once you have placed faith in Jesus, you are eternally saved.
Doubting Salvation
You don’t have to know the exact moment when you were saved in order to be saved. As long as you have placed faith in Him, you are saved. With this being established, we can still often doubt our salvation. Even many strong Christians I know also have doubted their salvation at some point. I have been around Christian professors and read from Christian authors how they, too, have doubted their salvation at least once in their lifetime.
The one who plants these seeds of doubt is Satan. The devil wants to make us unproductive for the Lord and cause us to stumble. By planting seeds of doubt in our minds, it is the perfect way to make us unfruitful for the Lord. Instead of going out and making disciples or growing in our own walk with Jesus, we are being plagued by the lies of Satan—that we aren’t saved or that we didn’t believe “enough.” These doubts are enough to paralyze or make you question your entire beliefs.
As someone who has been there, know you are not alone. Know also that these lies are but lies, and they are not true. If you have placed faith in Jesus, you are saved. You believe, and you believe enough. My professor in undergrad talked about this subject as it was something he also had struggled with during his early years of walking with the Lord. He shared his epiphany that there is no point in someone believing more than someone else. As long as you believe in Jesus, you are saved. There are no differing degrees of belief, nor are there people who believed more than you that would nullify your faith.
When you believe, you believe. You did not have “not enough” faith when you placed faith in Christ. The devil wants to cause these doubts to rise in our minds, but we can talk back to them. Whenever you doubt your salvation, talk back to these lies. Tell them that Jesus saved you and that you are saved. Nothing and nobody can take away your salvation. Remind yourself that you are eternally saved by God, and this will never change.
Acts 4:12 tells us, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Jesus is the only Name we are saved by. We are not saved based on our works. Rather, we are saved by the Name of Jesus. When doubts circle your mind too much, and you find yourself paralyzed, call out to God and ask Him for His help. Tell Him you are struggling with assurance of your salvation and that you need Him to fill your heart with the assurance of knowing you are completely and unconditionally saved in Him.
While these thoughts may return, you can talk back to them and ask God for His help again. Causing you to doubt your salvation is a common tactic of Satan because he knows it is efficient. Don’t allow Satan the pleasure of doubting your salvation or feeding into it. If you have placed faith in Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior and Lord, you are eternally saved. You are given forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. None of these things will ever be taken from you.
Confide in God
Whenever you begin doubting your salvation, turn to God. Tell Him your doubts and ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief. He is faithful, and He will help you in your time of need. As you continue to grow in your walk with Christ, you might have these doubts rise again, but talk back to them and return to the Bible. Remind yourself of John 3:16-17 and how salvation is only found in the Lord. Placing faith in Christ is the only requirement for salvation.
There is no way for someone to be saved apart from Christ. A person cannot earn their own salvation nor do other faith systems save a person. Salvation is not found in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of the Latter Day Saints, or any other belief system. Only Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected three days later. Only Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14; Philippians 2:6-8). The Lord has defeated death, and all who will place faith in Him, too, will overcome death and spend eternity with Him.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Chinnapong
Vivian Bricker loves Jesus, studying the Word of God, and helping others in their walk with Christ. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master's degree in Christian Ministry with a deep academic emphasis in theology. Her favorite things to do are spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outside. When she is not writing, she is embarking on other adventures.