Have you ever felt like a hypocrite? I have. It is a torturous feeling. Going to church on Sunday as if nothing were wrong, convinced that I was not worthy to call myself a “Christian”. Speaking as profoundly as I could about deep spiritual matters in Sunday School, knowing deep down inside that I had sinned in the past week. In the past day. Maybe even on the way to Church? That gnawing thought – knowing that my sins were forgiven by the blood of Jesus, but still feeling like I didn’t belong.

This is a struggle that we have probably all faced at some point in our Christian lives. That question keeps coming up over and over “Am I really saved?” This is one of the most common thoughts that Satan plants in a Christian’s mind.

But are we saved even if we feel like we are not? If we have asked Christ to be our Savior, and confess that He is Lord of our life, the answer is yes. The fact that we even worry about it tells us that we value our salvation; without salvation there would be nothing to worry about. We do not have to look very far in the Bible to see that we are saved. Paul tells us in Romans 10:9 “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That alone confirms our salvation.

But what if I still feel like a sinner? That is because we are sinners. The beauty of salvation is that “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus did not die for the righteous. He died for us who were living a life marinated in sin. Further into Romans we find the assurance that “…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Jesus Himself said “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)

Billy Graham once said,

“I believe one of the oldest tricks of the devil is to make Christians doubt their salvation. When we doubt our salvation, we doubt God’s Word, and when we doubt God’s Word, we are powerless and ineffective tools for Christ.”

“How can we know we are really saved? Because God’s Word tells us, and God cannot lie. If you have put your personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says God has made you a member of His family. ‘God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life … These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life’ (1 John 5:11-13). As someone once said, ‘God said it—I believe it—that settles it!”

So if you ever feel like a hypocrite, memorize Romans 10:9.. “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 

Additional Reading:

1 – Tony Reinke: “How do I Know I’m Saved?” – http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-do-i-know-i-m-saved-ask-pastor-john

2 – Adrian Rogers: “How do I know I’m Saved?” – http://www.lwf.org/site/News2?id=5336

References:

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.