Lesson #01 - How can I know I'm Saved?

      It’s odd the number of things that people believe will save them: being a good person, doing good deeds, belonging to a certain denomination, saying the sinner’s prayer, keeping certain commandments and laws, attending church regularly and so forth.  Those all good things, but they won’t save you.

     As will be shown later in later lessons, we are living in what is termed “the Church Age”.    This means that we are living in a time where we are not under most of the laws and commandments given in the Old Testament, but we are relying on the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to save us.

 As stated in John 14:6 -  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 ·        Reason #1 - I know I’m saved because I believe there is a God.

This is a good thing to believe.  In order to be saved, you must believe that God exists.  As you study the Bible you’ll find that there is no argument in the Bible for the existence of God, it’s always assumed.  (Genesis 1:1 à  “In the beginning GOD...”).  This alone will not save you, however:

James 2:19 - Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

·        Reason #2: I know I’m saved because I believe Jesus is the Son of God.

This is another good thing to believe, in fact it is also necessary for you to believe it to be saved, but this alone won’t save you. 

 Matthew 8:28-29 -  And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
 

Notice the Devils called him “thou Son of God”.  They knew that Jesus was the Son of God in a human body.  Satan dealt with Jesus in Job 1 & 2, Genesis 3, 11, & 19, Joshua 1 & 2 etc.  He knows he is the Son of God as well.

·        Reason #3:  I know I’m saved because I believe that Jesus will sit in Judgment as the Saviour.

Very necessary to believe to be saved, but that alone won’t do it.  Notice again in Matthew 8:29 -  …art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”  Satan and his angels know that their time here is temporary, they know that they are going to have to sit in Judgment and will pay for their transgressions.  (It’s ironic that they are a lot more accurate than a lot of our “religious” leaders today who believe that 144000 are going to be saved or that EVERYBODY is going to be saved.)  That doesn’t not save them.

·        Reason #4:  With all of the knowledge I have of the Bible, I must be saved.

Being a student of the Bible is a very good thing, but it won’t save you.  Knowledge can help you, but not save you.  Remember the story when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness? 

 Luke 4:9-11 -  And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

 Do you know where that quote if from?  It’s Psalms 91:12, shortly after “Under his Wings”.  Can you quote it?  Satan can.  He not only knows the Bible, he knows how to pervert it.  Knowledge alone won’t save you.

·        Reason #5:  I go to church every service and have since I was a child. 

Attending church services, going to a “Baptist” or other denomination, being faithful are all good things, but they can’t save you.   

II Corinthians 11:13-15 - For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.   

Do you know what that means?  Satan has folks that attend church regularly, act real nice, dress the right way, say and do all the right things, but they aren’t saved.  Satan has pulled two of the greatest tricks of all time:  He has made you believe that he doesn’t exist as a threat to your life, and he’s made you believe that when he’s involved there is bloody rituals, snakes, sacrifices and so forth.  That’s not the case.  Satan knows how to clean up his act, pray, preach, sing, carry a Bible and talk you into doing all kinds of nice things.  It’s really the most destructive weapons in his arsenal.   

    While I’m here for a moment, let me go down a rabbit trail.  Do you know how can you tell when you aren’t being led by a real man of God? An emphasis on social reform for one.  When Jesus walked on this earth, the Jews looked to him to overthrow the Roman government, and in doing so they missed their Saviour.  People today are looking for Jesus to clean up society, end abortion and so forth and are again missing their Saviour in the process. The short version is that any preacher who does not tell you that you are a sinner and can’t save yourself and does not point you directly and repeatedly at Jesus Christ is NOT serving him.  In fact, he’s keeping you busy deflecting the emphasis AWAY from him.  He’ll let you get emotional, run the isles, get involved in the community, politics, singing, donate your money, help the elderly, JUST DON’T LOOK AT JESUS.  On the other side, it doesn’t matter how polished your preacher is, how well HE talks, how HE looks and dresses, how rich or poor HE is, if he is pointing you at Jesus, then HE IS serving him.

·        Reason #6:  It must be how I am.  I act better and do more than anyone else. If they are saved, I’m saved.

That sounds logical, but it is incorrect.  We are ALL sinners – and given time every one of us will do something to let people who look up to us down.  This includes every human, including Preachers, Evangelist, Teachers and so forth.  They are just humans like you who serve different functions in the body of Christ.  No faultless man has existed on this earth since Jesus Christ. 

Romans 3:23 -  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 And no works we can do will ever save us.

 Ephesians 2:8-9 -  ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast

 Works is not the answer.

So what IS the answer?  The one thing that Satan and his cohorts would not do:

 Acts 20:20-21 -  And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ·        “Repentance toward God”.  To repent does not just mean to feel sorry for what you’ve done and ask forgiveness, it also means to make a dedicated attempt to turn away from those actions.  Have you done that?

 But that’s only half of the equation.

 ·        “Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Faith toward, not belief in.  Jesus is not another version of Santa Claus (you say you believe in him and you get your gifts).  Jesus requires Faith.  Let me be clear:

o       Believing there was a man who once lived named Jesus Christ will not save you.

o       Believing that Jesus Christ was the actual Son of God will not save you.

o       Believing that Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead will not save you.

o       Having Faith – belief AND trust in AND loyal to – Jesus Christ as well as repentance (sorrow, forgiveness and turning away from sins) will save you.  That and nothing else.