What is the sign where Jesus lets you know everything is ok and that He is showing you the way? How do we know that we are truly saved? Are there specific things that we can look for in our lives that let us know God is in control?
Yes, there are ways to know for sure that you are a Christian and that God is in control of your life. The first is just simply making sure that you believe what you say you believe.
Salvation
*Romans 8:1-2
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
If there is no longer condemnation, or punishment, for everyone who is “in” Christ, then we need to make sure that we are really in Christ. But how does a person go about doing that exactly?
Let’s start with understanding how to receive salvation. I know a lot of you already understand this premise, but it is pivotal before we can understand if we are truly saved.
*Romans 3:23-26
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Ok, now in English. Everyone has sinned and cannot be in God’s presence. We are justified, “saved” or made right with God, because of His grace and only by receiving it as a gift in faith from God through Jesus Christ. How does that work? Verse 25 explains it. God put Jesus Christ in our place to receive the full punishment for our sin. Sin requires blood as a payment.
Forbearance: Refraining from enforcing something. God does not force us to pay for our own sins because of our faith in Jesus Christ. All of this to say that if you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior He is just to forgive us our sins.
*1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In effect, believing in Jesus Christ, confessing our sins, and asking Him to save us gives us eternal life through Him. There is no other way to be right with God.
Making Your Salvation Sure
Now that we have covered how to come to Christ for salvation, how do you make sure that you are really saved?
*Colossians 2:6-7
“6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Walk in Him. What? I can’t really “walk” in somebody. That idea is just strange. Ok, I get that. Let’s break it down. What does it mean to walk in someone’s steps? It means to follow after them. It means to do what they do.
Let me ask you this, If you were imitating everything that Christ did, how different would your life be today? Why aren’t you? Our very name means “little Christ”. The idea of being rooted into Christ is really what we are going for isn’t it? That sounds pretty secure. So how do we make sure that we are rooted?
Being rooted has a lot of different implications. You have met the unstoppable force (God) and now are the immovable object (A Christian). Someone who is rooted in Christ will be growing in their relationship with Him. Becoming a Christian isn’t a onetime prayer and then you are good to go the rest of your life. It is a process of making God the actual Lord of your life.
Are you doing everything you can to follow after Christ in every situation? When your boyfriend pressures you for sex? When you are confronted with drugs? When you have the opportunity to cheat?
The way you make sure that you are “in” Christ is a daily task. Do you have remorse for your sin? Are you really repenting and turning away from it? Are you seeing fruit in your life from what God is doing? If not, I would question if you really have given your life to Him.
*2 Peter 1:5–11
“5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
If you are missing these qualities in your life, you need to make some adjustments. Does that mean that we will automatically be a perfect person? No. We have work to do and God continues to work in our lives on a daily basis, but we need to make sure that we are being attentive to His leadership and make the changes that He wants us to make.
*Galatians 5:22-24
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
You know that Christ is in control when you see yourself begin to exhibit these qualities.
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