Are You Truly Saved?

"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."

-- 1 John 5:13 --

A popular evangelist posted this on Facebook:

Christians, we need to stop telling people to “accept Jesus into your heart.” This isn’t biblical language. Just about everyone “accepts Jesus into their hearts” but aren’t truly saved. Instead, let’s say “repent and believe the gospel/believe in Jesus,” like the Bible says.

How does this person know who isn't truly saved?

This is emblematic of the culture that exists within Christianity today. It is very difficult to be a Christian in this world. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Our adversary, Satan, “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Sometime in the 1990’s I attended a conference by Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis. He displayed a picture with two castles, each castle pointed a cannon at each other. The two fortresses represented different groups within Christianity, such as Arminians and Calvinists.

The best way to destroy the faith of brothers and sisters in Christ is to make them doubt their salvation. Here are a few examples of what I have personally encountered.

You must speak in tongues if you are saved. This comes from Mark 16:17 – speaking in tongues will accompany those who believe. My response – have you cast out demons, picked up serpents, drank deadly poison and lived, and placed hands on the sick and they recovered? These are also signs that will accompany those who believe (Mark 16:17–18). I believe tongues ceased as the New Testament scriptures were completed in the first century A.D. Even if tongues are valid today, this question would be asked, “All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?” (1 Cor. 12:29–30). Thus, tongues was never used as evidence of one’s salvation. It was a spiritual gift that was exercised in the first century church.

You must be baptized to have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Who can argue with Acts 2:38, the gospel of many within Arminianism (Church of Christ, Independent Christian Churches, etc.). This is called baptismal regeneration. I addressed this false doctrine in my blog titled Act 2:38 Revisited (published 7/8/2023).

You can lose your salvation because Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS) isn’t Biblical. I address this matter in my blog titled Blessed Unassurance (published 11/19/2023).

You must “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) to be truly saved. Is Jesus, who spoke these words, referring to the gospel of salvation – Christ died for our sins, was buried, and raised from the grave on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1–4)?  He was alive and “preaching the gospel of God” in Galilee (Mark 1:14). The gospel (good news) – “For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21) – the long awaited promised kingdom was in Israel’s midst. The One who will sit on “the throne of His father David” and who “will reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Isa. 9:7; Luke 1:32–33) was here. Jesus was proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to His people, Israel (Matt 4:23; 9:35). He was “rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes” (Mark 8:31) and crucified. Just before His ascension, Jesus’ followers asked, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The gospel of the kingdom will be preached again during the seven year tribulation period (Matt. 24:14).

"Easy believism” cannot save you. This is a derogatory term used against those of us who believe that salvation is “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.” After all, “the demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). Demons know that Jesus is the Holy One of God, the Son of the Most High God (Matt. 8:29–29; Mark 1:23–24; 5:6–7; Luke 4:33–34). They obeyed His command to come out of the individuals they possessed. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:8–10). True believers are not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that accomplishes the good works that God prepared for us to do.

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Cor. 13:5). I just had a sip of beer. Am I in the faith? I got angry at a driver who tailgated me, quickly passed me, then cut me off. Am I really saved? I had a very long day at work and didn’t go to church this past Wednesday night. I hope I’m still in the faith! We can absolutely drive ourselves crazy testing ourselves every time we do something wrong. As always, we need to put this text in its right context. There were saints in the church at Corinth who were “seeking for proof of the Christ” who spoke in Paul and who was mighty in them (2 Cor. 13:3). They wanted proof that Paul was a true apostle of Christ. He turned the tables on them. If Paul’s apostleship was not genuine, then neither was their faith. He told them to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test” (2 Cor. 13:5–6). The genuineness of their faith was proof of the genuineness of Paul’s apostleship. It is only through the gospel preached by Paul that these saints are saved to begin with.

“The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

The gospel that Paul preached, by which those of us in Christ are saved, is simple yet life changing – “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1–4). What should our response be to this gospel? “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Rom. 10:9–10).

“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:39–40).

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27–29).

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25–26).

”And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11–13).

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations cited in this post are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

John Gandiello is the author of "Know Your Theology - Understand Why You Believe What You Believe."

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