Do you doubt your salvation? You’re not alone. Many Christ-followers experience times when their faith wavers and the enemy whispers accusations that cause them to doubt if they are really saved. Just as a slow but steady drip can damage over time, repeated trials and temptations can cause cracks in our spiritual armor. We stumble, as though the ground beneath us were crumbling, although it is our steps that are uncertain; the foundation of our faith is as sure as it ever was.
The book of 1 John is a powerful antidote for doubting and wavering in our faith. He makes it clear that his purpose in writing is that we know that we have eternal life. We aren’t meant to live in a perpetual state of doubt.
“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 post I wrote for the BibleStudyTools website gives seven clear signs of true salvation from John’s letter. You can read the full article here.
Don’t let the enemy steal the joy of your salvation and keep you distracted. Examine your faith (as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5), take God at His Word, and settle it once and for all.
The Way Of The Word 
Two points:
1. What if people are certain of some these signs, but not of others ?
2. Is it wise to be looking at oneself, rather than at Christ ?
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Hi Jamie. Good questions! The 7 signs I mentioned are not all-inclusive of scripture, but just the ones I found in 1 John. In answer to your first point, as believers, we are continually growing in our spiritual understanding and Christlikeness, as the Spirit of God transforms us more and more into His image and we learn to “put off the old self” and “put on the new self” (Colossians 3). Peter tells us that salvation makes us partakers of God’s divine nature, and that we ought to “add to our faith” those qualities of a Christ-follower (moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love). The key is, are we growing? Are we responding in repentance and obedience when God’s Word convicts us through our reading of it, or hearing it taught? John tells us the believer does not sin, but we have an Advocate, Christ, who is our propitiation when we do sin. He is talking about lifestyle, habit, practice. We know that the believer is still susceptible to temptation and sin but we don’t stay in it. If there are some of these signs that are not evident, then we need to ask ourselves why. Is there something we need to address in our Christian walk? As to your second point, I think Scripture teaches we should examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) and that we should ask God to examine our hearts and minds often for things we may be blind to (Psalm 26:2, Psalm 139:23-34, Lamentations 3:40, 1 Corinthians 11:28). We’re not looking into ourselves for “self-made goodness” but for evidence that the Spirit indwells us. And as my husband reminded me, when we look at the Word, we are looking at Christ! John’s point is not to cause us to doubt, but to assure us. He is illustrating the difference between the saved man and the unsaved man, reminding us that we ought to be easily seen as different, just as light shines brightly in the darkness. (See 1 John 3:10) Thanks for responding!
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Hello Sheila,
I read your article “7 Signs of True Salvation” in a crosswalk email that I subscribed too. I like everything you said because it is all true since it comes from those Bible verses.
The only thing that I don’t like is a picture of a blonde laughing at me or other people as a picture of her introducing your article to people.
Yes years ago I almost caused a couple with a beautiful wife and handsome husband to get a divorce. However I have apologized several times to them for that. The commercials where we were always comparing ourselves to each other have completely stopped. Or they should have stopped by now since we both claim to have forgiven each other. If you have truly forgiven each other you don’t send a message about anyone doubting their salvation and of course show a blonde laughing at me or laughing at other people as if she thinks she is better than me or anyone else out there.
We may all be different from each other but we are all equal in God’s eyes no matter how different we are from each other.
I attend a Sunday School at kind of a large church with people in their 40’s and 50’s. They have never used their differences to make fun of anyone in that morning Sunday School Class. They take all the prayer requests seriously and email everyone in the group the prayer requests each week. Every time there is a get together at someone’s house or neighborhood clubhouse it is a good time to pray for each other’s needs after the scripture lesson. Even though everyone is single, single parents, or no kids at all, everyone has a great sense of humor.
Since my mom has stage 4 cancer I have been running errands back and forth since the month of November. It has not been an easy time for our whole family not just mom and me. But one thing I do know is that God could heal her of the cancer or he could send her to heaven instead. I placed her on the prayer list. I don’t have a perfect prayer life but that is something that everyone should work on.
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Hi Kim, Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure that the picture at the top of the Crosswalk article is meant to portray the girl as laughing at someone in a negative manner, but I will pass on your response to the image to the people at the Crosswalk website. I don’t choose the pictures; they do. I just submit the text for the articles of mine that they publish. I’m sure they didn’t mean it in the way it came across to you. It sounds like you are truly growing in your faith and that God has done and is continuing to mold you into Christ’s image. I pray that He continues to bless you, and also for healing for your mom!
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