The GOSPEL and Knowledge of Salvation

Question:  

Hi Dr. Stratton,

I’ve been struggling with doubting my salvation. Do I have to know for certain I am saved in order to know I’m saved?

Thank you,

Lindsay

Dr. Tim's Response: 

Hi Lindsay,

The easy answer I give to someone who is worried about whether they are saved or not is that if someone is worried that they aren’t saved – and they want to be – then they don't have much to worry about. This is because, at the end of the day, those who don’t want to be in an eternal love relationship with their creator will not worry if they are in a true love relationship with their creator. In fact, they can know that they are not saved by Jesus because they reject Jesus.

With that in mind, before answering your question in greater depth, we must define the key word. Namely, what does it mean to be saved? What is salvation?

Typically, when people think of being saved, they think of being saved from the fires of Hell, so that they can live in the paradise of Heaven. Although there is truth to this, I think it’s a mistake to primarily focus on one’s “location” and their so-called “eternal mailing address.” I think it is better to think of Heaven and Hell as statuses of relationship. That is to say, Heaven equals a true love eternal marriage with Christ (Scripture implies that Christians are “the Bride of Christ” in John 3:29) and Hell is eternal separation from our creator. C.S. Lewis described this as “The Great Divorce” (he wrote a fantastic little book by that title).

So, since Heaven equals an eternal loving marriage with your creator, we can infer that salvation is found in that same loving relationship. Let’s consider the Gospel message in the form of an acronym:

G.O.S.P.E.L.

G – God -- a perfect being -- created us to be in an eternal loving relationship with Him (that is your objective purpose in life – this is why you exist).

O – Our sins separate us from God (like oil and water, perfection and infection do not mix).

S – Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (there’s nothing we as infected people can do about it – we need a miracle).

P – Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again (this is that miracle – Jesus paid it all).

E – Everyone who trusts in Christ alone – and has not rejected His offer of love and grace – has eternal life (John 3:16).

L – Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever (to infinity . . . and beyond).

So, with the gospel in mind, dwell on the “E” above: “Everyone who trusts in Christ alone – and has not rejected His offer of love and grace – has eternal life (John 3:16).”

You have a real choice among available options, Lindsay. Have you placed your trust – your faith – in Jesus Christ? Do you choose to accept Christ’s gracious gift of love and grace, or do you choose to reject it?

How do I know?

When people ask me whether or not I know I am saved, I reply: “Of course, I am saved . . . I am in a true love relationship with the creator of the universe -- the same God who does the saving!” Some have responded: “But how do you know you love God?”

I reply: “Do you know if you love your mom? Do you know if you love your dog?” You just know via direct acquaintance.”

However, to SHOW how I KNOW, I often add, “If I know anything, I know that there’s only one thing I want in life – after I take my last breath and close my eyes for the last time on this earth, I want to open my eyes on the other side of death and be looking into the loving eyes of Jesus. That’s all I want, and anything else would be HELL for me!”

How about you, Lindsay? Do you desire to be with Jesus forever? Jesus said, “if you love me, you keep my commands” (John 14:15). We are not expected to do this with perfection. In fact, Jesus died for our imperfection and knows we cannot be perfect even though He commands us to strive for the perfection of a maximally great being (Matthew 5:48). However, if we love Jesus, we will have a desire to strive to live for Him. We definitely will not take pride in our sin or celebrate our sin (which is common these days). I mess up quite often, but I know one thing – I desire to live for Jesus because I love Jesus. I long to grow in love with the one who loved me first (1 John 4:19) and loves me perfectly.

God is a maximally great being -- perfect in love -- who loves you perfectly, too, Lindsay. Keep the gospel in mind and filter everything through it. Take all of your thoughts captive to obey the gospel of Christ (2 Cor 10:5) no matter how you feel! There is nothing you can do to make Him love you more or to make Him love you less. He loves you more than the entire universe. In fact, God loves you so much that if you were the only human who ever existed, Jesus would have died for you and you alone!

Conclusion

Bottom line: The essence of salvation is love (see, Once Saved Always Saved). The only people who are not saved are those who freely choose to reject God’s love and grace. You have a choice to reject God's love and grace or not. If you don't reject God's love and grace, then God will do all the work and transform you (Romans 12:2).

I encourage you to invite Him to do that awesome work in your life, Lindsay! If you do that, you can KNOW that you are saved. 

In Christ alone,

Tim