Am I Saved?

Is there a way to know for sure where I will spend eternity? Am I saved? Have I been deceived? Many are seeking answers to these important questions. Discovering the truth can bring about much needed hope and peace.

Led Astray

For as long as I can remember I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity to encourage others. Being able to comfort someone and point them to the Source of hope is genuinely satisfying to me. What is not always as easy, however, is confronting someone or pointing them to truth that may be difficult for them to hear.

I am grateful for those in my own life who graciously confront me when I’m in error and try to remember this when I feel the nudge to reach out to others in this way.

When it comes to being a Christian I fear that unfortunately there are a lot of misconceptions, confusion, and even deception that can easily lead people astray, especially in our American culture. In my years of following Christ I have heard so many twists of Scripture, removal of Scripture and adding to Scripture what was never meant to be there.

God doesn’t need our help to make the gospel sound more appealing. He needs us to faithfully share the goodness and beauty of it.

Am I A Fan Or Follower?

The word “Christian” comes from the Greek word “Christianos” meaning follower of Christ. In ancient Bible times the term “follower” held a powerful connotation. A follower wasn’t just someone who admired, or was influenced by, another.

No, a follower was devoted. 

A follower was all in.

A follower was someone who faithfully sought to imitate the teachings and life of their teacher.

When we look at the lives of Jesus’ disciples (his initial followers) after the resurrection we don’t see these men simply believing what they were taught and leaving it at that.

We seem them actively pursuing Jesus and sharing Him with the world around them. They were not merely fans, they were dedicated followers determined to live a life that would honor their Savior.

In all honesty, somedays I act more like a fan of Jesus than a devoted follower. I get busy and distracted. I become tired and my thoughts shift to trivial and meaningless pursuits.

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Have We Been Deceived?

I am reminded of just how often we forget that we have an enemy who will do everything in his power to deceive us. He will keep us busy and distracted. He’s determined to assure us that we have all the time in the world to think about eternal matters. He will convince us that we are wonderful people who deserve nothing but the very best from our Creator including eternity spent with him.

There is a reason that Scripture makes a point to say that Satan often disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Am I Saved? A Closer Look At God’s Word

Many of us have been taught at some point in our lives that if we’re simply a good person we’ll go to Heaven when we die… but the Bible never says that. However, it does say “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12).

We’ve been told that if our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds we will go to Heaven. The Bible says “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6).

Some of us are convinced that as long as we simply have faith and believe in the existence of God we will go to Heaven. The Bible says that “even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). Obviously the demons who rejected God will not be spending eternity with Him.

We’ve been to church and told that if we just say a prayer and ask for forgiveness we’ll go to Heaven. But, there is actually no mention of a “sinner’s prayer” anywhere in the Bible.

Although some who teach and believe these statements have the best of intentions, they are simply not true and leading many astray.

Enter By The Narrow Gate

A couple of years ago God grabbed ahold of my heart to gently rebuke me of my own lack of concern for the souls around me. It is so easy for me to encourage others, but somewhat terrifying to share my faith and possibly offend someone. I finally began to realize that not sharing my faith with them was the absolute most unloving thing I could do. People are dying every single second, many of them unprepared to meet their Maker.

Matthew 7:13-14,21-23 says ¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easythat leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few… ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

An Undeserved Grace

Friend, the truth is that God is an incredibly gracious, merciful, and loving God. He created you for a purpose and there is nothing that you could ever do to change the depth of His love for you.

BUT He is also a holy God, and we are laden with sin. Because of this, our sin separates us from Him and we can never earn our way to Heaven. This is the whole reason that He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth.

Jesus was that perfect sinless sacrifice who came for the sole purpose of dying the death that we deserve to offer us a free gift of grace.

A true understanding of the weight of our sin and the sacrifice He made on our behalf can’t help but lead us to absolute brokenness and repentance.

When we make the decision to turn from our sin, seek His forgiveness, and believe in the sacrifice Jesus made for us we can rest assured that we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. A genuine decision to follow Christ will naturally result in a changed heart and a changed life. Someone should be able to look at us and see something different.

Set Free

We will still mess up, we will still have our weaknesses. But, we are no longer a slave to our sin. The sin we once loved so much, now becomes something we strive to overcome through Christ.   

Being a Christian isn’t about religion or adhering to a list of rules. It’s not about being a solid moral person and believing in a higher power. Nor is it about being a fan of Jesus.

Being a Christian is about falling at the feet of Jesus as you realize that He has given you everything that you don’t deserve… and nothing that you do.

To answer the question of “am I saved?” we must simply search the Bible and examine our own hearts. A quick look at the 10 Commandments easily reveals to us that we’re far from the “good” people we think we are.

Friend, each of us is in desperate need of a Savior. God’s unconditional and undeserved love for us has provided a way to be forgiven. Please search for truth before it is too late. I know that you will find the answers you are seeking.