Winning over doubt: how to be sure of your salvation
Have you ever wondered if you are truly saved? Can you confidently say that if you were to meet God today that you would be welcomed into His presence? Know right now that if you pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ and trust that through His finished work you now belong to God's family, heaven is waiting for you.
A month back, I was sharing the gospel to a young college student and I asked them this question, "If you die today, are you sure you'll go to heaven?"
"No," the student said.
"Why is that?"
"I'm not sure if I'm good enough to God."
If you've ever felt the same way that this student did, you're not alone. Many people today, even those professing to be believers and followers of Jesus, feel unsure of their salvation. We think that maybe we missed a few sacraments or weren't able to avoid some sins. It's binding to feel that we aren't good enough to be accepted by God, but here's news flash for you - we really aren't. By our own strength, we will never be good enough to enter God's presence.
Romans 3:23 tells us that "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". God makes it clear in scripture that only the holy and upright can enter His kingdom. Do you think you're good enough to enter God's presence? If left to our own ability to stay pure and right in God's eyes, we will truly fail to meet the standard and thus deserve nothing but eternal separation from God.
But the most beautiful news is that we don't have to be judged by our own works. While we can never attain God's standards, He made a way for us to be right through His merit and not ours. Our loving Abba Father sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross as ransom for our sins.
Do you know why you can be most sure of your salvation? Because God has given redemption freely to all the world and all we need to do is put our faith on the finished work of Christ and submit our whole lives to Him. If salvation was left to us then we would have no assurance, but because we receive salvation through the past event that is Christ's sacrifice, we currently have the irrevocable status of being sons and daughters of God through Jesus.
Hebrews 6:19-20 says,"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."