 By James H. Cagle |
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” 1 John 5: 13 KJV).
I believe a person knows without a shadow of doubt whether they are saved or not. If a person does not know they are saved, then they are lost, because there is no way a person can get saved and not know it. Is there any way a person can have their sins forgiven, be lifted out of the miry pit of sin and delivered from Satan’s bondage, be justified, redeemed and reconciled to God, have their condemnation removed, become indwelt and sealed by the Spirit, become a child of God, have their name written in the Lamb’s book of life, become an heir and joint heir with Christ, have a home in Heaven, and not know it?
In the 105 verses in the book of 1st John the word, “know” is used some 25 times. When John uses the words, “we know,” “know we,” “ye know,” and “know ye,” he is referring to something the Christian knows, or should come to know. And these things are tests to prove that a person is saved.
I have known church members and even church leaders, who have attended church all their life, that can only say that they hope they are saved. Well, a hope-so salvation isn’t biblical salvation, and if one isn’t biblically saved then they are not saved at all. And those who say they hope they are saved are actually saying they know they are lost, because when a person gets saved, they know it. I once preached a message, “The Church is going to Hell.” By that I meant the visible church was going to Hell because of the many lost people in the churches today with their names on the church rolls who are Christian in name but not in character. These are make-believers who are “saved” and on their way to Hell.
God gives His people the assurance, certitude, and confidence of their salvation. He first, immediately upon their profession of faith in Jesus Christ, gives them the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, which is the Spirit of obedience to God. The Holy Spirit bears witness at all times with the Christian’s spirit, confirming they are children of God. Then there is the fruit of the Spirit and the works of faith that follow one’s conversion as evidence of salvation.
Maybe this explains why the church is less evangelistic today and seeing fewer people truly being born again. How could a professing Christian, unsure of their own salvation, witness to the lost if they are not certain that if the lost did what the Bible said they must do to be saved, then they could know they were saved?
Someone once said “The biggest mission field today is the church.” I firmly believe that. The church has become Satan’s base of operation (2 Cor. 11: 13-15). We need to get back to preaching biblical salvation. Where when a person sincerely repents and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, they will personally experience that salvation and know with great certainty they are saved. Others will see this transformation because their living is in accordance with the Bible (KJV).
