How Can I Know I'm saved? Part 3: I Still Sin!

In the last post I mentioned Godly desires that produce Godly actions. Well, sometimes, we have desires that produce actions that aren't exactly Godly. Very much the opposite, in fact. We sin.

One of the big reasons people doubt whether or not they're saved is because they still have sin in their life. It's a huge problem, and it has kept many awake at night (myself included). Because, if we have been made new, have been given new hearts, new desires, a new will, than it should be reflected in our actions, right? We should be seeing good works, and not sin, right?

That is the main question we'll be answering, and we'll be doing it by looking at a lot of smaller questions.

If I truly am a Christian, why do I still struggle with sin? 
Let's face it: Being a Christian doesn't mean you won't sin. Everyone struggles with sin, and that includes Christians. The Apostle Paul himself struggled with sin after salvation, as he tells us in Romans 7:13-25. We just aren't sinless, and will continue to be that way until we are united with Jesus in heaven. But if Christians still sin, then what's the real difference between a believing sinner and an unbelieving sinner? The unbeliever loves his sin and looks for ways to continue in it, the believer hates his sin and looks for ways to try to stop sinning. The life of an unbeliever is defined by giving in to sin, whereas the life of a believer is defined by fighting against sin, even if that fight is sometimes lost. Nowhere does the Bible say that you can lose or nullify your salvation by sinning. But the Bible does tell us time and time again that God can forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).

I committed a HUGE sin! How can I still be a Christian?
Some denominations teach that there are "mortal" sins that can cause you to lose your salvation, such as murder or adultery. I deny such teaching, and so does the Bible (but that's another blog post). The truth is, no sin is too great for God to forgive. King David committed both murder and adultery in the Bathsheba incident (2 Samuel 11). But his relationship with God was not severed. Does that mean his sin was okay? Far from it! He was punished for what he did, and most importantly, he still needed to repent of his sin and ask God to forgive him.
No matter how large a sin you have committed, God still loves you and can forgive you. But you must still be repentant.

I have a sinful habit/addiction that I can't seem to break.
Let's get one thing straight: If you've been saved, it doesn't matter how large or how numerous your sins are. No power can separate you from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39), including your sins, which he can forgive you of. However, that doesn't mean that a sinful habit or addiction is 'okay.' It's still a horrible thing, and should be attacked vigorously. With God's help, even the most powerful addictions can be broken (Philippians 4:13). However, there are some habits or addictions that you may never be able to break. The key is that even though you may never break 100% free, you must keep fighting it. Keep hating your sin. Resist it with all you have. Keep asking for God's help. That is the difference between a saved addict and an unsaved addict: The unbeliever gives up and gives in to addiction, but the believer knows that God is helping him, so he keeps on fighting addiction, no matter how many times he may lose.

There are two important things to remember, and the first is this:
Jesus tells us that a tree is known by it's fruit (Matthew 7:16-20). A good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Paul tells us what good fruit looks like (Galatians 5:22-23). If you are not bearing any of these fruit, but instead continue willfully in sins, whether small or big, many or few, and do not repent of them, then the cold truth is this: You have not been saved.

The second thing to remember is this: for those of us that have been saved, God can forgive any number or size of sins. BUT: God's Grace IS NOT A LICENSE TO SIN.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 6:1-14:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

So yes, God can and will forgive us of the sins we commit after we've been saved, but that doesn't mean we're free to do what we want. We should not walk in sins. On the contrary, we should walk "worthy of our calling" to "Make our election sure" (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Peter 1:10).

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.  

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Colossians 3:1-10. I recommend reading the whole chapter)

If you are saved, then no sin you commit can separate you form Christ. You cannot lose your salvation. However, you must continue to battle against sin. No temptation is too strong to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must keep fighting, and praying for God's help. And when we do fall, as sometimes we will, then we must always ask God to forgive us. He can, and He will, no matter what. Then get back up and keep fighting!

But if you're not saved, then you are in dire straights. Whether your sins are little, big, many, or few, they are still sin, and you deserve death and hell as punishment. But that's not the end of the story. God can forgive your sins if only you repent and believe. No matter how horrible a life you've lead, there is hope for you. Repent, believe, and you will be saved!

As we reach the end of this series, you may be examining your life. You may still be uncertain as to whether or not you're saved. Well, if you still aren't sure, then there's no harm in re-dedicating your life to Christ, and there is no better time to do that, than right now.

I hope God has used this series in your life to bring Glory to Him. If you're still usure about some things, or have any questions about salvation or anything else, I am here and willing to listen to you and help you in any way I can. I urge you to take advantage of the comment, forum, or private contact features. God bless.

How Can I know I'm Saved? Part 2 +How Can I Get Saved?

In the last "How Can I Know I'm saved?" post, we listed some sources of false assurance in respect to salvation. Some of my readers may have put their hope in some of the things I listed (I know I used to), and you may now be wondering "If X doesn't mean I'm saved, then how can I tell if I'm saved? Is there any way of knowing?"

You may recall that I believe that you can know whether or not you're saved. You can have assurance of salvation. But you can't just blindly accept my opinion on that, you need some proof. Is it possible to know you are saved? Let's look at what Peter and Paul had to say:

2 Peter 1:10 says:

“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you”

In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul tells us:

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified."

Peter and Paul wouldn't urge us to try to find out whether or not we're saved unless there actually is a way of knowing, and that knowing is important. With that in mind, let's move on to how we can know if we're saved.

The first thing to ask is if you've had an actual salvation experience. Most people can point to a time in their life where they walked the aisle, said the sinner's prayer, or even got baptized. A point where one could say "If I really got saved at any time in my life, it would've been then."

If you've had one of those experiences, but are doubting whether you're saved or not, then what you're really wondering is if your salvation experience was genuine. Did I really become a Christian that time I walked the aisle? Did I really become a Christian when I said that prayer? Am I really saved because of that time I got baptized?

Maybe you already know the answer. Maybe you know that your experience wasn't genuine. Or maybe you never had such an experience to begin with. Maybe you read one of the means of false assurance we talked about and thought "That's me! I'm not saved!"

I have listed below what I believe are the necessary elements of a genuine salvation experience. If you are not saved or not sure, this next part is for you.

1: Recognition of sin. You can't get saved unless there is something to save you from. You must realize and admit, both to yourself and to God, that you are a sinner, and that you have sinned against God. You know what it is you've done, whether something "small" like lying or stealing, or "big" like adultery or murder, you have sinned (Romans 3:23), and you deserve to go to hell for it (Romans 6:23). Recognizing this is the first step.

2: Willingness to repent. So you know that what you've done is wrong. But do you care? Are you sorry? Do you feel remorse for what you've done? A lot of people don't. Some people look back on their sin and think "Yeah, that was wrong... but who cares? It was fun! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!" Your attitude needs to be the opposite of this. The dictionary defines "repent" as "to feel or show that you are sorry for something bad or wrong that you did and that you want to do what is right." This is the attitude you need to have.

3: Submission to Jesus.  You know you've sinned, and you regret your sin. Now you want to make it right, and fix things. But you can't. Only Jesus can. So what's the next step? The Bible has the answer, and it repeats it over and over, time and time again, for our benefit:

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31)

"Whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered" (Joel 2:32)

"...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

These three elements -- a recognition of your sin, a willingness to repent of your sin, and a submission to Christ as the only one who can take away that sin -- comprise a genuine salvation experience. If you have experienced true salvation, then you are "a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As a result of being made new, you will have new desires, Godly desires; like an appetite for scripture, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and Godly teaching.
Your desires will be followed by actions. If you've truly been changed on the inside, then it will be manifested on the outside, in the way you act, the way you speak, and the way you treat others. As Jesus says, "The tree is known by its fruit" (Matthew 12:33).

So based on this information, would you say that you are saved? Have you recognized your sin and repented of it? Do you believe in Christ and submit to Him as your Lord and Savior? Are your desires Godly ones, and do you bear good fruit? I hope the answer is yes.

“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)

But if the answer is no, then what are you waiting for? You have everything you need right here. If you haven't had a genuine conversion, then you can have one right now.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Please read the next post, which deals with a very important issue: Sin in the life of a Christian

How can I Know I'm Saved?

I got a bit of feedback on my testimony (both publicly and privately) in regards to false conversions/salvation. Some people have noticed similarities between their conversions and one or more of my false conversions, leading them to ask themselves: "Am I really saved?"

This is likely one of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself. "Am I really, truly, a Christian?" The answer is vital, and it's one you need to know.

Is it possible to know if you're saved or not? Some say that you won't find out until you die, and that there's no way of knowing. My position is that you can know whether you're saved or not, and that finding out is one of the most important things you'll ever do.

But before I talk about assurance of salvation, I want to talk about false assurance. I touched on this slightly in my testimony. Here I am going to list some common sources of false assurance.

"My parents/pastor/friends say I'm a Christian" A lot of people thought I was a Christian when I really wasn't. The truth is, the state of your soul can only be known by two people: You, and God. This is between you and Him. The only people who can see inside your heart are God and yourself, so you two are the only ones who can know your heart's condition. "Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart."
Now if you truly are a Christian, other people should be able to tell by watching you. Your faith should be evident in the way you act and talk. However, this can be faked. I know, because I've done it.

"God has worked in and/or through my life. He wouldn't do that if I weren't saved" Some people say that God "can't use you" unless you're saved, and others conclude that if God has worked in or through their lives, then it must be because they're saved. Sorry, but that's just not true. You don't need to be saved for God to use you. Remember Pharaoh? The Bible is littered with examples of people who were not saved, and yet were used by God in His plan. Just because God is accomplishing good things in or through your life does not mean you are saved.

"I'm a good person; I've never killed anybody." No offense, but you're not a good person. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and that includes you. Sure, you may not have killed somebody, but "He who keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point is guilty of all" (James 2:10). And the wages of sin is death, regardless of how "big" or "little" that sin is.

"I go to church every Sunday and I read my Bible and pray and give money to missions and evangelize and engage atheists in online debates and stand outside abortion clinics and..." This does not make you a Christian. I did all of these things pre-salvation. Sure, these are all very Christian activities, but they do not make you a Christian. Nothing you do makes you a Christian. The actions of God upon your heart are what make you a Christian. The things you do are only a by-product, the evidence of the work Christ has done within you. But as I said before, this can be faked.

There are many sources of false assurance for the false believer, but these were just the more popular ones I've heard (as well as used).

Now, don't get me wrong. If you are a Christian, than your parents/pastor/friends should be able to tell, God should be working in and through your life, you shouldn't murder people, and should go to church and all that other stuff. My point is that you can't be sure of your salvation because of any of those things.

How can you be sure of your salvation? I'll talk about that in the next post.