The Anxiety Of Knowing If You Are Saved
This topic of conversation is very important to mankind. How can I ensure I go to heaven vs. the less desirable outcome? Well, there is an answer but doesn’t exist in how good you are. Being a good person is admirable in the eyes of the world and even God. Helping your fellow man is something we should all aspire to. But being a good person in and of itself isn’t an answer to this question. Let’s check out Ephesians 2:8-9. In one sentence it gives a summation of what is required.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
You are saved by grace through faith. You can do the great work of Mother Teresa. Give sums of money through philanthropic efforts. Feed the poor and provide shelter. You can even provide bibles to them. But as it states “works” is not faith. Also read Romans 10:9-10.
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
(I want to thank Bible Gateway for the scriptural references)
This is the other part of the equation. Believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is required to secure your salvation. You perform good works because of this belief not in lieu of it. He is our savior who suffered unbelievable torture and humiliation. Then he succumbed to an agonizing death on a cross to remove your sins. God had such love for the world that he had Jesus fulfill this plan of salvation to save those who believe in him. The only anxiety you should feel is not running to the church to be baptized in his name and claim him as lord. Nobody knows how long they have in this world. So, you should take his promise into your life at the soonest moment you can. You could die tomorrow but he will take you as his saved child up until your last breath.
You can have been a Christian all your life or a death row inmate who makes a decision for Christ at his final meal. He takes you as his when you acknowledge his son. When you perform this act, it really will set you free. And once you do you will be transformed and want to do good acts to assert your thankfulness and love for the father. Let’s check out Titus 3:5-7.
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
This shows he is a merciful God. Even though we are not worthy and anything but perfect-he washes us with grace and secures our existence in eternity. The 70, 80, 90 years you are given on earth is just a blink in eternity to God and it goes very quickly as you’ll find in your life as you get older.
But it is a proving ground and when and if you are introduced to religion, you have decisions to make. Will I put the ways of the world behind me and put on the armor of God? Or will I acquiesce to it and remain in the squalor that the world has to offer and end up in the hands of the devil, who is always there and trying to devour you. Without Jesus your future is very dismal and it really is an easy decision unless the world has a choke hold on you. But you can pull away from those decisions that are slowly sinking you into the quagmire and literally establishing your fate. Jesus, the bible, prayer, the church and Christian friends can all be the catalyst to set you on a course for a terrific life and even a better long-term future. The choice is up to you. Please choose wisely.
