ALL Christians, from time to time, struggle with doubts. Sometimes, we doubt whether God hears our prayers, or whether they even matter at all. And, in times of crisis or tough times, you might momentarily wonder whether your belief in God has merely been a matter of self-delusion and desperation. The truth is, being human means, from time to time, we will struggle against fears and doubts.
See this brief video (and then read below): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8A5byXQt_U
Even John the Baptist had doubts concerning Jesus!
Note that even John the Baptist, sitting in prison, while awaiting his likely execution, had momentary doubt as to whether Jesus was the long-prophesied Messiah. Jesus said of John, "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." And in John 1, we learn that John was the one prophesied to proclaim witness to the identity of Jesus: "6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light." Of course, this "Light" John refers to is Jesus! So, John was sent to make a way before and to also proclaim Jesus to the masses - and yet, in a moment of personal darkness and despair, he later, and briefly, doubted Him!
In Matthew 11, John, sitting in the misery of prison, with his very future existence in doubt, briefly had doubts about Jesus: "2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” So, if you sometimes have doubts about God / Jesus, it's important to know that many Christians sometimes struggle with the same sort of thoughts.
The most damaging doubts a Christian can have are about their own SALVATION!
But there is another kind of doubt that Christians sometimes have that has to do with our own salvation. We know - and the devil loves to remind us - that we do not deserve God's love, mercy or salvation. We know ourselves far too well. We absolutely know we are sinners who often do bad and sinful things. Often, we are just as sinful (and sometimes more so) as any other human. And if we are not careful, we can fall into un-Scriptural doubts, but thinking we are not acceptable to God because we are not GOOD enough for Him - and perhaps to the point that we may entertain thoughts that we aren't truly saved. In fact, Satan wants us to doubt we were ever saved to begin with. Satan loves to use our feelings of guilt over our sins or our lack of goodness against us. But such guilt and doubt is unfounded for the one truly saved, as the Bible says, in God's eyes, NO one is good! And that is because the Bible says ONLY God is truly good. Because, per His standards, "good" means perfect - as God is perfect and Holy in every way - and totally without sin.
• Romans 3:10-12: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one"
• Mark 10:18: "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone"
So, WHY are Christians saved at ALL?
The Bible says our salvation has NOTHING to do with our good works or whether we have sinned or not! In fact, it redundantly tells us that our salvation and acceptability to God are ONLY due to what JESUS did in dying for our sins - which has made our salvation certain - BUT ONLY FOR those who have committed and submitted themselves to Him as their Lord.
The way to erase doubts about whether you are saved are not comes down to one thing!
We can absolutely KNOW we are saved if we have actually done what the Bible states God says we must do so as to RECEIVE His salvation. Here's how:
. "Because IF you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
. Note, that in Romans 10:9, confessing and receiving Jesus is NOT a matter of just saying some "magic prayer" - as it's a matter of the HEART and MIND - of truly believing what one has confessed to Jesus / God, that you believe Jesus to be God, Son of the Father, and that He was crucified and rose physically from the dead (note, Jesus is ETERNAL - as He has FOREVER lived / is UNCREATED, but took on Humanity by being born as a baby, in order to come here to teach us what God requires of us, how He wants us to live, and to save all who will receive Him as their Lord.
. Further, Jesus said salvation also requires REPENTANCE: "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (go to Hell). Repentance means we are turning from following our natural desires for sin to instead desiring to following Jesus and His teachings (although we will struggle to do so, as NO one completely can stop ALL sinning - but we CAN change our attitude to desiring to follow Jesus' ways instead, and depending upon Him to help us obey Him!).
. Lastly, Jesus said: "“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And so, what does it mean to be "born again?" It means that as we commit to and receive Jesus as Lord, we are also SPIRITUALLY born again, in a change of heart and mind toward our sinful desires as well as toward God / Jesus! It means that in saving us, Jesus TRANSFORMS into spiritually new creatures. As for those who permanently avoid, deny and reject God / Jesus and forever refuse to open their hearts and minds to Christ, their destination is one of punishment and great anguish - but that is brought upon themselves per their own responses to God. As the great Christian author C.S. Lewis famously noted, "“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it (Hell!). Without that self-choice there could be no Hell."
Back to the troubling issue of one doubting their salvation
In the first place, as previously mentioned, we often buy into the lie that we must somehow EARN God's favor by doing good deeds - or at least more good ones than bad ones - so as to supposedly acquire His favor and acceptance into Heaven. But the Bible says salvation has NOTHING to do with our good OR bad deeds, but has to do with what GOD has made possible for us and Jesus ACCOMPLISHED through Jesus sacrificial death on the Cross. As the death and Resurrection of Jesus - Who is both fully God and also fully and (SINLESS) man - paid the price so all who will receive Him as their Lord are FOREVER given - of ALL of their past, present and future sins! God, through Jesus redeeming sacrifice, has done for us what we could NEVER do for ourselves. As all who have faith and have committed to and received Jesus into their hearts are FOREVER accepted by God and thus Heaven-bound! It's incredible, hard to grasp, beyond wonder, and yet it's also what the Bible prolifically teaches about the joys of our salvation and what Jesus has done for us.
So, for those doubting their salvation
So, HAVE you done what the above explains about how we are to receive and commit to Jesus, to be saved? Have you actually received Him in a change of heart, mind, confession and desire to God / Jesus? As IF you have, you ARE and FOREVER saved! And this is true no matter what our doubts might be based upon - whether per our own insecure feelings or perhaps a strong sense of our personal failings, or maybe our false theological understandings. Do we trust what God has told us about how we are saved or not? Salvation was NEVER about what you have ever done or will EVER do, but is ONLY about what God / Jesus did for those who have believed, have faith in and follow Him!
. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
. The Apostle Paul stated: "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
. Salvation is through NO other person, so-called prophet, religious leader or movement - but ONLY received through faith in Christ! "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
IF your doubts about your own salvation are based upon your feelings or your sins and short-comings
If you have done what the verses above collectively state about how one receives God's salvation, and yet still doubt your salvation based upon having an intimate knowledge of YOUR OWN SINS AND HIGHLY IMPERFECT EFFORTS - guess what - you've falsely concluded that your salvation is based upon what YOU are able / unable to do, instead of what God has already done for you. You can't earn, maintain or LOSE your salvation - which is why Bible says, once received / given, salvation leads to ETERNAL life - and there is no such theological oxymoron as "TEMPORARY eternal life!" And by wrongly doubting your salvation based upon YOUR own pathetic efforts and failings, you're actually committing an ultimate type of perverse narcissism. As, in your mind, your focus is tragically upon YOUR efforts as opposed to God's efforts and what He has told us about how He views those that love Jesus (That is, love Him BACK!). God tells us He will NEVER fail or abandon His children and that His words found in Scripture are trustworthy in every (and CERTAIN) way! We stand FOREVER forgiven - and should continuously rejoice in this and never forget it! The eternal destination for every Christian is to be with the Lord forever! Just WOW!!!
Philip