BIBLICALIST
CLOSENew Believers
Lesson 2 of 12. Learn how the written promises of God give the believer assurance of salvation.
02
NEW BELIEVERS
CAN I KNOW I AM SAVED?
A new believer may wonder, “Am I really saved?” The Bible does not leave the believer in confusion. God gave His Word so that a person who has believed on the name of the Son of God can know that he has eternal life.
Feelings can change. Some days you may feel strong, and other days you may feel weak. But salvation is not based on a feeling. Assurance comes from believing what God said in the Scriptures.
God gives clear promises to the believer.
God says the one who believes on Christ hath everlasting life.
Salvation rests on the Lord Jesus Christ, not personal merit.
God seals the believer after trusting Christ.
The saved person belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus did not say the believer might have everlasting life someday. He said the one who believes on Him hath everlasting life. The word “hath” shows present possession. The believer has eternal life because Christ promised it.
Assurance should not be built on a prayer, a feeling, a memory, or personal performance. The Bible gives clear points that settle the matter. The Saviour is Christ. The command is to believe on Him. The promise is everlasting life. The record is written so the believer may know.
The Saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ, not a prayer, feeling, work, or religious act.
The answer given to the sinner was not “trust your works,” but “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus said the believer already has everlasting life.
Assurance is not presumption when it is based on the written Word of God.
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
“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.”
When the jailer asked what he must do to be saved, the answer was clear: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Assurance begins by looking to the object of your faith. Are you trusting yourself, or are you trusting Christ?
The Bible says that after a person hears the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and believes, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. This is God’s work, not man’s imagination.
The Lord Jesus Christ gives eternal life to His sheep. The believer is not kept by personal strength, perfect memory, or emotional confidence. The believer is safe because Christ is the Saviour and Keeper.
Do not build assurance on emotions.
A believer can have joy, peace, and comfort. But feelings are not the foundation of salvation. A person may feel weak, sad, tempted, or troubled and still be saved. Assurance must rest on what God said, not on how strong you feel today.
Feelings can change.
Memory can become uncertain.
Temptation can trouble the heart.
God’s Word remains true.
Assurance rests on God’s promise. Growth is evidence that God has begun a work in you, but your assurance must stand on Christ and His Word. A saved person may still struggle, but there should be a new concern for God, His Word, and the things that please Him.
Struggling does not mean you are not saved. A new believer still needs to grow. Sin should not be excused, but a struggle with sin should make you run to God, not away from Him. Growth comes through the Word, prayer, confession, and obedience.
Assurance grows when you look to Christ and believe what God says about His Son. Your salvation is not strong because you are strong. Your salvation is sure because the Saviour is faithful.
1. According to 1 John 5:13, can a believer know that he has eternal life?
2. Should assurance be based on feelings or on the Word of God?
3. What does John 6:47 say the believer has?
4. According to Ephesians 1:13, what happened after you believed?
5. Should a struggling believer look to himself or to Christ?