Every Christian ought to have the privilege of knowing, beyond any shadow of doubt, that he or she is saved. But having doubts doesn’t necessarily mean we are not saved.

Adrian Rogers says, “Doubt is to your spirit what pain is to your body; it doesn’t mean you’re dead, it means something’s wrong.”

1 John 5 reveals how to be saved and know it, without hesitation. 

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not 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” (1 John 5:11-13).

When doubts arise, we must remember, first, how we are saved: by grace, through faith (see Ephesians 2:8).

Adrian Rogers says, “Grace is the unmerited favor and love that God shows to us. It’s what made God love us when we were unlovely. God doesn’t love us because we’re valuable… we’re valuable because He loves us.”

Faith is not intellectual belief; it is trust and commitment to God. Think of grace as the hand of God reaching down to us, and faith is our hand reaching up to Him. 

Understanding this, we can find our assurance through three basic tests: 

• Lordship Test

Is Jesus Christ the Lord of my life?
If we claim to love God, we will keep His commandments.

• Fellowship Test

Do I love my brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I in fellowship with other believers? Fellowship is the nature of both the Christian and the Church.

• Relationship Test

Do I have a vital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?
The assurance of our salvation is on-going; it is not a past event, stamped by a time and date and place. It is a present decision to trust in Jesus, right now. We can trust in Him, for He alone is the assurance of our salvation.

Life Application

Do you have doubts about your faith? Consider the lordship, fellowship, and relationship tests. If you don’t know whether your doubt is the Holy Spirit’s conviction, or the devil’s tactic, believe in Jesus.