Can I Truly Know I Am Saved?

Can I Truly Know I Am Saved?
copyright Millie Plastaras
9/28/2007

Good Morning Everyone,

Often in my devotions I try to remind people what it
means to be born again.

Why? It is the most important decision of your life.

We all must be born
again, according to what Jesus said to Nicodemus in
John 3:3: Jesus answered and said to Him,
"Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Born again, occurs when one recognizes they
are a sinner and wants to do something about it.
They know that Jesus died for those sins ,and if
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9.

Recently I have heard many arguing over salvation
and many who say even though they believe they are
saved, they will not know for sure until after they die.

What is their faith based on then? Their thinking?
Their opinion if they are good enough? Their opinion
if they have done enough good things?

I am appalled by this declaration. Either Jesus finished the work
on the cross or He did not. We, ourselves cannot do the work
of the cross, we cannot save ourselves! Why did Jesus
need to come and die if we could save ourselves?

I want you to look at a
few verses, so that you can see to truly understand that
we can know we are saved today.. we don't have to wait
till we die to feel that assurance and rest in God's ability
to save us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

First when we repent, we are truly sorry enough to quit
our sins, that is what repentance means.


"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."
2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow and conviction make us feel sorry for our sins
and want to repent of them. This repentance and Godly sorrow in
our heart bring about confession from our mouth of those sins
to God through Jesus Christ, whose blood on the cross cleanses
us from sin.

What happens when we repent?

So repent -- change your mind and purpose; turn
around and return to God that your sins may be ERASED,
(blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing
may come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:19

When you repent, you mean business, and you do all you
can to turn away from former habits. You seek to be a new
person in Christ, by reading his word, attending a Bible teaching
church, and learning new habits, and new thinking in Christ.
You become a disciple of Christ!

Does being a Christian give us a license to sin, because
we are already forgiven? I have to emphatically say no.
When we become a Christian, we are no longer our own,
we are bought with a price - the precious blood of Jesus.
This means we change, we don't want to sin, we want to
please God.

So once we confess those sins, are we perfect? No person
is perfect, we are forgiven! For those of you who think
you can work your way to heaven, no person in the world
has ever been good enough to do that, that is why Jesus came!

He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness
which we have done, but because of his own pity and
mercy, by the cleansing bath of the new birth
(regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, and He did
this in order that we might be justified by HIS GRACE by HIS
FAVOR, wholly undeserved, that is that we might be
acknowledged and counted as CONFORMED to the divine
in will and in purpose, in thought and in action; and that
we might become heirs of eternal life by our hope (in Christ)
Titus 3:5-6

So, even though we are unworthy, can God really forgive us?

Therefore there is now NO condemnation, no adjudging guilty
of wrong, for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live not after
the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the spirit.
Romans 8:1

Ok, so now we have repented,
we know it is Jesus finished work on the cross,
His blood that cleanses us,
not our own work that cleanses us.

We are sufficient in God, because of Christ,
how do we know we are really saved?

It is very clear cut. Here is a verse that makes clear
who is God's and who is not.

He who possesses the son of God has life, he who does not
possess the son of God does not have that life.
1 John 5:12

So how does one possess the son of God? Through belief
in his salvation and atonement on the cross! Through
confession of our sins, and receiving that great salvation
of Jesus Christ. WE ask him to forgive us, cleanse
us, be our Lord and Savior, and then we walk with Him
daily seeking to please Him in all we say and do.

How then can we truly know we are saved?

These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the son of God, that you may KNOW that you have
eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of
the son of God.
1 John 5:13

WE can have confidence in God's ability through Jesus Christ
atonement on the cross for our sins. God did this, through Jesus
our job is to receive it. If we receive it, we must believe it,
cling to it, walk by it, talk by it, live by it, find strength in it,
grow in it, and shine in it. We are new creatures in Christ,
no longer our own, the old passed away, behold all has become new.

Cleansed
Redeemed
Forgiven
New
Beloved
A child of the King of Kings.

He alone is Trustworthy
His ways higher than our ways
His thinking Higher than our thinking
His forgiveness and grace beyond our understanding.

WE can trust in, rely on, and cling to God.
He sent his son to do the work on the cross,
now we being new in him work for his kingdom
not to attain that kingdom but to please Him.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law
but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by our faith in
Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of
the law NO MAN IS JUSTIFIED.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself
for me, I do NOT set aside the GRACE OF GOD; for if
righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
Galatians 2:16, 20,21

My dear and precious friends,

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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

Just trust Him. Just confess your sins, trust in His ability to save, and go out and live for Him by what He teaches us to do in His Word and walk the walk and talk the talk because He dwells richly in you by HIS MERCY AND HIS GRACE.

You are His child...live like you believe it, receive it.

Love always

millie