How Can I Know I Am Saved?

Probably one of the most common questions which is asked of any minister is the question of assurance.

Can I know I’m saved? or some variation of that question has been asked by countless people; and it is a question which I know I am quite accustomed to.

It stands to reason, because there really is nothing in this world more important than our eternal destiny.

It is not something we want to leave to chance.

It is not something we want to “wait and see” about when our life ends.

NOTE: This question has quite a bit of history.

For centuries, it has been debated among Christians scholars as to whether or not a person can know for certain if they are one of the elect.

Some even go as far as to say that it is impossible to have assurance, and those who believe that they are certain are committing the sin of assumption.

This is most obviously a concern in the realm of those whose theology teaches that a person can “lose” his salvation.

The question that we should ask regarding assurance is not, “Can we lose our salvation?” because the answer is “no”.

The Bible is clear that we CAN and SHOULD live with the peace of assurance in regard to our salvation.

We don’t just “hope” that we have salvation, but we can “know” it.

1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

For our text this morning, I have gone to the writings of the Apostle Peter.

In his second epistle, he provides for us a call to confidence and a methodology which can help us rest assured of our salvation.

2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

Obviously, this passage is very important in regard to Reformed Theology because it uses very naturally the language of “calling” and “election”.

In RT, we believe that salvation is an act of God whereby He both chooses (elects) us and calls us to salvation with an effectual, internal calling which results in our responding with faith and repentance.

So, our goal in assurance is seeking to determine whether or not we have truly received that call in our hearts, and if we have genuinely yielded to it.

We are to “be diligent” to confirm these things.

Now, I want to look at this passage in its context, but before I do that, I want to address something about “confirming our salvation” which we need to realize.

There are false ways which people use to “confirm” their salvation, and they end up having false assurance.

The Universalist approach - The universalist says that he is saved simply because he exists. He is assured of his salvation because no one is going to be judged. Ultimately, he is justified by death.

The Legalistic approach - the legalist says that he can know that he is saved because he is in some way obedient to God and his obedience "earns" Gods favor. This is the "good person" confirmation.

The Anti-Lordship/Easy-Believism approach - this says that salvation comes in simply engaging in some form of Jesus accepting ritual; sometimes it is repeating a prayer, sometimes it is being baptized or confirmed. Ultimately, the idea is, "you got your ticket punched, you're good”.

So, how can we have assurance?

If universalism, legalism and easy-believism have all missed the mark, what is the right way to have confidence?

How do we make our calling and election certain?

To answer this, I want to go through the context of Peter’s admonition and see what he tells us should encourage our assurance.

He begins his letter with an introduction and reference to Christ as both God and Savior (Granville Sharp Construction).

He then begins to expound on the faith which he says we have obtained which is of equal standing with his own.

2 Peter 1:3-15 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Peter is here expressing the reality of what faith in Jesus brings.

We have been given “precious and very great promises” which have allowed us to “become partakers of the divine nature”.

This does not mean that we have become divine.

This means that we have become participants in the Body of Christ, and Temples of the Holy Spirit.