7 Indicators of True Salvation

Prayer is the lifeline of the Christian to God and alongside Bible reading is vital to our lives. Recently a great movie was released called War Room and is a wonderful viewing experience that portrays the power of prayer in the Christian life. I highly suggest everyone see the movie. In conjunction with the release of the movie the two Kendrick brothers, who made the movie, also wrote a book on prayer called simply, The Battle Plan For Prayer. In the book they write a very important chapter, which is vital to us if we want to have a prayer life that actually reaches God. In the chapter they address the most important question one will ever ask of his self; Am I truly saved? The authority to suggest we should ask this question derives directly from the Word of God as spoken by Jesus in what I think may be the scariest scripture of all. Jesus in the seventh chapter of Matthew is speaking about how to recognize false prophets. Having said that we can tell them by their fruits, He then goes on to expand this test of a true prophet to a test of true salvation in all of us. Listen to His warning.

Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”

It is a terrifying thing to think someone could spend their whole life thinking they are serving God and are good to go when eternity arrives only to find out they were fooling themselves and will be cast out from heaven by Christ Himself. The Apostle Paul instructed us to make sure of our salvation and said this in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” So the question then comes; how do I test myself?” In the book the Kendrick brothers give us a scriptural list of seven indicators of true salvation. I include them here in the hopes that all of us who claim Christ will pass the test and if not we will humble ourselves before God today and ask Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit and save us by the power of God.

Here is the test.

1. Is my life characterized by obedience to God? This does not mean we have achieved perfection but means we read His Word and we seek to obey it. We must pray daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit who empowers us to obey.

1 John 2:3-6
 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

2. Have I accepted Jesus as the Christ and the Son of the Living God? This is where the cults such as the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons fail terribly as they do not believe Jesus is God. They portray Jesus as a good teacher or prophet but by denying His deity they eliminate Him as able to save us. To be our savior Jesus had to more than a man, He had to be sinless and perfect, which the Bible is clear is only evident in God Himself. A good teacher cannot save you.

1 John 2:22-23
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

3. Have I a lifestyle that reflects I have repented of my sin? To repent means to turn away from sin and turn towards holiness. We must recognize our sins and agree with God they are sins and that we are sinners.

Luke 13:3
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Again this does not mean we won’t stumble and fall down but that we recognize it as sin.

1 John 3:9-10
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

4. Do I have a genuine love for other believers? A saved person is a changed person and love, especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ, must be evident.

1 John 3:14-15
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

5. Does God discipline me? Becoming a Christian does not mean we become instantly perfect. But as we continue on in life and we fall back into old sins do we feel the hand of our Father upon us through various things that bring discomfort to us?

Hebrews 12:4-8
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”  It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

6. Do I have the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life? Things such as conviction over sin and new desires to do things in serving God are evidence for His presence. The Holy Spirit will also bring new understanding to God’s Word and bring the fruits of the Spirit out in you as further proof of His presence.

Romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

7. Is your faith in Christ alone or are you trying to earn your salvation through your own efforts? Good deeds, going to church, donating money, and even being baptized will not save you but are examples of obedience to the commands of Jesus. It is only faith in Christ that saves.

Ephesians 2:8-9
 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So how did you do? The truth is that we cannot pass this test unless the power of God, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, empowers us. This comes through faith in Christ. And how does faith come?

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Preach the Gospel to others. But first preach it to yourself.