by Donna Berger

During a dinner conversation a while back, a long-suffering friend of mine commented that he wasn’t sure he was ‘saved’ and questioned, “how do I know if I am saved?” The question needed to be answered, but the conversation moved on.

The apostle Thomas asked Jesus the very same question. In John 14:5-6, he says, “Lord…How can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” With Jesus’ words in mind, I wrote this letter to my dear friend.

Dear M,

Many people struggle with the question, “how do I know if I am saved?” As we move through different seasons of our life, we all face trials during which we may wrestle with whether or not our faith is real, and sufficient. I have watched you bear up under the oppression of a life-threatening illness for years now and I am inspired by your patience and perseverance. You profess your faith openly and never complain or utter the words, “why me?” You love your family beyond measure and soldier on when most would have given up long ago. To me, M, Jesus is reflected in your humility and the grace with which you carry yourself.

You love God, M. You certainly don’t love Him perfectly, and you probably would say you don’t love Him as much as you should or even as much as you want to. Who of us can? But, the fact remains that you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you trust Him and you love Him. Those are things that we cannot do on our own. Those are the hallmarks of a saved person, because only by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit can any of us do those things. An unsaved person would not be capable of the faith that leads to loving God and His Righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms our heart and soul and kindles our love for God encouraging us to mirror that love to those around us. We mirror that love through the gifts of the Spirit,

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

 M, I am not saying that you are perfect, but you display so many of the fruits of the Spirit in your daily life, that there is no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit has a secure dwelling place in your soul. I have seen the tears of joy in your eyes when your precious daughter flew in to surprise you on your birthday. And, I have witnessed your kindness and goodness as you work alongside your wife preparing meals for your guests. But, I know there are times when being physically ill wears you down, when your faith flags and you question salvation. In those times I pray that you will not let emotion direct your faith and that you will cling to Jesus, for out of your faithfulness will come “the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12b

So, M, I believe you can know you are saved when you wake up in the morning and give thanks and ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit and bless the day before you. I believe you can be confident you are saved, when you love your neighbor, not for your personal gain, but to give glory to God. I believe you can rejoice in your salvation when you are sitting outside sipping your coffee and the sunrise makes your heart swell and you pray, “I love you, Lord!”

His Love and Grace to you M, and “to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”                                     Galatians 6:24