Why Am I Doubting My Salvation?
Do you sometimes doubt your salvation? Do you doubt whether you are a Christian or not?
If you are a new believer in Christ or if you have given your life to Christ to become born again, it is no surprise that at times as a believer you may be tempted to doubt or to question your salvation. There are many reasons for this and below are some of the reasons why a person may doubt his/her salvation.
WHY AM I DOUBTING MY SALVATION?
- Spiritual Attack on Your Identity
From the moment you become born again / a Christian you enter into the family of God and therefore this means that you are a child of God (John 1:12).
Jesus said that even the angels in Heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents & becomes born again.
However, only the devil & his demons do not rejoice because by becoming a child of God you automatically become an enemy of the devil. Therefore the enemy will bombard your mind with various thoughts, attacks, condemnation & doubts in relation to your salvation & identity in Christ.
It’s important to resist the devil by simply & continually BELIEVING that by FAITH that you are indeed born again because of what Christ did for you on the cross and because of the personal acceptance you made in your heart. Salvation is by faith in Christ & not by anything else.
1 John 5:13 NKJV – 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.
- You Falsely Believe That God Rejects You Every Time You Sin
Sometimes we can have a wrong perception of God and of how God sees us. The Scriptures tell us that God loves us WHILST we are STILL sinners and that WHILST we were sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). This indicates that God’s love for us is unconditional and that His love for us is not based on our behavior. Unlike humans, God’s love does not change.
Therefore, when you become a Christian, you become God’s child (John 1:12) and you do not lose your salvation. The moment you became born again you were sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21,22)
Imagine, if a human father has a young & growing son. As that particular child is growing it’s obvious that this young son will misbehave and at times disobey his father. However, would a good human father disown his son every time that child misbehaves? Certainly not.
Therefore God does not disown you and neither will you lose your salvation whenever you sin. Please note that this is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1,2) – but it is a reflection of God’s love, mercy and grace that we have as a result of being children of God.
Luke 11:11-13 NKJV – If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV – In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
- You Falsely Believe That Your Personal Merit & Works Are Important For You To Be Saved
The Bible many times tells us that we are not saved by our personal works or personal merits. Our own personal righteousness are like filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by our own works lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8).
Salvation therefore is not as a result of observing the law but it is as a result of believing in Jesus Christ & in His finished work. Galatians 2:21 says “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Grace is undeserved kindness. God does not give us grace because we deserve it – but He gives us grace because we don’t deserve it.
Salvation is also a FREE GIFT (Romans 6:23). A gift is given irrespective of whether we deserve it or not. See also the article: Can You Earn Your Own Salvation
Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Galatians 3:26-27 NJKV – For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- You Still Feel Condemned About Past Sins & Feel Guilty & Unforgiven
Our walk in the Christian life is not by feelings but it is by faith in God & what He has spoken in His word. How we feel changes according to our circumstances but if we walk by faith in God’s word, we become unmoved and our feelings eventually submit to the word of God.
Sometimes the enemy may use our feelings in order to cause us to think and act to what is contrary to what God has already said or promised in regarding to our salvation.
It’s also important to know that God has forgiven you and that in Christ you are no longer condemned. There is no sin that is too big for God to forgive.
2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV – For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Romans 8:1 NKJV – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
1 John 1:8-9 NKJV – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- You Doubt God’s Love & Word About Salvation
Could you be doubting God’s love for you? Could you be doubting that God loves sinners? Be assured that God’s love is unconditional and that Christ died for sinners.
Jesus did not die for the perfect & righteous. Jesus died for the sinners; he died for the worst of us. Furthermore, God is not a liar. God is not a man. God can be trusted. Your assurance of salvation comes from believing God’s word. There is no need to doubt His word & His promises.
Luke 5:31-32 NKJV – Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
John 1:12 NKJV – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name
Numbers 23:19 NKJV – “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Perhaps the above 5 issues could be the reason why you could be doubting your salvation. The key thing to understand about salvation is that you accept Jesus Christ by faith; you are saved by God’s grace and not by your own personal merits.
Have You Accepted Jesus Christ? Are You Born Again?
If you are reading this article and have never given your life to Jesus Christ, it’s important to know that Jesus died for your sins. He took your punishment on the cross so that whoever accepts Him in faith will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
As mentioned above, salvation is a FREE GIFT and salvation is not received by works but it is received by FAITH in Jesus Christ. It is that simple. A person must repent & by faith accept Jesus Christ as Lord & Saviour because Jesus is the only way, the truth & the life and the only Mediator between God & man.
DO YOU WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN or A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST???
1. ACKNOWLEDGE: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
This means that we have all broken God’s laws and God’s 10 Commandments like those mentioned in Exodus 20:1-17. For example, if you have told a lie; if you have stolen something; if you have lusted after somebody or if you have coveted. This means you are guilty of breaking at least one or more of God’s 10 Commandments. Breaking God’s commandments makes us sinners. The fact that we are sinners who have broken God’s law means that we are accountable to God who is the Lawgiver. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
You must acknowledge that you are a sinner who has broken God’s commandments and that you therefore need Jesus in your life.
2. REPENT: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3), “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19)
Repenting means: to change your mind; a sincere turning away, in heart, mind and action;
Therefore God wants you to repent of sinful values and of sinful living. God wants you to decide to
follow Him and to make Jesus the Lord of your life.
3. CONFESSION: “If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)
God is a forgiving God. God will forgive any sin that you have done because Jesus died for ALL your sins and to set you free from the bondage of all types of sin in your life.
4. BELIEVE: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
You must believe that ONLY Jesus can save you and restore your relationship with God. You must believe that Jesus is the ONLY way by which you can have everlasting life and escape from eternal separation from God. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and resurrected from the grave.
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive him, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12)
By faith, You must receive Jesus as Your Lord & Savior and therefore; you become a child of God; you become born again; you become a Christian; you restore your broken relationship with God
Why Not Make Your Eternal Decision NOW?
We become born again Christians by GRACE through FAITH or TOTAL TRUST in Jesus Christ as our Lord & Savior (Galatians 3:26) & (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation is a FREE gift received through FAITH in Christ.
PLEASE NOTE: You can choose to pray in your own words. This prayer is a sample prayer and it is only an EXPRESSION of your faith, belief & trust in Jesus. Salvation is by GRACE through FAITH or BELIEVING in Christ Jesus as your Lord & Saviour.
“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love. I thank You that You died on the cross for me and resurrected so that I may have life through You.
I confess Lord that I have sinned against You and today I ask You to forgive me of all of my sins, past present and future.
Today I repent and have decided to follow you. Thank you for forgiving all my sins.
From this moment, come into my life Lord Jesus & take full control of my life. I want to follow You Jesus and I want to follow Your ways. Save me and from today, make me the person You want me to be.
I receive You Lord Jesus right now by faith. I trust You as my Lord and Savior – Amen”
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