Asking questions is how we grow spiritually. But we have to ensure that we ask the right questions. "How can I lose five kilos" is a good question to ask for your body's sake; but it will not help your soul. From a spiritual point of view, the greatest question anyone can ask is: "What must I do to be saved?". Paul and Silas must have been overjoyed when they were asked that question by the surprised jailer in Philippi (Acts 16:29-31).

The Apostle Peter must have also been overjoyed when he was asked a similar question by a crowd in Jerusalem after he preached a powerful sermon (Acts 2:37-41). The answer was always along the same lines: "Repent and believe with all your heart in the Lord Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ), and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)".

To "repent" means to be so profoundly sorry for all the wrong you have ever done that you want your life turned around. To "believe in the Lord Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ)" means to accept as true what is said about Him in the Bible - especially that He came to save people from their guilt before God for their sins, by taking the punishment for them on the cross and by being raised from the dead after He had died. If they repent and believe this, crowds of 3000 can be saved. If they repent and believe this, whole households can be saved. From one little question, great things can happen!

I have been asked that question by confused people on a number of occasions. To be asked such a question is a great gift for a pastor. But there is another question that I have been asked on even more occasions. It is: "How do I know I am saved?". If I had a dollar for every time I have ever been asked that question, it would buy me a lot of hot dinners! Fortunately, there are many different signs that one is really a Christian. Here are just nine of them:

SIGN #1: A HATRED OF SIN

The very first sign that you are a believer is an ardent hatred of sin (Psa.119:104; Job 1:1; Psa.26:5; 84:10; Prov.8:13; Rom.7:22-24). Your own sin will be even more detestable than everyone else's in the world put together, and it will drive you to the foot of the Cross. When your heart is wholly inclined towards a hatred of sin, you can be certain you are a believer.

SIGN #2: A JOY IN CHRIST

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will have a strong, lively and joyful love for the one in whom you have believed: the Lord Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) (1 Pet.1:8). In fact, for a person to claim to be a Christian and not love the Lord Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) is not only unthinkable but it will also lead to an awful judgement from God (1 Cor.16:22).

SIGN #3: A DEEP LOVE FOR THE BIBLE

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will have a deep love for the Word of God - the Bible (Psa.119:97 & 103). It will be your only objective source of truth for morality, religious knowledge and day-to-day living. To hear it preached through, and read from, will be a joy to you. You will always want to understand more about it.

SIGN #4: A DEEP LOVE FOR ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will have a deep and lasting love for all true Christians (1 John 3:14). You will find that you now have a built-in instinct to detect real believers; and you will love them above all others too (Gal.6:10). By this you will know you have been saved.

SIGN #5: A SENSE OF BELONGING TO YAHWEH'S FAMILY

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will have an intimate understanding that you have been adopted into God's family by receiving the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) as a "deposit" and guarantee of the fullness of future glory in the age to come (Rom.8:15-17; Eph.1:13-14). You will really know that Yahweh-God is your Father and that you are His child.

SIGN #6: A DESIRE FOR DEEP CONTINUOUS PRAYER

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will experience the power of prayer and the continual desire to pray. You will live in great gratitude for the fact that you have "access" to Him (Rom.5:1-2) and for the precious promises in Psa.145:18 and Heb.4:16.

SIGN #7: GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE, FAITH AND LOVE

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will be able to detect real growth in your knowledge, faith and love (2 Thess.1:3; 1 Pet.2:2-3; 2 Pet.3:18; Eph.4:14-15). This will be something you can measure over a period of time. You will be able to say "Last year I was there. This year I am here". And you will notice the difference.

SIGN #8: A NEW WORLD-VIEW

Another sign that you are a believer is that your whole "worldview" will be different to both how it was before you believed and to that of the rest of the unbelieving world (2 Cor.5:17). You will have a brand-new spiritual and moral outlook on everything. No longer will you make yourself the sole judge of what is right or wrong (which is what Satan seduced our first parents into, Gen.3:5) but you will realise that you must follow God's judgements on all matters.

SIGN #9: A LONGING FOR YAH'SHUA'S RETURN

Another sign that you are a believer is that you will have an intense longing for the return of the Lord Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) (Rom.8:23-25; 2 Tim.4:8). This will not make you into an escapist; for you still have to live in this world in order to grow and as a witness to truth. But your greatest desire is to see an end to sin and corruption and for righteousness to be once more established in the universe. You know that this will come only through the return of the Lord Yah'shua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) (Rev.21:1-5); and you long for this.

All these, and more, are the signs that you have really been saved. Do we see these evidences in ourselves? It is important to make your calling and election sure (2 Pet.1:10). As Thomas Brooks warns in his book "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices", the enemy of souls is always trying to destabilise Christians by putting them in a "sad, doubting, questioning and uncomfortable condition". However, it is the Lord's desire to give us unshakable assurance (Heb.6:19-20; Jn.14:2; 1 Jn.5:10-12 & 13; Rom.8:16 & 28, etc.).

It is therefore my earnest prayer that we will be questioners of the right kind and see the fruit of the above signs of salvation growing in our lives daily. For that is the pastor's joy; and it is his joy because it is God's joy too.

This page was created on 12 June 2000 Last updated on 12 June 2000

Reproduced with Permission