James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
“Preacher, I know I asked Christ to save me, but I still have doubts about whether I am saved.” This is the conversation I have often had throughout the years with people who doubt their salvation. When I ask what they did to get saved, their answer is clear that they believed in Christ’s sacrificial death to save them; however, they cannot understand why the doubts about their salvation continue.
We know that once a person is saved they are always saved. It is foolish to think a person could lose their salvation because that means God is a liar when He promises to give us eternal life when we get saved. If a person who accepts Christ is not eternally saved, then God is not omnipotent, His blood is not powerful, His grace is insufficient, His Word is a lie, and His sacrificial death was a waste of His time. The fact that God promised to give us eternal life if we accept His payment is proof enough that we are saved by faith in Him. If faith in Christ alone cannot save me eternally, then Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, and I must work my way to Heaven. However, we know Christ is the Son of God and that there are no works that can save us or keep us saved. Salvation is totally of Christ; all I must do is accept it.
The reason many doubt their salvation is because faith produces works. God says that faith without works is dead. This does not mean that it takes works to save us, but it means that after getting saved, my work for Christ is what keeps my faith vibrant in my heart. Not only do I need works after salvation to prove to others what Christ did in my heart, but I need works for Christ to remind me of what He did for me when He saved me. Without works after salvation to serve the LORD, anyone will begin to doubt their salvation. Are they still saved? Yes, they are, but works constantly remind us of what Christ did for us when we got saved.
Let me illustrate this great truth. When I go soul winning, I always talk about how I got saved. When I am witnessing to a lost person, I tell them that one night my family was having devotions when I told my mom that I didn't want to go to Hell, but I wanted to go to Heaven when I die. I asked her if she could show me from the Bible how I could be saved. I then ask the person I am witnessing to, “Can I share with you what my mother shared with me about what the Bible says a person must do to go to Heaven?” Every time I go through the plan of salvation with someone, I am reminded of when I got saved. The work of soul winning strengthens my faith because I am reminded every time I lead someone to Christ how I got saved as a child.
This is the secret to squelching your doubts about salvation. Good people who have been saved for years struggle with their assurance of salvation because they are not serving the LORD. When you get busy serving the LORD and telling people how to go to Heaven when they die, you are reminded of what you did when you got saved. However, if you fail to serve the LORD and go soul winning, your faith in what Christ did for you begins to die in your mind. Are you still saved though your faith is dying? Yes, you are, but to keep your faith fresh, it takes works for God in reaching the lost to keep your faith alive. Ending your doubts about whether you are saved is as easy as getting busy serving the LORD because the works of faith are the reminder your faith needs to remind you that you are saved.
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