Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 10/15/2010

Question
Hello. I was wondering about how we should deal about doubts regarding our personal salvation. Even after i confessed jesus and believe that God raised him from the dead i still doubt weather i am really saved or not.  

Answer
Dear Cloey,

Thank you for your question about doubting about your salvation.

The Bible tells us that God wants us to know that we have eternal life.

1 John 5:11-13 (NIV)  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Faith is a vital part in our salvation, because God requires us to believe that He can do what He says He can do. More important than that is the fact that God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. Even though, because we are sinners, we were essentially at war with God, rebellious to the core, yet God died for us.

Rom. 5:8 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So we can conclude that, since Jesus died for us while were yet sinners, then He must love us very much. In fact, the Bible teaches us that the Creator God loves us more than He loves His own life! What a God! What love! I’d give my life for a God like that.

And that’s exactly the kind of God we worship. He’s LOVE personified.

1 John 4:8 (NIV) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Of course you have to accept this by faith. You have to believe that God loved you enough to die for you.

So where does the doubt come from? Why do we have so much difficulty believing that God loves us that much?

It’s because Satan has trained us to distrust God, to look at God as a strange, unloving Being, angry with us for sinning. We sometimes think of God as a vengeful tyrant who is waiting just around the corner, as it were, ready to pounce on us when we sin, or to zap us—“Take that you sinner!”

No, no, no! God loves us so much that He will do anything to get us into Heaven to live with Him forever. But He won’t force you into heaven. He won’t go against your will, your freedom of Choice. He leaves you free to choose whether or not you’ll accept His gift of eternal life. He’s just waiting for you to believe in Him so He can give you eternal life. But you must believe that He’ll do that for you. You must choose to accept the gift.

But it’s not a one-choice-for-a-lifetime deal. You must continue to choose Him every day. You must choose to follow Him regardless whether life is good or bad: when the toast is burned; when the flowers smell sweet; when your dreams are dashed; and when the sunrise paints vivid colors on the canvass of the sky. No matter what happens, choose God’s gift of eternal life each day.

And as you do that, you will want to know more about the One who loves you so much He died for you. Read some from your Bible every day—from the Book itself, not just from a book someone wrote about the Bible. Pray often—even thought prayers are OK. Let God build a relationship between Him and you so that you consider Him as your best friend. When you have a relationship like that you’ll be happy and have peace in your heart.

That doesn’t mean the doubts will never come again. But when they do, just lay them on Jesus.

Mat 11:28 (NIV) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

The heaviest burdens we have to bear are sin and guilt. And Jesus tells us the lay them on Him, so He can give us rest. So when a doubt arises in your heart, just say out loud, or in your mind: “Jesus, I lay this doubt (or whatever the temptation is) on you.” Then quickly change your mind to something else. Jesus will enable you to change your mind, and will lift the doubt from you.

Jesus said: John 16:33 (NIV) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Check out my web site: Pettypress.com. Read one of the many books or articles I’ve written. Tune in to two of my favorite family channels for spiritual and health counsel—3ABN (Dish Network 9393) and The Hope Channel (Direct TV 360).

Isa 26:3, 4 (KJV) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.