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How can I know I'm going to heaven? Can I lose my salvation after I'm saved?
I personally have the full conviction that I am going to heaven. This sounds like pride to many people. How can I have the peace and confidence that I'm going to heaven when many people don't? How can I have that confidence, knowing that I am a sinner, and a sinner to the core, and knowing that I can and do still sin against God? Can I really know that I'm going to heaven, or is it just wishful thinking on my part?
The only way that I know that I am going to heaven is by God's word, and you can know that you are going to heaven by God's word also. The bible says that we can have peace with God, knowing our sins are forgiven. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." If we are depending on our works to get us to heaven, or depending on ourselves to measure up to some moral standard to get there, we can never really have peace with God, and never really know if we're going to heaven because we don't know what the rest of our life may bring. We will always be living with the possibility that we could do something later in our life that would bar us from getting there. In fact, as discussed in the "How can I be be saved?/How can I get to heaven?" question, the ONLY way we can get to heaven is by faith in Jesus Christ, not by our works at all. No matter how good we've been or how much good we've done relative to other people, God says "there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Our good works do not change the fact that we are still sinners, and this is our problem. No matter how we try to cover them up, or get away from them by doing good works, we can never get rid of our sins by our own means. They still linger in our conscience, until we have put our faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. And then, as Romans 5:1 says, we can have peace with God and know that we are saved.
Reading the scriptures, we can know if we are saved. John 5:13 says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." John in part wrote his epistle to strengthen us in our knowledge of eternal life. That we would know what it is, and whether we have it. Once we have believed on Jesus Christ, "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." He does not just give us life, it is eternal life. If He just gave us life, we might have reason to worry that we could lose it. But He says it is ETERNAL life, which means it lasts forever. He also gives us the Spirit to indwell us when we are saved, and when He comes He dwells in us forever (Jn. 14:16).
Romans 8:28-30 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
God, because of His foreknowledge, sees us (if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ) as not only justified, but also as already glorified, even though in time we have not gone to heaven yet to experience it. Once we are saved, God works all things for our good, and is conforming us to the image of His Son. What does this mean? Paul tells us in the following verses:
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Rom. 8:31-34)
No charge of sin can be laid to our charge as Christians, saved by the blood of Christ. It is God who justifies us, not we justifying ourselves. We cannot even lay a charge to our own selves, it is God who justifies. Can we argue with Him? Can we undo the pardon that He has granted to us through the blood of His Son?
Who can condemn us, being saved by His grace? Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren (Rev. 12:10), and tries to make us doubt our salvation. Christ, the one who is the ultimate judge, is the one who died for us. And He not only died for us, but He lives to intercede for us. He is in heaven right now and is our advocate if we sin (I Jn. 2:1). Can we even condemn ourselves, if Christ, who is the ultimate, holy judge, has died for us and lives to intercede for us? It is not pride to think our salvation is secure- it is pride for us to go beyond the authority of Christ and condemn ourselves for our sins after we have been saved by His grace, and after He has died for us, and after He has told us that He ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25 says that Christ is, "able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (I Peter 1:3-5)
Not only has God saved us in His mercy, He has given us an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance, one that cannot fade away. Further, it is reserved for us in heaven by God Himself. Futher yet, He keeps us by His own power. What danger could we be in? The only danger we have here in sinning and doing our own will is the danger of losing out on suffering for Christ here. It is only on this earth that we have the opportunity to suffer for Christ, and if we ignore it and do our own will, we can lost that chance to know Christ in that special way and have that special communion with Him here. But our eternal salvation is in no danger whatsoever. Our inheritance is sure. We're kept by His power. He intercedes for us. He already bore all of our sins, past, present and future, on the cross 2000 years ago. We can, by the scriptures and according to the scriptures, know that we are saved, and have peace with God.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:7)
Have another question? Email Todd Asselborn your question by clicking on the contact link on the top or bottom of this page.